Meet the Movers

By Chris Lopez · May 26, 2022

Brian recently made his move and was kind enough to answer some questions about the process and what life is like now in New Hampshire.

Q. Where were you living when you discovered the Free State Project, and what was life like then?

A. I was living in Northern California, in the East Bay Area(roughly 45 miles east of San Francisco). Life was decent, I was in a fairly liberty minded area of the county, but between the taxes at the state and local levels, the sales taxes, and the decision my family made for my wife to be a SAHM to our 2 boys with autism it felt like I was a slave to work in order to cover everything.

I work in HVAC/R and have for the last decade but I also have done auto mechanics, electrical systems for helicopters, high level Global Security Operations(with Executive Protection and Risk Identification), as well as a financial coaching business.

Q. How and when did you discover the Free State Project? What was the research process like?

A. The FSP came up during research among various states I was looking at that were more liberty minded. I believe it was linked via a Libertarian Party page in NH. It wasn’t until after my wife and I had already settled on New Hampshire for various other reasons.

When we visited the state we attended a Taproom Tuesday in Manchester and were made to feel very welcome rather quickly. This was huge for us as my wife and I are pretty reserved and community is important.

Q. When did you decide to move?

A. We made the conscious decision on New Hampshire in September of 2021, and made arrangements to visit in December/January to look for housing. We interviewed several realtors, and settled on one who was a NH native and specialized in getting houses sold that weren’t listed. This was huge knowing how competitive the market has been. As for the job hunt, I turned my LinkedIn on for open to work in the area, and worked with a professional recruiter. I learned very quickly that my skills were in high demand in the region and procured seven offers within the 2 week time during our visit.

Q. What are you looking forward to about the most? What are your plans for making life awesome here?

A. As a recent mover, we have found that life is much more accommodating to our interests. The reservations our teenager had about relocation have vanished as his hobbies are far more available to him here(particularly the outdoors hikes and biking). The schools function much more traditionally to what my wife and I experienced and has shown to be a vast improvement for both our boys.

Q. So far, how do you feel about your move?

A. So far everything has been amazing. Even the stressful parts around logistics with movers and such have been small blips in the big picture. We are still getting used to nearly everything being closed rather early(we were used to later night dinners), but it allows us more time together in the home to bond and catch up with one another.

Q. Do you have any advice to offer like-minded believers in liberty who are considering a move to New Hampshire?

A. Move now. It truly is like coming home here.

Q. What are you doing for the cause of liberty in New Hampshire?

A. Currently just interacting via the Facebook pages with people wanting to make the move, and attending FSP events as time permits. As time goes on I do want to get involved with helping to coordinate some legislation, specifically in the professional licensing arena, and maybe as I don’t want to work as much a run for public office may be in the cards.

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Jan 23, 2022

“What brings you to New Hampshire?”

We get this question all the time. We still don’t know how to answer it. It’s such a long story, and we doubt the random stranger we’re talking to at the time wants to be here for an hour while we tell it.

So, they get a short answer. My fellow porcupines are not so lucky. You get the long version:

My (Ben) story began the same way it did for so many libertarians before me:

Six years ago, I sat at a table in a cute little tea shop in Upstate NY. Across from me sat the young woman I was dating.

“You’re an anarchist?” she asked with a combination of horror and curiosity in her voice.

She then baited the trap: “Tell me more.”

I quietly sighed and prepared myself to “talk her off the ledge.”

We’ve all been there. It rarely ends well. Especially in places like the Vampire State (New York).

Thankfully, my story has a happier ending than most. When we fast forward to last month, we will find that same young woman moving to the “free state” with her husband of five years: me!

It was a long road to get here, but we are glad to finally be here!

You see, I have wanted to move to New Hampshire ever since I heard about the FSP on an episode of Stossel, 8 or so years ago. The idea of moving to a state that was already leaps and bounds better than the place I was living sounded appealing. Then, to have like minded people moving in as well, all of us focusing on making the state more free, well that sounded almost too good to be true!

The problem was that I owned a business in upstate New York. I had spent the better part of a decade building a good reputation and a solid customer base. It was difficult to just walk away from all of that hard work and start all over at the beginning.

When we married, Kelly joined me in the business. My heart may have been in New Hampshire, but we were just too busy with the business in New York to even consider moving.

We did decide to honeymoon in New Hampshire, though. This is where Kelly came to love this place as much as I do.

After our honeymoon, we made sure to come up at least once a year for our vacation. Every time we had to leave, we were both disappointed. On the trip home, we would get a sinking feeling in our stomachs when we saw that big “Welcome to New York, now bend over” sign. It would make us wish we could live in NH and never have to go back to NY.

We had no idea that a door would open for us to do just that.

Last spring, our attorney advised us to structure our company differently, due to some new laws that were going into affect in NY. At his recommendation, we decided to create a new LLC.

About a month into the process of changing the business, we realized that what we thought was going to be a simple restructuring felt an awful lot like starting a brand new business from scratch. This realization caused us to ask the question, “Do we really want to do this in New York?”.

The answer to that was an obvious. “No!”

So, we decided to see if it would be possible to make the move to New Hampshire.

Not knowing where to start, we reached out to the Free State Project group on Facebook. We were lucky enough to make a connection with an amazing couple there. They hooked us up with a place to live while we look for a home to buy.

We finally made the move last month and we are going all in! We transferred our business to New Hampshire, effectively closing it down in New York. We are opening up shop here, doing kitchen and bathroom remodeling for all the great folks in the free state (rothrockcarpentry.com for those who are curious).

We have heard positive things about the market here, but time will tell how true they are for our company. Either way, we are not looking back. We have promised ourselves, and our fellow porcupines, that whatever happens, we aren’t going to move back to New York. We have had enough of that awful place! We are home now, and that is a great feeling!

We look forward to living our dream of experiencing “liberty in our lifetime” along side all of you!

Ben & Kelly Rothrock

Richmond, NH

Original publication →

By Mz.Lane · Jan 30, 2021

The most gratifying part of being a black libertarian in New Hampshire is the warm welcome and smiles we get regularly. Liberty and freedom was something that I was looking for and came across the Free State Project.

My family thought I lost my mind when I told them we were thinking about moving to the whitest state in the world. I wanted to feel and see what freedom could look like in my lifetime. Despite what most people think, being black here in New Hampshire has been rewarding. 

Warm hearts, funny remarks

In addition to their warm hearts, the locals here in Berlin have made many funny remarks that still give me a good laugh every time. I’ve been here almost five years, and it never gets old.

1. If someone cuts you off on the road, you automatically blame a driver from Massachusetts. I’m sorry, guys, this is what I have observed but I’m from Texas and we’re barely driving the speed limit either.
2. The Old Man on the Mountain has fallen off and if you do not feel sympathy for it, then you don’t have a heart! It was like watching Bambi’s mother get shot all over again. Be ready when they mention it and put on a sad face while nodding as they explain their feelings. Make sure you read about it’s history so you are aware of the pain they felt when the nose fell off.
3. Nobody else can do maple syrup better than New Hampshire! If it’s not New Hampshire maple syrup, then it’s just sugar water.

I’ve only listed three things, but I have so much more that I have learned, and have yet to learn. Leaving a familiar place to an unknown territory was a bit scary. Knowing that the state is predominantly white made our decision more questionable. The fact that a new family was waiting for us to arrive made the move worth it. I’ve never met any of the Free-Staters prior so it was a heartwarming experience to see the volunteers waiting on our arrival to help us unload. It was dedication I couldn’t get from most blood relatives, so my hat goes off to the team responsible for orchestrating this.

What is it like being a black libertarian in New Hampshire?

Being a black libertarian in New Hampshire with a family of six is not impossible. I was taught that black people didn’t hike, ski, or eat at random white people’s houses. We changed the narrative of that stereotype. We have come to love hiking and skiing while meeting new people all the time. Breaking the norm is how we have truly adapted. The opportunities that we could not get in the “dirty South” are a distant memory because the opportunity for  growth is endless here!

Community envelopment is key, as well as connecting to people that have a common interest. In the small town where we live, entrepreneurship is the way to go. There are so many work from home jobs available now, and it’s easy to start a new journey towards financial freedom.

Resources

I will list a few more resources that helped us with community involvement and homeschooling needs so feel free to look around and ask tons of questions! 

• Bardo Farm is one of the first homeschooled groups that we joined. Family owned and operated, which we love! If your kids love learning about farm life and sustainable living, Bardo Farm is the best at teaching and answering all questions.
• I’m going to be honest, there are not a lot of black kids within New Hampshire homeschooling groups. If you are looking for a more diverse atmosphere for your kids to stay connected with people who look like them, then I would suggest you join a group that they can connect with. With that said, we found that this group fit our needs perfectly.
• As a family, heritage is important, especially in teaching our kids where they come from. I couldn’t wait to introduce my girls to the African American Culture Center. If homeschooling or not, this was the best field trip we have ever been to.

This is just a start and I will post more resources. Connection and community is where you start. Everything else will fall in place.

 

 

 

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Jan 15, 2021

How It All Started

Before 2020 changed everything for us and we left California for New Hampshire, we always enjoyed traveling, seeing new places, and nature – and we still do today.

While my husband, Daniel, was researching our next travel destination about 5-6 years ago, he watched some videos about the Free State Project and shared them with me.

After I started following the FSP’s social media, I had some reservations. I saw comments from others that seem harsh and people who are OK with certain rights being taken away or how they’re OK with government control.

Don’t let this discourage you. I found that the people who work closely with the Free State Project are amazing and helpful.

With a clear mind, in 2012 or 2013, we decided we were moving to New Hampshire. We fell in love with New Hampshire while we were on vacation. We went to Boston, then decided to drive to Vermont and New Hampshire for fall foliage. After falling in love with New Hampshire, we waited to move until our kids were older – we are a blended family and wanted to be there for some important events of our middle son.

In that moment, we chose to stay in California, along with their horrible politics.

Why California Wasn’t Right for Us

In California, we didn’t see ourselves relating to any political party, agreeing with some issues and disagreeing with others. However, we do vote more on one party side, mainly because we vote for jobs, less taxes, and to preserve the constitution.

Personally, I realize that no party is perfect, so I just do my best to focus on what the active members are doing, as well as the ones running for office and what they are doing.

With things that have been happening in California over the years, we couldn’t wait to be out. We love the weather and our family in California, but in our experience, Californians are not that friendly, crime is high, taxes are high, and traffic is horrific.

For over 10 years, California has been run by one party. This party is in theory the party of “help”, but in reality in California, the cost of living is very high and housing prices are bad. This is partly because, if you live in California, you pay so much in taxes and you do not see the effects of where any of that tax money goes.

And those high taxes in California have had a very negative effect on some very real people. In the past, I used to see a few handfuls of homelessness people here and there. Now, there are homeless camps all over the place. In California, the situation is so out of control, there are hundreds of people living on the streets in almost every decent city.

2020 Changed Everything

Then Covid happened. With that, 2020 changed everything for us, including my husband’s job. He is a class A driver. After some careful thought, we realized he’d either be laid off or forced to take a pay cut. At that point, he decided that maybe it was the best time to escape from California and move to New Hampshire.

I wasn’t ready yet. I wanted to wait another 2-3 years because I wasn’t ready to give up my job. Without a college education, I knew that most employers require a degree for what I do. Plus, I have years of experience in my field! So, because I would have to take a pay cut, I wanted more money saved and bills paid off so that we could be debt free when we finally move.

