lakes region vs. Jackson for retirement

[skateskier]

I am 53 years old and plan to retire in the next 3-4 years. My wife and I have
made a number of trips to NH to explore the lakes region and the Jackson/Bartlett area.

We like the area and are looking for some advice about the differences in the following towns Sandwich, Tuftonboro, Moultonboro, Alton, Jackson.

Jackson look great in the winter as you have ski access to Black, Wildcat, and Attitash. You also get the advantage of nordic skiing on the Jackson trails.

The area close to the main lake has better access to boating and the highway to get to Plymouth for some college activities or up toward Loon for skiing.

We both enjoy cross country skiing, hiking, mountain biking, sailing, and motorcycling.

Sandwich Notch road looks like an interesting place to do some mountain biking and or cross country skiing. Also Castle in the clouds has many miles of trails.

So what are your favorite areas and why?

[phoenix]

I have hada house in Moultonboro for 30 years so am a little bias but one thing it has going for it is amount of waterfront property so relatively low property taxes. Castle has great trails with 5 mountains to climb and if you do all 16 or so trails and the mountains you get a patch for your efforts. Downside a little far from shopping but small town feel . I am sure the others are great also

[Lakesrider]

All depends on how bored you wanna get. I am 53 as well....:laugh:
I go to Jackson with friends every year. Jackson is noice as a get away town but I wouldn't want to live there. A bit snooty for me. Yeah you can ski more conveniently there, but they have almost as much, if not more of a tourist problem in that area. Yes there are bypass roads you can take but what a pain to deal with that Conway traffic when you want to go shopping or out to eat in the summer.
I live in Moultonborough and while the taxes are low, you are miles from anything fun to do. (For a 53 yo I mean.) 30-40 minutes to the nearest major highway that goes N/S. Using Lowe's as a benchmark, it takes me 40 minutes to get to in Winter. It is sometimes an hour to get there and even longer to get down the hill into Meredith in Summer. I can literally drive to Portland Maine in the time it takes me to drive from Lowe's in Gilford to my house in the Summer. That said I love it here and am hating the fact that I will be moving back south soon. I mean I am pretty sure I won't be having deer, bear, turkeys, ground hogs, moose, Fox, Fishers, etc walking through my lawn in downtown Nashua...:D
I think you need to figure out what your interests are and try to see where those interests are located in regards to your choice of towns. That is if you don't plan to get a real soft couch and a Big flat screen, and wind up like I did gaining 50 lbs from sitting around the rest of your life. I went back to work from being so bored and getting fat.:laugh:
BTW I got a nice little house in Suiessevale going up for sale soon. Watch the classifieds on the site for details....:D

[Newbiesaukee]

I live in Coral Gables, FL 7 months and the Lake 5 months a year so am little specific help. However, in this kind of decision I have found a little mental exercise helpful, as long as you can be honest with yourself.

There are so many variables in this kind of decision that we often think, wow, I love to ski. Wow, but I really like boating, etc. Visualize not exactly what you love the best, but what you will really DO in a typical day, hour by hour. Try to be specific. It can be quite helpful. For example, I like to drink coffee every morning and look at the Lake, then make myself lunch, play with the dog, do a little watercolor painting. A few nights a week we like to go out to dinner. We like to hike, but really, actually do it once a month. The point is, I can do most of those things anywhere and I can drive once a month to hike.But I can drink coffee and look at the Lake everyday in only one place. I know this may sound simplistic, but I have found it helpful in decision making.

[songkrai]

Let me tell you about this out of state person I got to know.
He worked in and lived near a big city out of state.
35 years same company.
In mid career he purchased a lot of land in Bartlett/Jackson area.
He built a retirement home on that piece of land.
Took him about 10 years.
Each weekend he would drive up and do some work on house.
He would tell me how he loved it up there.
He finally finished house.
This was his dream home constructed and designed exactly as he wished.
Later he retired sold his out of state home and moved to Jackson/Bartlett area.
He lasted 2 years there.
Sold home.
Moved away.
Too cold and too isolated was his conclusion.

[BroadHopper]

is a nice area, a little artsy fartsy for my taste. With Wildcat, Black and Attitash in the area it is great for the skier. You like hiking? The Pinkham Notch hut is right up the road! There's a number of great bars, Tuckerman and Wildcat as well as 'The Pahka' that are great for socializing. Shannon Door pub is a great pizza joint. You have a shoppers paradise down the road in Conway, I usually avoid the traffic by using West Side Drive.
Property values are a bit steep and so are the taxes, othewise it will be a great secluded area to retire.

Me? I like being off Parade Road in Laconia, an hour and a half to get to Attitash, and hour to Cannon, five minutes from the big lake, and a nice quiet inexpensive spot on Lake Winnisquam. C'est La Vie.

[codeman671]

Property values are a bit steep and so are the taxes, othewise it will be a great secluded area to retire.


The tax rate in Jackson is in the $10-12 range, depending on which website you look at and for which calendar year. Nothing wrong with that! I'll take it over my Gilford or Dover rate any day.

If cheap taxes is a desire, look at Bartlett.

The Jackson area is quiet, peaceful and beautiful. Some great mountain views. Not much in the area for work other than retail or restaurants, so if you are planning on doing anything part time you are limited.

My uncle lived in Jackson for years, they sold a while back and moved to Freedom. Tin Mine Road in the winter is hell!

[RLW]

I am 53 years old and plan to retire in the next 3-4 years. My wife and I have
made a number of trips to NH to explore the lakes region and the Jackson/Bartlett area.

We like the area and are looking for some advice about the differences in the following towns Sandwich, Tuftonboro, Moultonboro, Alton, Jackson.

Jackson look great in the winter as you have ski access to Black, Wildcat, and Attitash. You also get the advantage of nordic skiing on the Jackson trails.

