5 Things that Shocked Me When I Moved to New Hampshire

When I first moved to New Hampshire, I was stunned by the natural beauty of the state.  I did not realize how nice the beaches were but was shocked to learn that New Hampshire has the shortest coastline of any state.  It may be small, but it is spectacular.

The second thing that shocked me was that seatbelts aren’t mandatory.  Say What?  I knew that the state’s motto is “Live Free or Die” but didn’t know that it’s in the fiber of every New Hampshire resident.  It’s not just a saying, they feel it and live it every day.  That being said, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t wear a seat belt, but they don’t want the government telling them what they can and cannot do.

New Hampshire is home to the windiest place on earth.  Mount Washington recorded the world record for high winds when they clocked a reading of 231 per hour on April 12, 1934.  That record stood for sixty-two years when a speed of 253 was recorded on Barrow Island in Australia in 1996 during a typhoon.  But consistently, Mount Washington is windy. I drove up last year and the views were amazing.  You can check out more about Mount Washington at their website Mountwashington.org

Many scenes from the movie “Jumanji” were filmed in Keene, New Hampshire.  The Movie features a fictional town named Brantford in New Hampshire.  I did not know a lot of the scenes were filmed here.  This is one of my kids’ favorite movies.

Mary had a little lamb was written by a New Hampshire teacher.  I have heard this all my life and my wife has sung the tune to my kids, but I did not know it was based on a poem written by a New Hampshire teacher Sarah Josepha Hale back in 1830.  Legend has it, the poem was based on a true incident where a young student named Mary was followed to school by her lamb who had to wait outside for her all day.  Sarah Hale turned the incident into a poem to teach about kindness and history was made.  New Hampshire surprises me every day. Oh and here's #6-you don't need to wear a helmet to ride a motorcycle.#LIVE FREE OR DIE