Despite it all, Daniel and I agreed to see if he could get a job transfer. When he found out his transfer request didn’t go through, he applied to two jobs in New Hampshire on a Friday. By the following Monday, one company called him back, he flew out that same week for an interview, performed a driving test, and they hired him!

Leaving California

As soon as he came back from New Hampshire, we called a couple of real estate agents, decided who to go with, and put our house up for sale. Within a week of Daniel coming home, our house was up for sale! Within a week of the house being up, it was sold.

My husband had to start his new job at the end of July, so he drove to New Hampshire and lived in a hotel until our California home closed. He looked for a new home for us while he was here, found one, and we were happy to have our offer accepted. It did take a while because homes were getting snatched up before he could even look at them.

The week the house closed in California, Daniel flew home to help us load the POD (a portable storage unit). The day after the POD was picked up, we loaded the cars, kids, and animals, then drove to New Hampshire.

Until our home was finally ready, we had to live in a hotel for two weeks. It was a stressful month and a half and a lot seemed to happen very fast for me. I did apply for jobs while the new house was in escrow, but I didn’t get any call backs. That made it more stressful because I am very independent – not having job prospects when we arrived in New Hampshire was difficult to accept.

Fortunately for me, my former employer in California shocked me when they gave me an offer to work from home in New Hampshire! Instantly, I was relieved.

Getting Settled In

Finally, when we got the keys to our new place to call home, we were not able to get the POD delivered here until five days later. So, instead of continuing to pay for a hotel room, we got three inexpensive air mattresses and some blankets, and started to live in our new home.

Also, we had the internet connected that same weekend so I could work. When we finally got our belongings, my husband and I unloaded the POD ourselves. Unfortunately, we didn’t know exactly when they would be here, so trying to get help would have been hard last minute, and I wasn’t going to continue to wait longer to start getting our belongings out, especially the couch and kitchen table!!

It took us a while to get settled in. Unfortunately, we’ve been having some issues with our home, but we are handling it. We consider ourselves city folks, so we’re learning a lot, especially about septic tanks and wells, since we moved to a more rural part of New Hampshire to reduce commute. We love the town we moved to though, and the neighbors have been welcoming.

Just Do It!

I am so happy with our move! We love it here. People have been so nice to us and we feel like we’re a part of a community. As a result, I am working on learning how to be more talkative and outgoing because I would like to have more friends here. Now, I can’t wait to start adventuring out. We want to start getting involved, but have not been able to just yet. At the moment, we are trying to manage work time with house repairs.

In the end, we recommend that you just do it!

If my husband didn’t decide to just look for a job and head out, I myself may have kept pushing it back. We did start saving years prior, but life happens and expenses come up. Because we had wanted to move here since about 2012-2013 we had started saving what we could, for example we got the cars paid off in 2017, which helped by adding more to our savings. For years, we kept doing what we could to make it happen.

For us, 2020 changed everything. Thanks to our careful planning and a little luck, we moved to New Hampshire for the Free State Project, and so can you.

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Oct 4, 2020

Hi, I’m Joël Valenzuela. Seven years ago today I arrived in New Hampshire for the first time, and seven years later I’m still here.

My story essentially began with my pre-college days when I learned two things: that I valued human freedom, and that freedom provably makes human society better off. After learning this, I went to where I could expect to make the most difference moving the world in this better direction: the nonprofit world. Some of this work had a direct political impact, but most of it was based on education and advancing ideas; which, while important still left my impatient self feeling unsatisfied.

After getting tired of living in Phoenix, I looked for work in other states in free market think tanks. One such organization was the Free State Project, which immediately struck me as something exciting and different, but I quickly realized that the organization wasn’t hiring, so I moved on. I did, however, follow its progress on social media, and as time went on, I became more and more intrigued by what I saw was happening.

The Moment That Triggered Me

In December of 2012, I saw a story of a Keene-based state representative saying that Free Staters were what she considered to be the greatest threat to the state as she vowed to take away their freedoms to make them go away. I instantly got an irrepressible feeling that something amazing was happening and that I needed to get there and be part of it at all costs. I pledged to move, and nine months later I put everything I owned in my two-door sedan and drove out.

Since then, for the first time I can remember, I have had a distinct feeling of being home. Nowhere have I experienced a feeling of mutual understanding in the value of freedom and individual effort than here, both with fellow movers and the average person on the street. Most importantly, I feel like I can make a lasting impact, and not struggle against an impenetrable wall of the status quo.

Check out this short video for a little more about my story:

Watch the original video →

Written by Joël Valenzuela.

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Aug 26, 2020

Photo by Yoav Hornung on Unsplash

Pledging Our Sacred Honor

Truth be told, I’ve never even been to New Hampshire. Nevertheless, later this year, I’ll be moving there.

Why? To honor my commitment to you. In other words, I will be moving – along with anyone else who signed prior to February 3rd, 2016, and who chooses to honor his or her commitment – as I said that I would, to join the other 20,000+ lovers of liberty. And our deadline is fast approaching.

Just a reminder, everyone who was among the first 20,000 to sign, committed themselves to make the move within five years of signing, which means that February 3, 2021 is our deadline (However, for those who committed after that date, you have 5 years from your commitment date).

Honoring My Word

Like all of us, I’m a lot of things, and some of them are even good. For sure, one of them is even great: I am a man of my word. Way back in 2006, I was the 6,659th person to sign the pledge. I had hoped that the day would come sooner – it took another 10 years to reach 20,000 – and then, well, you know how it goes, life gets in the way. So now I’m staring my deadline in the face, as many of us are. 

Dad taught me that a man’s word should be his bond. So while it’s not particularly easy or convenient for me to make the move, it’s an absolute must that it be done. And, I am doing it with great joy and not even a trace of trepidation. Most importantly, I know that “every valuable thing requires sacrifice.” In my opinion, very few things could be more valuable than our Liberty.

To quote Thomas Paine:

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”

If we will not sacrifice for Liberty, then who will? If now is not the right time, then when is?

John Trumbull: Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

Our founding fathers pledged their lives and their fortunes to each other to secure our Liberty – it’s right there, in the last line of the Declaration of Independence: “we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” They were honorable men who lived up to their pledge. Now it’s our turn. We have already pledged to each other.

The Moment Of Choice

The time is short, compatriots.

February 3rd, 2021 is the 5-year deadline that the first 20,000 signers agreed to honor. If you are still hesitating or have any questions regarding the project, please note that the Free State Project has a lot of available resources to facilitate your move to New Hampshire.

And remember, your word – your honor – are among your most valued possessions. However, if you’re going to walk away from your pledge, that’s your right – just make sure you notify the Free State Project of your decision.

And for those like me honoring their pledge, I’ll see you when you move to New Hampshire!

Live Free or Die!



By Dean A. Nash

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Jul 6, 2020

Lily making friends with her new neighbor’s puppy, Weare, NH, November 2019. Credit: Lily Tang Williams

Growing up in China under Chairman Mao

I was born and grew up in Chengdu, the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. Today, it is one of the most populous cities in Western China. Our lives there, for as long as I can remember, were totally controlled by the Communist Party of China (CPC), and its Chairman at the time, Mao Zedong. Like many, I was brainwashed in public school from a very early age to conform and obey, and oppressed throughout my youth for having my own opinions. I  remember being told things like: Chairman Mao was our supreme leader who loved us more than our parents, the CPC was the only Party for the poor and working class, and the Capitalists and dissidents must be eliminated. We chanted every day “Long live Chairman Mao, 10,000 years and another 10,000 years.” Mao became a God to my generation. We had to worship him,  obey him and the CCP. 

Although we were oppressed in our daily lives, we never challenged the authorities. We could not voice our own opinions on anything, could not access any truth – only government-controlled press. We lived in a primitive community housing with eight families sharing one bathroom and one outdoor water faucet. We were issued food rationing stamps based on my parents positions in a state factory. I was hungry all the time. We were told in schools what hair styles to use, what colors of clothing to wear, what pictures to draw, what songs to sing and what dances to do, and when was the appropriate time to laugh and cry.  Dating was banned until I was a junior in college. Then I became a rebellious teenager.

I didn’t know anything about liberty at the time, I didn’t even know what it meant. However, I often found myself fighting with my Party Committee Secretary a.k.a party boss, while I was a faculty member of the Fudan University Law School in Shanghai. At the time, I didn’t really have a clear conception or understanding of what I was fighting for, or against. All I knew is that I just wanted to be left alone. That’s when I became interested in the rest of the world.

In 1988, I left China, and came to the United States to attend graduate school. Even after moving here, it took me over 20 years in the U.S. to rid myself of all the educational garbage I received growing up in China.

Lily on her first visit to The U.S. to continue her studies. Austin, Texas Intl. Airport, 1988. Credit: Lily Tang Williams

Running as a Libertarian for Office in Colorado

By 2008, after countless hours of self-education, and discussions with liberty minded individuals, I became a true independent thinker, and started getting involved in political activism. So much so that in 2014, I ran for Colorado State House District 44 and later in 2016, I was a candidate for U.S. Senate in Colorado. After my campaign was over, and all the experience I gained from that adventure, I started looking for a new direction in life.

Visiting New Hampshire for the First Time

I recall a while ago, someone told me about the State of New Hampshire, and how things were different there, so I decided to check it out with my own two eyes to see what all the hype was about. In November 2016, in the middle of fall, I traveled to New Hampshire for the very first time and spent four days there.

I went to meetings with local activists, visited the State House, read the New Hampshire State Constitution and even got myself a personal copy. I also used our time visiting to look at homes in various towns.

I fell in love with New Hampshire for its natural beauty, the White Mountain, rivers, lakes and beaches, its wonderful decent people, and of course its motto, “Live Free or Die.” After that visit we were determined to move and make New Hampshire our new home.

The Challenges of Moving

I have been self-employed and working from home for the most part, but my husband John had built a 20 plus year career with the company he worked for as an engineer and manager. It was not easy for us to leave family, friends, and businesses behind after our many years in Colorado and Wyoming.

All in all, I visited New Hampshire eight times between 2016 and 2019, and we took two years to prepare for the move. There were just so many things we had to take care of before the big move, like helping my brother, a new Chinese immigrant to buy a home in Colorado, and taking care of my aging parents’ living arrangements, selling a rental house, and buying a house in New Hampshire where we wanted to live, but also helping our youngest daughter to settle down in a college. Plus we even had to close down a couple of home businesses that weren’t so profitable, and work out our financial plans and health insurance coverage post John’s retirement. We had our work cut out for us.

3000 Miles Later

Last November, we finally made the move to Weare, in two separate moving trips that covered over 3000 miles each way. When we arrived the 2nd time in a 26-foot truck, there were 15 freedom lovers to help us unload it — it only took 90 minutes to get the job done. The best part was that some of the people who showed up, we had never met before.

It was a great, heartwarming experience to come home to a community where people share the dream of “Liberty in our lifetime.” I sincerely hope more freedom lovers would move to New Hampshire and that people who are already here will make the maximum efforts to create a freer society.

Free Staters helping Lily and John move into their new home, Weare, NH, November 2019. Credit: Lily Tang Williams

I feel like New Hampshire is one of the last bastions of freedom in the U.S., and a unique chance to live in a relatively free society. I am shocked to see so many places in America, starting to look more and more like my native country, China. This is scary. I feel like I would have no other place to go if we were to lose our liberties in New Hampshire.