The area close to the main lake has better access to boating and the highway to get to Plymouth for some college activities or up toward Loon for skiing.

We both enjoy cross country skiing, hiking, mountain biking, sailing, and motorcycling.

Sandwich Notch road looks like an interesting place to do some mountain biking and or cross country skiing. Also Castle in the clouds has many miles of trails.

So what are your favorite areas and why?

http://i44.tinypic.com/1499wms.gif skateskier, I just noticed that you are fairly new to posting on the forum and glad you have joined us. Have fun and enjoy the Winni Forum while making many new friends. I am sure you will get some great info from the members of the forum.:)
Best of luck.

http://i54.tinypic.com/2e56yqf.gif

[tis]

The Jackson are does have some beautiful mountain views. It is a great location if you like to ski and hike, but other than that, there isn't much there if you are not used to the quiet life. Both Jackson and Sandwich are considered "granola" areas-at least they have that reputation. There is nothing wrong with that if that is the type of person you are.

[mcdude]

We like the area and are looking for some advice about the differences in the following towns Sandwich, Tuftonboro, Moultonboro, Alton, Jackson.


Concerning ALTON
- lower tax rate
- access to the many hiking trails in the Belknaps
- much closer to "civilization" than Moultonboro. Being at the southernmost part of the lake. A trip to Lowe's (either Rochester or Gilford) will take you a bit less than 1/2 hour.
- I've never heard anyone refer to Alton as a crunchy-granola-type of place!

[tis]

Concerning ALTON
- lower tax rate
- access to the many hiking trails in the Belknaps
- much closer to "civilization" than Moultonboro. Being at the southernmost part of the lake. A trip to Lowe's (either Rochester or Gilford) will take you a bit less than 1/2 hour.
- I've never heard anyone refer to Alton as a crunchy-granola-type of place!

Nope, I never heard Alton called a granola town, either, McDude. :laugh:

[Heaven]

Nope, I never heard Alton called a granola town, either, McDude. :laugh:Nope, better known as nearly the "Walmart side of the Lake" : ).

Sandwich is strong on artistic, intellectual and outdoor activities. If you can entertain yourself easily, it is a great community.

[skateskier]

Thanks for all the great information ... some good advice from newbiesaukee.

The towns we were looking at have low tax rates so the housing is little more expensive. Jackson prices are high and you need to deal with summer and winter tourism ... but that comes with lots of opportunities to socialize (BroadHopper made that point). We like to hit the pub's and night spots to have a few drinks and listen to music. I guess we will be trying to socialize and make some new friends. During the day I think it will be trying to be active and get in better shape by hiking, skiing and using a kayak on a local pond/lake. I would be attempting to do one of those for an hour or two every day. I have a hound dog so he would be hiking as well.

It's hard to find any community activities that are based in each town. Some towns may have an activity center where they have exercise class, painting, ... that would be a big plus as per making friends. You really can't tell how much any of those activities draw as per number of people unless you are participating.

Something that looks interesting is the possibility of being located near a smaller lake or pond. Alton shores has lots of hiking opportunities and a small beach association. I am guessing the winter population is probably only 10% of the summer crowd... and the roads are private. Anyone have ideas about some of the smaller lakes in the area? I see lots of options ... but most of these lakes/ponds are private.

I talked to a realtor who grew up in Tuftonboro and who now lives in gunstock acres. He was suggesting it might make sense to pay a little more in taxes to be closer to things to do near Guilford/Lanconia. The gunstock acres community has private beach access to the big lake and a community drilled well. Looks like a nice place to get a view of the lake but unfortunately facing North and would be very cold in the winter. I prefer something that is facing south and has some kind of mountain view.

[ghfromaltonbay]

Nope, I never heard Alton called a granola town, either, McDude. :laugh:

I almost choked on my tea when watching the HGTV "House Hunters" episode on Lake Winnipesaukee. One of the 3 houses the buyers checked out was in "the upscale lakefront town of Alton" as described by the realtor. Alton is neither upscale nor a granola town, and I love calling it my home away from home.

[BroadHopper]

I talked to a realtor who grew up in Tuftonboro and who now lives in gunstock acres. He was suggesting it might make sense to pay a little more in taxes to be closer to things to do near Guilford/Lanconia. The gunstock acres community has private beach access to the big lake and a community drilled well. Looks like a nice place to get a view of the lake but unfortunately facing North and would be very cold in the winter. I prefer something that is facing south and has some kind of mountain view.

If you want to face south and have mountain view, consider Whitefield, NH. Incredible view of the Presidentials and the Connecticut River is next door. I stayed at the Kimball Hill Inn during the Moore Dam hydroplane races and the stay bring pleasant memories.

[upthesaukee]

Nope, better known as nearly the "Walmart side of the Lake" : ).

Sandwich is strong on artistic, intellectual and outdoor activities. If you can entertain yourself easily, it is a great community.


Heaven, funny, but here in Alton we say that there is a Walmart on the Alton Bay side of the lake :D;):laugh:.

GH...we are upscale...most of our Mobile Homes have a screened-in porch on them. (I saw that episode...laughed out loud....).

[hemlock]

Lower Beech Pond in Tuftonboro is 15 minutes from the activities of Wolfeboro and the big lake. It is also 8.7 miles from the intersection of Rt28 and 16 for easy access to Conway and the White Mountains. It also has the second highest water quality in the State. (Big Dan Hole pond has the best).
Waterfront homes on the pond are relatively inexpensive in the 350 to 450 and up range.

Also at one end of the pond there is an association with lots of vacation homes on small lots for cheap money and two nice beaches. (Hidden Valley)
Its a great place to kayak and row and swim. Most boats are smaller with 10 horsepower or less. (Except the William Lawrence camp waterski boat)

Its worth a visit