Lily Tang Williams: Spreading the Message of Freedom 

Lately, I have been traveling around the country to tell my story to as many people as I can. The story of what it really is like to grow up under the tyranny of socialism and communism. My hope is to help educate youth about the importance of freedom and the fight to preserve it. And nowhere is that fight more relevant than in New Hampshire.

Behind the scenes of an interview with the one and only John Stossel, 2017. Credit: Lily Tang Williams

So come up and visit us! Join us at PorcFest, or Liberty Forum, or at any time during the year, there is always something going on, and a lot of awesome people to meet!

If you like my message, please follow me on Twitter and Facebook and share my posts far and wide.

By: Lily Tang Williams

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Jun 16, 2020

At my property in Landaff, Grafton County, NH. Credit: Ely McLaughlin

Leaving Florida

I moved to New Hampshire in 2012, as a 12-year-old, along with my parents and sister. We were not yet participants of the Free State Project, but we were ready to move away from Florida. When my parents were growing up, our area (about 30 miles north of Orlando) was largely orange groves and cattle ranches, but by 2012, it was becoming clear that the city was encroaching on our home.

Our neighbor’s house was robbed twice, our two-lane county road was beginning to have as many cars per day as some rural interstates, and to top it off, my dad began noticing strange depressions in our yard. In Florida, the limestone ground is supported by water–water which has increasingly been pumped out of the ground onto people’s lawns for the past several decades–which means that we were beginning to be at risk for having our house swallowed up by a sinkhole.

Searching For Our New Home

At first, we planned to move to western North Carolina or eastern Tennessee. My mother has family in that area, and we were already familiar with it from annual vacations. However, there were very good reasons not to do this. Firstly, North Carolina has a ridiculously high income tax. I am sure that anybody reading this article will likely agree, taxation of any kind is akin to theft, but income tax is akin to slavery, which is even worse.

Also, since my sister and I were homeschooled, having that as an easy option is very important to me and my family. Currently, Florida has reasonably decent homeschool laws–all you need to do is maintain records of your curriculum and prove that you schooled at least 180 days a year. But many states, including North Carolina, are much more draconian.

Tennessee solved both these problems, since there is no state income tax and homeschooling is relatively easy. On the downside, anybody who has spent time in Tennessee in the summer knows that the heat of Central Florida is pleasant by comparison.

Why New Hampshire?

Considering our two main requirements (no income tax, and decent homeschool laws) and a preference for a cool climate, we only had a few states to choose from. Alaska, Tennessee, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming would have fit our main requirements, but New Hampshire always kept coming to the top.  There were a number of reasons for this.

First, New Hampshire is the only state in the country with no income or sales tax, though it does make up for this fact by having some of the highest property taxes in the nation.

Second, its homeschool laws are even better than Florida. All a family has to do in order to be legal is to send a letter of intent to a charter school, or one’s local school district, and score higher than the 40th percentile on a common standardized test. The test results are not even required to be sent to the state annually, but you are required to keep them in your records in case there is ever a question about the quality of your education.

Finally, the climate and topography of New Hampshire fits our preferences. There is something about four distinct seasons, cool summers, and having mountains, lakes, and beaches all within a couple hours that is incredibly appealing.

Since my parents both worked from home, they were able to keep their Florida jobs, and we decided to move to the White Mountains region, first Bartlett, and now Franconia. For us, this has been an excellent fit. We have patterned our lives in such a way as to not need a car. About once a month, we will rent one for the weekend to get groceries. We live close enough to walk to the ski slope for winter recreation (and my job), even if that walk is about five miles on the main road. This in itself is one of the advantages of New Hampshire.

It is perfectly safe to walk or bike just about anywhere. In fact, on a few rare occasions when I am late for work, I have actually stuck my thumb out and gotten a ride. I typically know the person picking me up, but even if I don’t, there is definitely a “pay it forward” culture among a lot of the locals, who are more than willing to help a kid that is just starting out, and not terrified that he might be a criminal.  Often, you don’t even have to ask. People will stop and offer.

What I Love About New Hampshire

As a kid, I mostly just appreciated New Hampshire for its scenery, and my ability to map out hundred-mile bike rides, or spend the day at the ski slope–both of which are hard to do in Florida. However, as I begin to start my adult life, I appreciate many more aspects of this state. First, there is a definite libertarian philosophy among the residents. This doesn’t always transfer down to Concord (I am writing this during the Coronavirus lockdowns, which have been going on for nearly three months), but it does mean that your neighbors are unlikely to call the cops on you for something that isn’t hurting anybody. Some towns do not have any zoning, which means that you are free to build your business wherever you see fit.  

Finally, I appreciate New Hampshire’s commitment to the land. Often, when people say this, they are talking about the government buying up land for state parks or imposing environmental regulations on its citizens. However, New Hampshire takes a somewhat different approach. We do have a good amount of public land. The White Mountain National Forest is nearly a million acres, and state parks like Franconia Notch, Forest Lake, or Crawford Notch are popular tourist destinations, but the vast majority of land is held by private individuals.

In order to encourage these individuals to keep land as forest or farm, instead of housing development, the state has enacted what we call “Current Use” taxation. This basically means that forested land is taxed at a tiny fraction (sometimes less than 10%) of its fair market value, which means that landowners can afford to keep it, even if their farm or timber does not produce much (if any) income. In order to make sure the land is maintained sustainably and is a benefit to society, there are additional tax incentives to write up a sustainable forestry management plan, and for keeping your land open to the public for recreation.

Imagine this: Because of this tax structure, I, as a 19-year-old college student, was able to purchase 200 acres of land, which I plan to turn into a fruit and timber farm, and it only costs me $150 per year in taxes.

Mt. Lafayette from the Vista Way trail at Cannon Mountain in winter. Credit: Ely McLaughlin

The North Country: What To Expect

There are a few downsides to living in the northern half of New Hampshire. First, is the weather. I, personally, love the variety you get, and there is nothing I like more than stepping outside on a sunny, -30 degree winter day, unless it is skiing in a fresh 18 inches of snow. However, many people might find six (or more) months of possible freezing temperatures and four months of heavy snowfall oppressive. Next, despite all its advantages, the North Country is an economically depressed region. The cost of living is reasonably cheap, especially compared with the rest of New England, but don’t come here if you don’t think you can live comfortably on a $30,000/year salary, or less. The southern half of the state doesn’t have this problem, but as you move towards the Massachusetts border you tend to find yourself back in suburbia, with all the political and social aspects thereof.  

College, if you are of that age or have kids of that age, is quite expensive. This is because the state does not funnel your tax dollars into a service that only a small portion of the population will use, but it does mean that community college can cost nearly as much as a four-year public school in Florida. That being said, the quality of the schools is top-notch, so if you are willing to pay, this might be an advantage.  

If you like the excitement of an urban area, this is also not the place for you. We are only 140 miles from Boston, but the biggest cultural resources in my town are the local convenience store, where the old-timers hang out, and one small dive bar. Again, some people, myself included, consider this an advantage.  

Finally, if you come from somewhere like the rural South, you might find the people a bit cold. This is not to say bad–I have met what I believe to be some of the most quality people in the world in the North Country–but there is a definite sense of suspicion regarding outsiders. Once you have lived in the area a few years, especially if you respect the local culture of doing strange and unusual things (like walking up roads, or building farmsteads) you won’t even notice it anymore. In fact, I have learned to appreciate the directness that most New Englanders are known for. Also, there is a pretty decent level of intellectual tolerance up here, something you don’t see very much, these days.

I like being able to hang out with college-educated transplants, Trump supporters, farmers, rednecks, and hippies all in the same room, and play a friendly game of ring-toss.

In Conclusion

I would say that it is hard to beat New Hampshire for scenery, people, or alternative lifestyle opportunities. If you don’t mind the cold, or a slower pace of life, then the North Country region of the state might be perfect for you, especially if you like outdoor recreation like skiing, hiking, “snowmachinin’, ” or hunting. If you think that the government is generally too big, and want to live in a rural area with people as unusual as you are, then come on up for a visit.

By: Ely McLaughlin

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · May 8, 2020

We are the Kelly family: Will, Julie, and our niece Lyra. We moved to New Hampshire from Baltimore in August 2019 in our RV. We spent the most of the fall/winter exploring New Hampshire, adjusting to the slower paced lifestyle, and hiding inside from the cold. We’ve recently been enjoying plugging into Free State events and meeting other Free Staters. Will grew up in Oklahoma.  He signed the pledge when he was high school.  Life happened. He went to college, joined the Navy, then met and married me. He more or less forgot about the FSP. We moved across the country to Baltimore, MD for my school and somewhere along the line he was reintroduced to the FSP. I was all for it. We spent years visiting NH during our vacations. With each visit the move felt more and more right. We had planned to move in 2013 but career opportunities and great friends kept us in place. After we were given permanent guardianship of our little girl, we decided the move was now or never. We spent a year preparing to move. We downsized most of our things, visited to tour schools, Will switched to working mostly remotely, then we bought the RV and just went for it. We love it here; we hope to buy a house soon and really put down roots.

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By Porcupine Real Estate · Nov 22, 2019

Finding a Winter Rental in New Hampshire

Guest post by Molly Smith

My husband Rob and I decided many years ago that we needed to get out of California. We wanted a better place to raise our kids, a place that showcased some sort of fiscal responsibility and common sense, and a place where we might find some like-minded folks to be productive members of a community together. Rob remembered a project he had heard about on a radio talk show many years before where freedom lovers, if enough of them got together, could maybe make a great place even better. Enter the Free State Project.

It only took one visit two years ago for us to completely fall in love with New Hampshire. The environment is beautiful, the people are friendly, and the sense of community within the members of the FSP that we met was enough to tell us that this would be the perfect place to call home. We drove around Nashua and Manchester a bit with our one year old in the car, trying to get a feel for the different regions. We found a lot of amenities and things to do and enjoyed both towns that we visited.

Being from California, however, we were used to having a coast near so it was natural that we decided rather quickly that the Seacoast would be the place for us. We loved the charming but tech forward town of Portsmouth and the beach town feel of Hampton. Those were the only two towns we really got to explore on the Seacoast during our 3 day trip, so we had to determine how we would find the right place to live and ensure this was the right region for us.

Before we decided exactly what we wanted, we went through all the options. We knew we eventually wanted to buy a home in New Hampshire, but how would that work? We thought renting first would be a good option, but finding a rental property with less than a year lease agreement was proving to be unlikely and we ideally did not want to be locked in for that long. We spent hours combing through houses online and emailing Mark and Amy at Porcupine Real Estate with a ton of questions about several properties. They responded to every single one with as much information as they could put together, and let us decide if we wanted to proceed in any way.

We went through all the motions, should we fly out and look at some houses, what if a house went under contract before we even came out to visit? Should we put an offer on a house site unseen? Mark assured us that we could, but that it was unusual as even though he could walk through it, we could not get a true idea of how we felt about it without stepping foot in it ourselves.

While searching for options, we noticed that in the Seacoast region, especially in Hampton Beach, there are several options for winter rentals. Beach houses that rent for astronomically high costs by the week during summer, had drastically reduced monthly rates available in the winter. We decided this would be perfect for us. We would have time to further explore New Hampshire and get a better feel for the Seacoast region without being locked in for an entire year. Also, the majority of these rentals are furnished so we shipped out a few essentials, but left the majority of our possessions in a storage unit in California. So now, when we move in to our home that Mark helped us submit an offer on, we can have our items shipped directly to the new house which, as another perk, prevented us from having to move everything twice.

There can be a sense of urgency with buying a house or the sense of wanting to get a better feel for that area before such a permanent move and I think a winter rental can help with either scenario. It gives you a chance to live in New Hampshire, become involved with the FSP community but also not to feel rushed in to making any decisions about your living situation. I would highly recommend it as an option and Porcupine Real Estate is a great resource in getting the process started!

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By Guest Blogger · Nov 21, 2019

I discovered the Free State Project in 2015 while still living in “Commiefornia.” I had just been laid off from my software engineering job and I was looking for work trying to get my wife and I out of the state after reading about the emergence of the “Silicon Prairie” in the Midwest. California was expensive to live in, the people were obnoxious, and the state’s politics were bothering both of us to the core. We wanted out!

I don’t remember the exact turn of events that led to our initial discovery of the Free State Project, but if I had to venture a guess, it was likely an offshoot mentioning from a comment on a political website or something along those lines. Nevertheless, I discovered the movement, scoured the website for clues whether it was still active or was an abandoned idea, read up everything I could, and my wife and I ultimately ended up watching the “101 Reasons” and “Libertopia” videos together before we discussed joining and signing.

After viewing the two videos, we took a few days to process everything we’d learned and do some soul searching. We weighed the pros and cons of life in New Hampshire versus life in the Midwest. The Midwest was cheaper (despite having more taxes), warmer (on average), and closer to our family members, but we both pretty quickly decided we’d gladly trade those things to finally be around people that didn’t view us as “fence sitters,” “Republican-lites,” “Angsty Overgrown Teenagers,” and all the other usual slurs against Libertarians. We wanted our future kids to grow up in a place where they wouldn’t have to feel like they were “evil non-conforming freaks” just because they believed in self-ownership and not equating stealing with charity.

I started expanding my job search to include New Hampshire firms as well as Midwest ones. Sadly, an opportunity with a New Hampshire firm just didn’t come in time, and when Hewlett-Packard offered me a position in Arkansas, we had no choice but to take it; the alternative was homelessness. We moved our belongings and secured an apartment for half the cost and twice the space. We spent the next half year or so getting our debt under control and our ruined finances back in order just in time for me to be laid off from Hewlett-Packard after it split into Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and merged with Computer Science Corporation to become DXC Technologies.

Newly unemployed again, I tried again to get work at a New Hampshire software firm. The results always ended the same: “We like your skills, but we’re not convinced that if we move you here you’ll want to stay.” You’d think I could just say “I’m staying for sure, I’m with the Free State Project!” but apparently, the FSP was a hot-button issue with New Hampshire firms at the time and I was advised to avoid mentioning that. It became clear that I’d either need to work a remote job or find a software firm that had offices in both Arkansas and New Hampshire if we were going to move.

Then, out of nowhere, my old employer who had laid me off, DXC Technologies, asked if I wanted to come back to work with the position becoming Remote after 6 months! Our household income tripled, and we started saving for a house. We were all set for a July 2019 house purchase, but the mortgage companies kept denying us. So we secured another apartment begrudgingly.

We hired some professional movers to transport our stuff to the new apartment. There were some complications on move-out day (there always are…) regarding what stuff was being contractually moved in what vehicle, and not wanting to argue in the 112 degrees Fahrenheit heat of August in Arkansas, we ended up abandoning some items. We drove for three days from Maumelle to Manchester and were simultaneously overjoyed and thoroughly exhausted seeing the Welcome Wagon when we got to our apartment. Three people showed up and were life savers in terms of getting our car and truck unloaded, and they even assembled our bed as we got the pizza ordered so we could just crash after it was all over and sleep for 16 hours straight.

We’ve been here 3 months now, and we’re still trying to get things “straightened out,” so sadly we haven’t had a lot of time to participate in many FSP activities. So far though, we’re enjoying the area actually having seasons and it not being a billion degrees outside in September. We’re still trying to get a house and look forward to starting a nice family in said house to keep the FSP going for generations to come!

Overall, the FSP has given us hope and a goal to aspire to to keep our morale up even in the darkest of times. We have no regrets about our move and are excited to see what the future has in store for us!

Original publication →

By Chris Lopez · Sep 11, 2019

It was a warm Sunday afternoon in July and I was driving home from the city. I had lived in San Francisco for 10 years but resignedly moved to the North Bay. I missed the city terribly, but I was divorced with a young daughter and couldn’t afford more than a tiny studio, so we had to leave. A retired ballet dancer, I was working full time in insurance and was also the executive director of Dance Theatre of San Francisco, a contemporary ballet company I founded in 2013. I telecommuted mostly, so living in the North Bay and going to the city occasionally was doable. But I didn’t like it.

After taking a ballet class with some friends and attending a short work meeting I headed back home. I coasted along easily until I reached Novato, the northernmost town in Marin County. At that point the four-lane freeway bottlenecks to two lanes and causes a terrible traffic back up all the time – yes, even on Sundays. It had been a problem for as long as I could remember, at least 20 years. But the state had never invested in adding another lane there – despite several campaigns begging for “three lanes all the way.”

I sat there in traffic for at least half an hour, my clutch leg starting to cramp up, and out my window I saw the new “Smart Train” go by, with no one in it. There was never anyone in it. The ironically named “Smart Train” was a dumb democrat pet project that diverted hundreds of millions of tax dollars away from widening the freeway and into a commuter train that didn’t actually go to the city. It ended at a bus station north of the bay where passengers then have to take a bus, that takes them to a ferryboat, which takes them to the city, where they have to take another bus to get to wherever they are going in the city. It was an idiotic idea and nobody used it. But it made the politicians and climate activists feel good, so that’s where the money went. Naturally.

In that moment, as I sat there in the Sunday afternoon traffic, looking at that ridiculous train, I decided that I had had enough. I was fed up with the traffic, the stupid laws, the wasted tax dollars, the taxes that increased every year, the high cost of everything, the crumbling roads, the horrible schools, and the constant virtue-signaling of people around me.

I went to my parents’ house to pick up my daughter. As soon as I got out of the car I pulled out my phone and Googled “most libertarian state.” I figured it must be some flat red state in the middle of country, or maybe in the sweltering South. I waited for the results to load…

New Hampshire? My eyes widened as it sunk in. New England! I could live there, I thought. Then I saw a website for “The Free State Project.” How had I never heard of this before? I was ecstatic as I read the mission statement. That night I watched the film 101 Reasons Liberty Lives in New Hampshire. After that, I was obsessed. I started reading everything I could find about New Hampshire and the Free State Project. I knew I had to see it for myself, but I had to wait until after my dance company’s Fall Program was over. I booked a short trip for the week following the show, in the middle of October. The most beautiful time of year!

My daughter and I stayed in Manchester and took day trips to the Seacoast and the White Mountains, we visited two schools, and I even took a ballet class in Bedford. We tried to get a feel for how life would be and we were impressed everywhere we went. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the architecture and the landscapes. I was surprised by how genuine people seemed; there was none of that sickening phony niceness you get in California. We went to Taproom Tuesday and a porcupine potluck in Littleton. What a welcoming, funny, engaging group of people! The conversations we had were so interesting and it was refreshing to talk freely with people that I had just met. I felt completely at ease in their company.

So I left New Hampshire with stars in my eyes, but I knew I had to come back in the winter. By January I was dedicated to moving as soon as possible. I started making plans to run my ballet company from New Hampshire. I decided I could telecommute and leave everything else to my capable company manager and newly hired artistic director. The company was on a year-long hiatus because we were waiting on our new director’s work visa, so it was the perfect time to go.

I confessed my intentions to my parents and they were happy for me, mostly. They decided to help me with a down payment so I could buy a house, which is something I could never do in the Bay Area. (I could barely survive as a renter there, shelling out more than half my income for rent, thanks to a “housing crisis” that was aggravated by ridiculous building restrictions enacted by unopposed democrats, drunk with power.)

Looking for properties in the Manchester area was incredibly fun, especially since I have a “thing” for old buildings. Never in my life had I been able to afford to be picky about a home. There were so many possibilities: I could get a Victorian in the city, or a cool warehouse condo, or a rural farmhouse! With the help of Mark Warden, I compiled a list of properties to see and booked a trip with my kid and both of my parents. The frigid January air did not damper my affection for New Hampshire. I could not wait to live here.

I fell in love with a quirky two-family Victorian on the east side of Manchester. It was a fixer-upper, trashed by years of renters, but we got a good deal on it and the income potential was great. I knew it was going to be a tough project but I felt a kinship with the house; like I needed it, and it needed me. So we made an offer. Mark was awesome and guided me through the whole buying process as I simultaneously packed up my life and shipped it across the country. We moved in March, just in time to see the last snow of the season.

I have never felt so alive as these first few months here in New Hampshire. Every single day is an adventure for my daughter and me. I have never lived anywhere but the SF Bay Area, but I always had an adventurous spirit and desire to leave. Life never quite allowed for it, though – until now. This place means freedom for us in so many different ways. I have financial freedom, educational freedom for my kid, freedom to move around without traffic jams, and a cool group of friends who don’t mind if I criticize the government. No, they don’t mind much at all!

Now we live on the second floor of a beautiful Victorian house on Hanover Hill with fantastic views of downtown Manchester. The house isn’t done yet but I hired a bunch of Free-Staters to help me restore it to its former glory, and soon I will be able to rent the lower unit to, yes, more Free-Staters.

So as it turns out, the stupid Smart Train in California did take me somewhere after all. It drove me into a rage that led me to magnificent New Hampshire and my life has never been better!

Since moving to New Hampshire Annie has been featured in the Bay Area news –

Bay Area resident commutes from San Francisco to New Hampshire to pay less to live!

Bay Area woman buys house in New Hampshire, commutes to SF to run business

Original publication →

By Chris Lopez · Aug 21, 2019

There were a lot of factors in my life that pushed me to make the move to New Hampshire from New York. As my small decking business was continuously hampered by regulations, I grew angry. While New York delivered for me in terms of high paying clientele, the actual experience of running a decking business there was absolutely miserable. For every deck I built, I needed permits, and an engineer or architect to approve my drawings. Most architects were unwilling to sign off/make my drawings since they were busy producing their own projects, and those that were willing to help took at least 3 months to attend to the project. I have my bachelors of Architecture, and knew how to make construction drawings, so I hired an engineer to stamp all my in-house drawings. Unfortunately, the building department only likes drawings by architects they know. I was constantly complaining to people about how wrong the construction process is in New York. Everyone; family, friends, and coworkers thought I had a problem adapting and accepting their world. To me, accepting the New York state of mind was compromising my principles and beliefs. To the people around me, I was being pretentious. They didn’t understand that I was suffering at my core. I became embarrassed to express how upset I was, knowing that my family and friends saw it as whining, and not adjusting to take the pain of the rules like everyone else. I wasn’t fun to be around: I sounded repetitive and obnoxious. I felt really alone, the people around me ignoring my pain. I was so emotionally deprived from being violated by New York, everything else there was dimmed, even connecting with my loving family. This is when I started to seriously consider the Free State Project. I knew about the Free State Project for 3 years; around the same time I fully embraced my libertarian nature. I was afraid to commit to New Hampshire, thinking that I was treating it like a drug. Maybe everyone was right in New York: that I was just not accepting reality. Perhaps I was fantasizing about some Utopia. Things came to a head when my mom emphatically told me “You have to learn to accept the way things are here, Adam,” and I remember aggressively responding “Well, I don’t accept it! I don’t accept any of it.” It occurred to me then, when someone doesn’t accept their circumstances, they’re ready for change. I worried about integrating into the Free State Project community. I’m an introvert. I was concerned about the social pressures to do political or social things I wasn’t ready for. And my commitment is to my business above all else. At first, I felt ashamed to admit this, thinking that I would be considered less committed to the cause of liberty. However, the complete opposite was true. There turns out to be a whole ecosystem of different kinds of libertarians, many like me, who are more business driven. The way the community works is based on the actual libertarian values; it’s not like some kind of clan for utopia or conformity, it’s just a lot of different libertarians, living close to each other, and playing supportive roles in one another lives. The networking is extremely powerful here. Within the Free State Project, I have found a sub group of people who I like to spend time with, and I have just networked through them, rather than by talking to every person at every event. This style has worked for me, and I imagine many others who are more to the introverted side. I have already begun to merge my business into a partnership with two people here, who are extremely competent, kind, and decent people who share libertarian values, and similar business vision. Since being here, I have felt my purpose more than ever. A local building inspector caught me doing a project without a permit, and he just asked me to sketch the project on a piece of graph paper, and he’ll call the permit closed. My business is blossoming, and there is plenty of work. The culture of the entire state is libertarian leaning already, so even without the Free State Project, the people here support small business. Most of my projects get closed extremely quickly, and my profits have increased, despite only being here for 5 months! I realize now, the Free State Project is nothing like Utopia, it’s hardcore reality. Now that New York is behind me, I see that it was even more suffocating than I knew. I was so nervous that I would have the same struggles here, and would learn that government is everywhere, and I came here on some false hope.  New Hampshire has been better than the fantasy. It’s like oxygen, like coming up from a fog, like finding shade at noon, like cracking your knuckles. It’s not some kind of high, it makes me feel alive.

Original publication →

By Chris Lopez · Mar 13, 2019

I first heard about the Free State Project in 2010 when I picked up a flyer at a Libertarian Party event. The idea immediately appealed to me, so I put it up on my icebox, and there it sat for the next eight years. As my retirement inched closer, I started to give more serious thought to The Move.

Before I made my first expedition out here, I communicated with a party member who made The Move a few years earlier. He told me about the first public hearing he attended after he moved here. It was in Portsmouth, and the selectmen were going to consider a new ordinance regarding safety equipment being required for children to bicycle or skateboard.

Having just moved here from The People’s Republic of San Francisco—where at least 75% of the residents have an intense faith in government—he was shocked at how almost each person who got up to give public comment was basically delivering a similar message:  “Don’t pass this ordinance because it’s the job of parents, not the government, to take responsibility for their children.” My friend was blown away by the public comments, and as he noted, “You can just imagine how the hearing would have gone in San Francisco.” Even more amazing was that the hearing was held in a liberal city, not a small village way up in the North Country. When I heard about such public comments from all but one speaker in a liberal city, I made up my mind right then and there that New Hampshire is the place I want to call home.

I made several trips over a two-year period to search for a property and home. I searched everywhere from central New Hampshire to way up north almost to the Canadian border, but as fate would have it, I ended up in a small rural town in the Lakes Region about 40 miles from Concord. I bought my home almost exactly two years ago and made The Move in November 2018.

Everyone thought I was crazy to leave a “world class cosmopolitan city” like San Francisco for rural New Hampshire. They had plenty of negatives: cold and bitter winters, black flies, high property taxes, opioid crisis, no diversity, an uneducated populace, high energy costs, cabin fever, wild bears, Lyme’s Disease, you name it—New Hampshire has problems, they warned. At minimum, friends and family urged me to try it for at least one full year before buying.  One friend warned me that I would be in for a “rude awakening” once I moved here.

To all that, I say “Bull!”  I’ve been here about half of the first winter already, and it hasn’t been that bad.  Mind you, we’ve had some pretty good storms already, including a 22-hour power outage in late November, plus I’ve been out shoveling snow in 5 below temperatures. Indeed, the energy costs are significant in the winter, and if you’re counting on your family and friends from moderate climates to visit in the winter, forget it. Mine have already come and gone, and everyone said, “See you in the spring!”  (It’s OK—that’s why cellphones, email, and video chats exist). On balance, my car insurance dropped almost in half, I no longer needed earthquake insurance, gas is about $1 less per gallon, and my food costs are down. And no, I haven’t been accosted by any bears yet, but occasionally I see deer on my property.

Property taxes, unfortunately, are all over the place statewide, so it really depends on where you end up buying. I happened to luck out, and through no special research on my part, my town has a very low tax rate. According to the Tax Collector ladies who visited my house in person, one of the reasons this town has low property taxes is because 3 of the selectmen have been in office for at least 100 years, and they don’t like to spend taxpayer money, unless really necessary.

My town actually mails out an annual booklet to each property owner detailing all the money spent during the previous year—including salaries by job description—by category and by vendor—down to the penny! Coming from San Francisco where a million or two lost or squandered is only a rounding error, I’m so happy to live in a place where local government officials actually take their fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers seriously.  Small government—just the way I like it!

The liberty community has been very welcoming. As one friend put it who is moving here in about two months, it’s great to have built-in friends as soon as you move here. I joined the Lake Region Porcupines and helped out with their Christmas toy drive in December. My understanding is that they also pass out jury nullification pamphlets to potential jurors at the courthouse. I’ve been to Taproom Tuesdays several times over the years—great bunch of liberty folks.

Best of all, I’m partial to the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, which takes politics seriously and reviews the bills the state legislators are proposing and lobbies legislators who are receptive to the ideas of liberty to vote yea or nay. Currently there are a lot of anti-liberty bills circulating in Concord due to the results from the November 2018 election. They’re even trying to create a state income tax on wages (currently it’s just on passive income) and establish paid salaries for all 400 state legislators. Turning citizen-statesmen into professional politicians and giving them more “revenue stream”—that’s a recipe for total disaster. Just look at California and San Francisco. We’ve got our work cut out for us!

Lastly, prior to moving here, I had a Ron Paul “Love Revolution” bumper sticker on my old car, and knowing I would need all-wheel drive for the winters, last spring I bought a new car here (no sales tax, unlike California, where some cities are now charging over 10% for sales tax). I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to find another Ron Paul bumper sticker because it’s been seven years since his last run. I determined that I better locate another Ron Paul bumper sticker once I got here, or else driving somehow just wouldn’t be quite right without it. However, when I registered my new car and got my new license plates, my discomfort completely vanished with the New Hampshire car license motto “Live Free or Die.”  That says it all for me: no Ron Paul bumper sticker needed any longer—I’m home at last!

-Aubrey Freedman, moved 11/18/2018

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Mar 1, 2019

Moving out of Boston was always a mutual goal for us – we just had no idea where we wanted to go!  After a [rainy] weekend camping trip in Littleton, NH in August 2017, I turned to Nathan and asked him if we really had to leave New Hampshire and go back to the city. The fresh air, natural beauty and relaxing demeanor of Granite State residents we met had us thinking: would it be possible to move to New Hampshire? For the remainder of the three-hour car ride back to Boston, our discussion solely focused on what we both knew we would need to make our lives better: the pursuit of liberty. Over the next six months, the conversation became more serious. We spent a lot of time on sites like Zillow, eyeballing NH real estate porn. Through our initial research, we were introduced to the Free State Project; it was then that we realized that there is a community of individuals who share our values in nearby New Hampshire – something we never felt living in Connecticut (Nate’s home state) or Massachusetts (Jen’s home state). In January 2018, our offer on a home in Salem, NH had been accepted – we couldn’t believe it! We will never forget the feeling of sheer joy and excitement – we knew we were about to embark on the journey of our lives together. We moved into our home on March 17, 2018. Our family and friends call visits to our home “trips to Free America”. Nathan proposed two weeks after we moved in on April 1. We are getting married in May 2019, and are looking forward to building our future and starting a family in the Free State. PS – our dog, Scout, is the happiest and healthiest she has EVER been since moving to New Hampshire!

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By Guest Blogger · Mar 1, 2019

Dave learned of the Free State Project from the 2002 article about it by Walter Williams and was very intrigued by the idea. He visited their website from time to time and sometime after New Hampshire was chosen as the state, he decided to sign up. That was in 2005 so we have been planning an eventual move to New Hampshire for all that time.  We both also knew though that because of family and career obligations the move would be a long way off. Nevertheless, we started attending PorcFest regularly beginning with our first one in 2007. On most of the trips we would then spend a few days in Hampton Beach before heading home. We knew from the beginning that we wanted to live close to the beach in a seacoast town. We spent the last 25 years living 3 blocks from the ocean in the resort town of Belmar, New Jersey. Dave likes to joke that he needs to live near to ocean to make it easier for him to escape. So every year after PorcFest we would drive up and down the 18-mile coastline in NH although we always knew that Hampton Beach was where we wanted to move to because it reminds us so much of our 25 year hometown of Belmar.

We started coming to Hampton Beach during midsummer too, spending time at the beach and driving around all the neighborhoods to determine where about we wanted to live. We knew it had to be walking (or running) distance to the beach or Dave wouldn’t be satisfied. Eventually we narrowed it down to North Shore Road…the end of North Shore Road that’s closest to the beach. It’s a beautiful, quiet neighborhood and it’s right near a couple of really nice beaches and so, of course, nothing decent ever goes up for sale there.

It wasn’t a big issue though because the whole while Karen was still hesitant about making the move. Her entire family was in NJ, our daughters were still attending school in NJ and of course she was worried about jobs and money. Basically all the same stuff that other potential movers face. Time has a way of working things out though and now our parents are all gone, some of Karen’s other relatives have moved out of the area and others are planning to, our daughters are both out of the school system and Karen became virtual office at her job so she wasn’t pinned to a certain location.

Even with all that stuff working its way out we still weren’t thinking that we would be here anytime soon because despite being on several real estate email alert lists, for years nothing came up that was even close to being our “it” property. We would look at stuff when we were up here anyway but none of it was really what we wanted and what we wanted most was a nice patch of land so we could build a new house just the way we want it with a first floor master bedroom, a study for Dave with an exhaust fan for his cigarette smoke and a 3 car garage. Because we were so particular about what we wanted and where it had to be, many years went by and even though we weren’t really thinking too seriously about moving, nothing was ever available anyway.

This past January everything changed.

On January 3 we received an email from one of the realtors with which we had set up an automatic notification account. We would receive these emails almost every day, but they were always no good for one reason or another. This one was different.

We couldn’t believe our eyes. It was a nice, dry, 100X100 lot with a crappy old house on it. It was located exactly at what we called “ground zero”, the exact location on exactly the street we wanted to live on. Because the house was so small and in such poor condition we were really only paying for the land. We immediately called the realtor who was kind enough to send us lots of pictures of the lot and the surrounding area.

We knew that it wouldn’t last long especially with an open house being planned for that very weekend. There was no way we could get to New Hampshire in time to prevent somebody else from buying it so we decided to make an offer, sight unseen, with the contingency that an engineer determines that the property would be approved for building the house we wanted to build on it. The house was owned by an elderly widow who could no longer live alone or even manage her own affairs, so her nephew was handling the house sale for her. He came back with a counter offer which we happily accepted.

The following weekend after we put in our bid, and after the seller had accepted our offer, and after an engineer confirmed it was a perfectly buildable lot, we took a trip up to NH to actually see the property.  It could not have been more perfect, far better than anything we thought we could have hoped to find. Not only was it a short walk to the beaches, it backed against some really nice woods frequented by deer and wild turkeys.

We also found out that one of the neighbors there had been patiently waiting for years for that property to go up for sale, as it was owned by an elderly lady who would be needing to move to an assisted living place.  The neighbor told us that as soon as the “for sale” sign went up, she put in a bid at the asking price, but was shocked to find out that someone (we) already signed a contract to buy the house. Apparently it was a day or two between when it was listed on the web and when the sign went up. Good thing we acted so quickly! She was very nice about it though and forgave us for (unwittingly) buying the house out from underneath her. We have become good friends and I may start going to the shooting range with her husband and son.

After returning home from that visit Dave went to see his boss to tell him we were moving. Even though Dave was already telecommuting a few days a week he was still expecting to lose his job and figured he would just have to find something to do locally even if it was for a lot less pay. Amazingly Dave’s boss wanted to keep him on even if it meant he could only come to the office a few times a year. So now he and Karen both work full time from home.

Between the time we purchased this property in NH and when we moved to NH, we took several trips up here to meet with an architect and with some builders in the Hampton area.  We found an architect we liked and worked with her to come up with a great set of house plans. We met with several builders and decided on a very well-known and reputable builder in Hampton area and this begins our journey.

Move forward a few months, we sold our house in NJ the end of August and found a rental house in Hampton 3 miles from the building site. We moved in August 29. Members of the Project should be glad we hired a moving company and didn’t ask the Welcome Wagon for their help unloading as we filled an entire United Van Lines moving van!

We have been living here ever since, while we wait for our new house to be built.

We have 2 college-aged daughters. One stayed in NJ to finish college at Rutgers. The other one is attending WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) in Worcester, Mass.

We are loving living here in NH and so happy to be away from that tax crazed state of NJ.  We both got immediate raises in our paychecks as New Jersey’s income tax no longer applies to us.  It’s beautiful here and we anticipate many happy years together in our new house.

We haven’t made it to any Free State meetings yet, but do plan on doing that and joining FreeCoast.  We already are on Facebook groups for both. One problem for Dave is that fans of his popular blog won’t let him stop reporting about politics in Belmar and two months after moving away he still has over 800 readers and thousands of hits every day. It takes up a lot of his free time, but he doesn’t want to let down his readers and his friends down there.

It’s been a long journey, but we finally made it home and are loving it here!!  Our only regret is that we wish we could have done it sooner.

David Schneck and Karen Oliveri, Hampton, NH

Original publication →

By Chris Lopez · Jan 29, 2019

December 5th, 2013 we closed on our house in Hudson, NH. It was a leap of faith. We had both signed the statement of intent, but we hadn’t attended any events, hadn’t been to a PorcFest or a LibertyForum, and didn’t know what to expect from the liberty community once we moved. It was also a leap of faith for our relationship, we were moving in together for the first time.

Andrew was born in Boston, MA and grew up in the suburbs south of the city. He had first heard of the Free State Project in 2003 when New Hampshire was chosen. As cool as it sounded, he didn’t know where his life would take him, and wasn’t ready to sign something he wasn’t fully committed to. He didn’t have his real awakening until he discovered Ron Paul in 2007. He ran for Delegate to the Republican National Convention from Massachusetts 2008, but lost. He ran again in 2012, won, and went to Tampa, FL for the convention.

I was raised in California where the concept of liberty is not exactly understood. My father was a commercial fisherman and I spent two years of my childhood in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, two weeks from the nearest point of land. Surprisingly, that is how I learned the joys of liberty! The fishing fleet worked cooperatively with no formal rules, just respect and appreciation for the community, and it worked great. I loved that concept and it stuck with me when I moved to Boston for college and met Andrew.

Together, we attended several liberty events through the Massachusetts Liberty Clubhouse run by Brad Wyatt. It was at these events that we realized how much our love of liberty and world view aligned. At the premier for the Silver Circle in Cambridge, Shem Kellogg convinced Andrew to sign the FSP Statement of Intent.

Five years, a wedding, and three children later (Breed-em-for-Freedom Program!), on December 5th 2018 Andrew took the oath of office for his second term in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and has received two New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA) perfect score awards for his voting record in the state house thus far, I am a member of the NHLA board of directors, and the kids are starting to grasp “Taxation is Theft”.

It’s worked out well so far, and we’re just getting started…

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By Chris Lopez · Dec 5, 2018

Our story begins in southwestern Wisconsin where we had been pursuing the American dream for 15 years.  Both of us (Valerie and Kevin) were employed at the same organic cooperative. We built our dream house on 20 acres – 10 minutes from work and school and had many good years working to help grow the organic industry.  It was rewarding to know our day-to-day efforts were ultimately helping to keep small farmers profitable and farming. The environmental benefits of organic agriculture also gave us pride in the work we were doing.

We witnessed many successful years of massive growth – fueled by a hard working group of individuals coordinated and focused on a shared mission.  However, a reorganization effort fueled by new leadership slowly grew the cooperative into one gigantic bureaucracy. We started to witness coworkers struggling to perform work, waiting for permission in designed work queues, having their initiative squelched, and management wondering why tasks are so slow and expensive!  Our frustration grew as this particular growing pain did not seem to improve over 3 years and our efforts to improve processes damaged relationships. The downturn in the dairy industry only added to our worry for the organization’s future.

We found ourselves quite limited in alternate job prospects near our home in rural Wisconsin.  The debt from building our dream home was also significant. Moreover, we began to draw parallels in our frustration with the growth of our employer and the growth of our government.  The tax burden grew increasingly burdensome with Wisconsin having all “standard” forms of taxation (income, property, and sales tax). We entertained the idea of giving up our entire investment in Wisconsin while searching for a location that aligned with our ideology.  Was there a location where Libertarians were concentrating?

It didn’t take a whole lot of Googling to find the Free State Project.  Shortly after that discovery, New Hampshire became top of the list if we were ever to give it all up and start anew.  We began seeking out job opportunities in New Hampshire and eventually found Pete and Gerry’s Organics LLC in Monroe, NH.  After an interview and job offer our life-changing option became a reality. We took it.

We arrived on July 11th to our new home in Littleton, NH, where a group of amazing Porcupines were ready to help us move in.  Our connections with the North Country group formed very quickly. This group is very family friendly. There are a few individuals who actively communicate local events/opportunities and the monthly potluck meetup is well attended by the group.  That particular meetup has become a priority for us. We experience it like a welcoming family dinner with a growing surrogate family.

Here we are – in October – very happy.  We sold our dream home and land, the kids are adjusting well in school, and we feel fortunate to have found a community and livelihood which aligns with our ideology.

The Kihslingers

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By Chris Lopez · Nov 30, 2018

Tyler: I found out about the Free State Project back in 2008 when I was a grassroots volunteer for the Ron Paul campaign, and have been following it closely ever since. It wasn’t until this year that I was finally able to make the move. I was pretty burned out after 2008 and haven’t really been involved in any kind of activism since, but I am super excited to dive back in and get involved in any way I can, in a place where it is already apparent that we really can make a difference.

Jack: After learning about the Free State Project, I found that a lot of the ideals shared by the community are similar to mine. I am looking forward to fulfilling my commitment to striving for a free society with limited governmental constraints upon personal liberties. To achieve increased liberty in my life time would be a dream worth working towards. To be able to do this with other like-minded people in the community would be an excellent opportunity!

In the months since making the move, we’ve met too many awesome people to count, and have had some great experiences. The transition to life in New Hampshire has been much easier than we expected. We try to take every opportunity to attend the numerous gatherings each month and meet as many people as we can. We also try not only to get to know our new home town of Manchester, but to get out into the surrounding areas as much as we can, exploring all the wonderful things that New Hampshire has to offer, such as the gorgeous mountains, lakes and coast, and all the fascinating and rich history of New England in general. Our goal is to continue meeting new people and making new friends, as well as learning more about and getting involved in the many opportunities for activism the community has to offer.

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By Chris Lopez · Nov 13, 2018

Ten years ago, a job opportunity took me and my husband from California to Seattle. Although we immediately fell in love with the beauty of the area, we were never able to find a warm community to call home. The atmosphere felt divisive and suffocating, with “us vs. them” politics and a lot of hateful rhetoric. We had two kids and began to raise them in this emotionally unhealthy environment. As a self-identified “free-thinker”, I felt like an outsider. I couldn’t prescribe to far right or far left politics, which made me a bit of a loner. I was always surprised and disheartened by how difficult it was to find someone who was capable of thinking outside of a blue or red box.

My frustration with the politics and social climate of Seattle grew to a climax earlier this year. After learning about the Free State Project,  I impulsively requested a job transfer to New Hampshire. Amazingly, my transfer request was quickly approved, and my husband and I decided to take the leap. Neither of us had ever lived on the East Coast, so it was a scary decision, but sometimes the pursuit of happiness requires some risk. My transfer request was approved in April, and by August, we were moving into a new home in New Hampshire. I was welcomed immediately with open arms by so many people who knew exactly how I was feeling, because they had all taken that leap before, too. The community I spent ten years searching for in Seattle, but never found, exists here in New Hampshire.

Having been here for only two and a half months, I am in constant awe of how immediately “at home” I feel. People here are generally more down to earth than what I’ve ever experienced anywhere before. We chose to settle in a small town in Hillsboro County, and the options for local activities are endless… farmers’ markets, town concerts, fairs, apple picking, cider presses, scarecrow competitions, fall festivals, pumpkin picking… we’ve been busier having fun in our little town of 5,000 people than we ever were in the urban mecca of Seattle. We are also loving the fresh produce and meat that we regularly purchase from a small farm down the road.  I’m 35 years old, and I feel like my life has finally begun. Bring on the winter, because I’m ready for it all!

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By Chris Lopez · Oct 23, 2018

After completing graduate school in Ohio, I was ready to try something new. I was ready to be a part of something bigger than myself; something that kept the fire inside me alive. I was involved with liberty-minded student groups (like Students for Liberty and Young Americans for Liberty) as an undergraduate and graduate student for several years. I grew very fond of being a part of a like-minded community and the relationships I built with people through the ideas of liberty. I wanted that feeling of belonging to continue, especially now that I am more aware of libertarian ideals. Feeling like it was time for me to make the next big step in my life and career as a young-twenty-something, I figured I have nothing to lose by moving to New Hampshire to be a part of the Free State Project. It was something I always wanted to do since I first heard about it.

In order to make my move happen, I let go of most of my possessions and fit everything inside of my small Toyota Corolla. I knew I wanted to make the move, but spending loads of money for a moving trailer was not feasible. It made more sense to let go of the things that no longer served me. It made more sense to start anew. On the way to the Free State, I made several pit stops to visit family and friends. It was not easy saying “bye” to the small town of Athens, Ohio or my hometown of Spring Mills, Pennsylvania. However, I knew that I needed to make the move; nothing was going to stop me. Taking the leap of faith and making the move was something I had to do if I wanted to experience growth and a new set of challenges.

I have been in the Free State for three months now and I am so happy with my decision. In fact, this may be the happiest time of my life! I have been greeted with welcoming arms. Every week, I meet new and fascinating people who share similar beliefs and ideals. Some ideas have even challenged or made me think more critically. In addition, I have been able to enjoy some of my hobbies more. I’ve gone hiking every other weekend to explore New Hampshire’s beautiful outdoors. I’ve also explored my new love for Indian food (Downtown Manchester has several options). I also already met someone special who means a lot to me. My life has been on an uphill trajectory since I decided to move.

I remember when I first moved, I felt overwhelmed with the abundance of opportunities that lay in front of me. There are still so many activities to be a part of, groups and organizations to join, and amazing people to meet. While I live in New Hampshire, I hope to be involved with initiatives that will increase our liberties in education, health, relationships, farming, and small business. I am so thankful that I am becoming a part of the liberty community in New Hampshire. I already feel like I get to live through my principles with like-minded individuals as the next chapter of my life unfolds.Thank you for everyone who helped me along my journey to be a part of this experience. Thank you to all of the new friends I’ve made for making me feel like I am home!

Original publication →

By Tiffany Hale · Aug 10, 2018

Shortly after moving to New Hampshire, I remember a number of individuals making the same rebuttal to our praises: “Just wait till you’ve been there six months or a year. You’ll feel differently once the honeymoon is over.” Well I’m happy to report that has not been the case at all! A year after making our move, we have only found more to love about our community and our life here.

It was exciting but somewhat nerve wracking the first three months or so, getting settled in and figuring out where to find the things we needed. Thankfully, we enjoyed a warm welcome and plenty of people willing to lend a hand or make a recommendation. With so much local support, both from Free Staters and neighbors, we made it through the transition period.

Once the newness wore off we were able to settle into our new normal. By the time we’d been here six months, we had made friends, established a monthly potluck for our regional liberty group, and gotten involved with community functions. We were feeling pretty comfortable here and knew enough people that we generally ran into at least one acquaintance anytime we went out.

By nine months in New Hampshire we had weathered our first winter, no big deal for us Michiganders, but still a milestone. As we started spending time outside and seeing the neighbors, I noticed their approving glances that we were still here. Apparently winter is a rite of passage in the North Country; once you make it through you’re accepted as practically a native!

Now here we are a year after our move. We’ve welcomed nine more movers to our region, made our new house a real home for our family, established a vibrant social life, explored a variety of New Hampshire treasures, stopped to take in some breathtaking views, started volunteering in our community, and created a truly beautiful life for our family.

I suppose you could say the honeymoon is over. The sheer thrill of the move has long since passed. But in the calm after the thrill we have truly fallen in love with New Hampshire. My only regret is that we didn’t move sooner!

 

• Why New Hampshire?
• Join the Free State Project!
• Visit New Hampshire for Liberty Forum this February.

Original publication →

By Editor · Aug 3, 2018

About three years ago I found myself in a career I didn’t particularly enjoy and in a house I struggled to afford. Was this to be my life for the next 30 years? That was a depressing thought. So I sold my house and quit my job and began a journey of self-discovery.

I was intrigued by becoming more self-reliant. I wanted to be more in touch with nature and learn to provide for more of my own needs away from fragile and broken systems. I worked on a couple of farms learning to grow food and learning basic carpentry skills. I took a few permaculture workshops and went on a vision quest in the jungle of Peru. In the end, I came VERY close to building a tiny house and starting a farm; however, after a period of due diligence, I found the economics of agriculture uninspiring.

It was also during this time that I started listening to The Survival Podcast with Jack Spirko. I enjoyed his lessons on self-reliance, modern survivalism, and permaculture. He also introduced me to the concepts of libertarianism. I had always been pretty apathetic when it comes to politics and never bought what any politician was selling. I vaguely referred to myself as a fiscal conservative but social liberal. However, the non-aggression principle was so simple, unifying and elegant – a principled way to live that really struck a cord with me. Jack also introduced me to the concept of “walking to freedom” and the Free State Project.

New Hampshire really has a lot going for it. From a physical perspective, the open space, natural beauty, and lack of congestion is very freeing. With its lower real estate prices (compared to eastern Massachusetts), beneficial tax environment (though of course it could be better!), and decent economy, I felt financial freedom was more realistic. And after learning about the Free State Project and the large liberty oriented community that I could plug into, the choice was a no-brainer.

I rented an apartment in Nashua as I oriented myself to the state and was welcomed with open arms into the liberty community. After a few months I settled into Manchester. I bought and renovated a three-family home, renting two units to a family of new movers and living in the third unit myself. I also started a real estate appraisal business that is really beginning to prosper. I have even voted for the first time in 15 years – there are plenty of liberty-oriented candidates to vote for with a clear conscience, and some even win!

Social opportunities in the liberty community are so numerous it is impossible to take advantage of them all. I have participated in political protests, learned how to safely operate a firearm, dove off railroad bridges, tried rock climbing and disc golf, built raised beds, completed transactions in Bitcoin, and learned how to brew kombucha – all with people I met through the Free State Project.

Overall, my choice to move to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project has been a great one. I can honestly say I am the happiest I have been in my adult live and have never been more optimistic about the future!

 

• Why New Hampshire?
• Join the Free State Project!
• Visit New Hampshire for Liberty Forum this February.

Original publication →

By Editor · Jul 31, 2018

I was born and raised in Maine and have been a lifelong libertarian; I remember voting for Harry Brown in my middle school’s mock election.

Life in New York City

In September 2017, I moved to Brooklyn for a better dating scene and attempted to drive with Uber to support myself while searching for a new professional position as a business analyst. Ride-sharing is heavily regulated in New York City, and getting my car licensed was a nightmare – it took nearly three months, primarily due to the DMV losing my title.

After finally getting on the road, I was hit with a slew of tacky traffic violations under the city’s draconian Vision Zero policy. Despite never having gotten a violation before in my life and not having committed a single act of aggressive driving, I accumulated 14 demerit points in four months. Most of the violations were the result of my GPS directing me into illegal turns that it hadn’t been updated for. The cops showed no leniency whatsoever.

During my downtime I would listen to the Tom Woods Show in my car, which in combination with the abuse I endured at the hands of city hall, radicalized me as an anarchist.

Discovering the Free State Project

I heard about the Free State Project in an interview with Amanda Billyrock. Having nothing to lose I signed the pledge and moved to Nashua on July 5, 2018. My priority as a Free Stater is to promote educational choice.

I’m still single and hoping to meet a nice liberty-loving lady around here. To this end I created a Facebook group for single Free Staters. Feel free to connect with me on MeWe; I’m a big proponent of migration to tech platforms such as this that protect privacy and free speech.

 

• Why New Hampshire?
• Join the Free State Project!
• Visit New Hampshire for Liberty Forum this February.

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Jul 26, 2018

by Sean from Vermont

I remember a good friend mentioning the Free State Project to me. All it took was a bit of research and a few web searches to know it would change my life. Moving to New Hampshire was a terrific decision, the best thing I ever did!

I was living in Burlington, Vermont. The politics there are … let’s say less than awesome. With liberalism and more blanket socialism closing in around me, I felt trapped. I started a marketing and web company, so I was in a unique situation where I could pack up and move to a new area without the strain and stress of finding a new job.

When I found out about the Free State movement, it was like a breath of fresh air coming over from the ocean. It didn’t take a lot of convincing to sign on, and I packed up and moved to the Seacoast area of New Hampshire in April of 2008.

Finding a new apartment and eventual home was a significant struggle, but since the move, I haven’t looked back. While New Hampshire is far from perfect, I can say with great deal of confidence that it’s by far the best option currently available in terms of advancing freedom. And as a Libertarian, the opportunity to come and help further shape the politics with my involvement (not to mention my vote) is very important to me!

I’m currently a passive member of the LP movement here. I campaigned for Ron Paul HARD when he ran. Since then my candle has dimmed a bit; however, I plan to become far more active in the days to come with the LP party and local politics in general.

Do it! Make the plunge. It’s scary, like any big life event, but well worth it!

 

• Why New Hampshire?
• Why the Free State Project?
• Visit New Hampshire for Liberty Forum this February!

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Jul 23, 2018

I dare you to make the move.

The motto for New Hampshire is “Live free or Die.” This was not the lifestyle my long-time friend Micah and I were enjoying on the West Coast. The West Coast is beautiful and the weather is nice, but even all of that beauty cannot make up for bad policy. People often have no idea about freedom until they begin to lose it.

Coming from the West Coast I watched freedom get destroyed by corrupted politicians who wanted the state to control the individual. This happened slowly but surely. The laws of the land began to get more and more oppressive over an eight-year period of time. When looking for places to move, my bro said, “Let’s move to New Hampshire because of the motto Live Free or Die.”

Finding the Free State Project

I was familiar with the East Coast, having been up to visit family in Connecticut, but I had never thought about New Hampshire. The west coast was bleeding bad. The taxes were insane; the gun laws were reaching “communist” levels; conspiracy theories were becoming realities. New Hampshire was becoming very intriguing to me.

So one day while browsing the potential places to live in New Hampshire, I came across the Free State Project. I took time to study it and signed the pledge. I was so thrilled that a group of liberty-minded activists actually existed.

Making the Move

It took a year after we signed to make the move, but this year we were not going to let any circumstance or situation stop us. After our lease was up in the Tahoe area, we packed the truck and were on the road. It took a week to get here, but was a wonderful drive up! Not only is New Hampshire a wonderful place to live, but it is in close proximity to some of the best airports in the USA. This was a big plus!

I can tell you personally: if you want to move here, the first step is taking a step, then one foot in front of another. Within the first month of being here, we got to spend two wonderful weeks in the White Mountains and two weeks at the beach (did I mention you can get anywhere in the state within two hours?).

Getting Involved in the Liberty Community

Before Micah and I moved, we were always advocates for freedom, which made us the odd balls when everyone around us were crying out for socialism. It was strange how many people were vouching for the government to take control but had no idea what socialism even entailed. We loved the history of the Revolution as well as the potential New Hampshire has for another major Revolution. There is power in numbers! New Hampshire is becoming a push-back state against government control and higher taxes.

Recently we met with a few of the wonderful State Reps, activist and freedom lovers and enjoyed every moment of it. It is a good tribe to be part of. These people aren’t just making noise, they are helping bring real change that eventually can be a prototype all over the USA. New Hampshire is not just a historic place, it is a place that is writing history as we speak.

One of the big lies is that “libertarian” ideas are not compatible with Christianity. Reality check! This movement encompasses every person who loves freedom. This is a freedom-loving community of peaceful (nonviolent) activists. Once you are in New Hampshire, you can find your niche! It is a happening place with young entrepreneurs. The community has meetups, and people engage in activism via groups that provide access to the state’s leaders.

You Can Do This Too

New Hampshire is an amazing place for you to become established and live out your dreams. If you travel, it is a wonderful home base. If you are creative, it is a great place to express that creativity. If you are a visionary, you have a blank canvas that you can turn into a beautiful picture. This is a great place to be a leader and not a follower.

If you have about $5,000 in your wallet and are young and want to get some liberty-loving friends together and move, that’s more than enough money to rent and sustain you while looking for a place. That $5,000 should be enough for gas, food, and rental. Jobs are in abundance in the area. If you move with more people you can combine the money. All you need is a desire to move, and a little bit of frugality to save up.

We came with less than $5,000 and were able to travel from the West Coast to the East Coast. We stayed in hotels for a month but signed a lease after the first two weeks. It has been well worth it.

What is your excuse for not moving? I dare you to take the risk!

 

 Build Your Own Free Life: Sign the Pledge to Move to New Hampshire!

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Jun 8, 2018

I spent several years of my life, against my will, attending government school in Georgia and then Colorado. Despite what the government was espousing in those schools, I ended up adopting the ideals of liberty.

After taking a political science class in community college, my belief in liberty deepened, in defiance of what was taught. Continuing to witness government violence and coercion did not endear me to the psychotic and bloodthirsty gang referred to as the “state.”

Finding the Free State Project

I started searching for a place where the values and principles of liberty, self-determination, and non-violence are upheld by more than a handful of people separated by hundreds of miles. This led me to discovering the Free State Project.

Immediately I wanted to move to New Hampshire, even with the many warnings of frigid winters from statists. I wasn’t deterred by the idea of living in a colder climate in exchange for less slavery. More than that though, I wanted to move to New Hampshire because I didn’t want to sit idly by, watching people struggle for the values I believe in. I ended up leaving the state-approved classes teaching about the state, packed my newly purchased Jeep Cherokee with everything I owned, and was ready to depart.

An Unexpected Detour to the Judge

Unfortunately, I had been caught a few months prior doing something “despicable:” driving my own vehicle without getting permission from the local gang, on a road they built by means of theft, on land they had brutally usurped. They called it driving with an expired registration.

On the day I planned to leave, I remembered the state had demanded that I go to their aptly named “justice center” the day before, to atone for my dreadful sin before the divine magistrate. I called them and found out that there was a warrant for my arrest, but I could appear early that morning and “resolve” the issue. In order to remove the warrant, I proceeded to speed quite unsafely to the chambers of the all-knowing judges to avoid being hunted down by their enforcers.

It turns out they misspelled my name on the “ticket” and so to avoid having to change the name, a complicated process I’m told, they decided to dismiss the case against me (they call this upholding the rule of law), though not without me being forced to hand over a tithe to the overlords as compensation for their undoubtedly just services.

Finally Home

I left as quickly as I could that day and arrived in New Hampshire two days later. There was an apartment in Durham I chose to rent until I found a job and a more permanent place.

Despite New Hampshire being next to Massachusetts and near New York, it feels a world apart from them, which is reflected in the nearly non-existent gun and knife laws, as well as the lack of income tax and sales tax, among other things. However, it is most importantly reflected in the individuals that endeavor to end the violence and slavery of the government. If there’s a place where we can achieve liberty in our lifetime, it feels like New Hampshire.

Noah Fechter-Dickson

Mover #1931

 

 Build Your Own Free Life: Sign the Pledge to Move to New Hampshire!

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By Guest Blogger · May 22, 2018

The catalyst for our move came in April of 2012 in the form of my four-month-old nephew. My husband, Matthew, and I were driving home to Indianapolis from my parents house in Fort Wayne after enjoying Easter weekend together. My step-brother and his family were there, including the newest member of our family, Liam.

Somewhere in that two-hour car ride, I turned to Matthew and said “I want kids.” His response was expected: “I want kids too.” So I clarified, “I don’t want to have kids in Indiana.”

In July 2011, we had visited New Hampshire in to really feel out the Free State Project as a movement, outside of our internet-based interactions, and knew we wanted to move. Loads of student debt, access to family support, and the opportunity for jobs in our fields after graduation kept us in Indiana longer than anticipated.

That three-sentence conversation on a Sunday in April shifted our priorities significantly. Within weeks, we had seasonal jobs lined up, our belongings were in storage, and we headed out to New Hampshire with the hope that we could build a life and a family that would be there for us when we did start to have children.

I won’t say we were lucky, we worked hard, got a little farther in debt, and interviewed for any job that may fit our qualifications. But we did it – we moved and haven’t looked back. It took years to get into a spot where we felt supported financially and personally to grow our family.

Our son was born in early 2015 at a standalone birth center with a midwife and 2 of her students in attendance, something that was a felony in Indiana when we left. Our daughter was born with the same midwife in 2016.

Our family loves New Hampshire life – you can find us at a park, beach, or trail every chance we get. We are weekly participants in the NH Cryptocurrency Meetup in Manchester on Sundays, enjoy monthly Marketplace Manchester events and frequently schedule events through the Porc Family Connection Facebook page.

We run Ledgeview Commercial, and our property management company is flourishing.

 

 Build Your Own Free Life: Sign the Pledge to Move to New Hampshire!

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By Guest Blogger · May 4, 2018

After working hard to save up for a house, my fiancé and I left Massachusetts and moved with our two children to beautiful Weare, New Hampshire. Our dreams of hobby farming brought us here, where the land and homes are more affordable and we could still commute to our jobs in Massachusetts. I’m a nurse and he’s a mechanic, and I’m sure we will be able to find jobs closer to home when the time comes.

We’ve made friends, mostly through the Free State Project, and have found them to be welcoming, good-natured, and helpful. We are a homeschooling family, and the freedom for home educators here is wonderful. We love it here and appreciate the opportunities the FSP has brought us and look forward to being more involved in making our new home even better and more free.

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By Guest Blogger · Apr 26, 2018

by Doug from Illinois

I was living in the freedom-hating, corrupt state of Illinois, and it was a constant battle out there with the state government to make any progress. When the possibility of moving back east came up a few years ago, New Hampshire was already on the top of my list. Then I discovered the Free State Project while searching for the gun laws in New Hampshire, and I made the pledge that day. I never had any reservations; I just knew New Hampshire was where I wanted to live.

My ex-wife wanted to move to Massachusetts. I’m originally from New York, so I am pretty familiar with most of the states out here and knew that I would never live in Massachusetts. The main reasons were taxes, ridiculous gun laws, and the typical Democrat-run state issues.

Making the Move to New Hampshire

Luckily, for more than a decade I have worked out of my home for a company in the Chicago area. They let me move, and I continue to work for them while enjoying the benefits of living in such an amazing state!

Since I did not have to worry about a job change, I was able to come out east to be with family as I did my home search. I was looking for property and a nice home in a small town and found it. The moving process this past summer went smoothly. Everyone I worked with were very friendly and helpful.

Life in the Cheshire County

So far everything has been great! This was the best decision I have ever made, and I absolutely love being here. The state is beautiful, and I love getting out and exploring. Everyone, and I mean everyone, I have come across has been extremely friendly and welcoming. It’s so different than Illinois and New York.

Some people say that New Hampshire’s property taxes are high, but I am paying less here than I did in Illinois, and Illinois taxed everything in addition to property taxes! It has been liberating to go from a state that required 16 hours of training, $150 fee, and a concealed carry license for me to exercise my rights to a state that requires nothing. I love the personal freedoms here and am looking forward to spending the rest of my life here working to keep New Hampshire free!

If you believe in personal responsibility and freedom, limited government, and the constitution of the United States, join the Free State Project and come to New Hampshire!

 

• Why New Hampshire?
• Why the Free State Project?
• Visit New Hampshire for Liberty Forum this February!

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By Guest Blogger · Apr 20, 2018

My wife hails from Oklahoma (not terrible on the liberty scale), but I’m from New York, the Empire State, and the empire kept striking back. We both found ourselves in Boston for school, and while a palpable improvement for me, it wasn’t the lamp of liberty I was seeking when I left my loving parents for a career in journalism – to bring truth to the people so they could choose the freedom they deserved.

Just days before I almost left New England, I met my wife via my Craigslist ad – “Are there any Attractive, Libertarian Christian Women in Boston?” – and marriage and children would not be far off. We couldn’t stay in Massachusetts, as the state’s restrictions on freedom were untenable for raising a Christian libertarian family.

My Web search for a liberty-loving state during our courtship led me to discover the Free State Project—yes, God answers prayers. We could pursue our dream and only have to move an hour north. We signed, we moved, and we planted. We bought our first home in June 2007 in Derry. Not much later, we found out that we were members of the First 1,000, and we quickly connected with some of our new friends.

I was not the type of person to sit back and relax now that I was part of a movement, so ahead of the actual move I did some research about the southern New Hampshire communities where I could run for office and win. Derry seemed to be the best bet within our price range. But I was a news editor at the time, so the timing had to play itself out.

First, I tried to move the newspaper toward libertarian topics, but the publisher would not have it. Our best-read editions featured libertarian headlines, such as “Breaking the Law,” about how hundreds of unenforceable laws remain on the books, and “Checkpoint Checkup,” about the injustice of roadside checkpoints as an effort to entrap people. The advertisers didn’t like the topics even though I told all sides of the story. It was a tipping point. I decided traditional journalism is a dead end for liberty. I left the field and ran for office. I won!

In the Legislature, getting acquainted with the process was easy thanks to veteran libertarians who volunteered to train me and the other several dozen Free Staters who got elected in 2010 for the 2011-2012 session. I introduced more than 50 bills and passed 11, including a bill that allows homeowners to stop assessors from coming into their home and still maintain their right to appeal, a bill to allow you to buy fewer than 12 chickens, a bill to allow homeowners to remove Smart Meters from their homes, and a bill that prevents the state from suspending your NH driver’s license for failing to pay out-of-state taxes, among other liberty protection measures.

With the second of three children on the way, my wife and I decided one term in the Legislature would do; it was time for more focus on family and finances. Not long after, I began working as a financial services professional, and I’m pleased that the career has allowed me to bring my libertarian Christian principles into the work I do on a daily basis. In this capacity, I’ve partnered with Ron Noyes, a Pre-Stater, and together we’ve sponsored Liberty Forum several times. Our business helps people build wealth and protect the good work they’ve already done all while creating legal tax shelters. We hope to teach as many families as we can how to build and grow an independent lifestyle and legacy of liberty for generations to come.

Lastly, my wife and children are all very cool people, too, but their story is theirs to tell, and as private people, that will just have to do.

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By Jennifer Narby · Apr 11, 2018

Back in 2011, the Freedom in the 50 States Index yielded some interesting information: New York State ranked #50 as the most oppressive, or least free, state in the union. My husband Dave and I wanted out of New York City! New Hampshire wasn’t #1 yet, but it was in the top three, so it was a huge consideration.

The Move to Upstate New York

We decided to leave the city and temporarily move upstate to live with my father-in-law, which would ultimately make the big move to a freer state easier on us. What a great idea…or were we crazy? We went with the first option. So we rented a 24′ moving van, filled it to the brim (along with two cats) and hit the road. We lasted three months before we realized we had made a big mistake; we had gone crazy! Next move: camping.

Six Weeks of Camping

Yes, we camped out in a state park in Ithaca, New York, for six weeks, and October nights can get pretty chilly! We had the best time of our lives and found out just how much freedom meant to us. We had a great set-up with living space, Internet, Netflix, new laptop, and phones. Dave rigged power from the car battery. We could breathe, think, and let nature heal some of the hurt and disappointment we experienced. Our two ‘indoor’ cats even loved it! We both found jobs: mine in Oswego and Dave’s in Belize for several months. I found us an apartment in a small town for some more breathing room where we remained for 11 months. We saved some money.

Finding the Free State Project

Then I got really busy researching the Free State Project, an interesting concept a friend of ours told us about. I checked out the website and Facebook pages and immediately felt the camaraderie. We decided to attend Liberty Forum, where we signed our letters of intent to move, and PorcFest that year. We got a full picture of what could be and liked it.

The Move to New Hampshire

On September 15, 2013, Dave, MJ (cat), and I embarked on the journey of a lifetime. We moved to Manchester where a great job awaited me. The following morning, 12 complete strangers came by and moved us in! We just so happened to live right around the corner from That Place – a local FSP clubhouse – instant community!

But soon enough, life threw some curveballs. Our one car broke down; my new job stunk and ended; and Dave was unemployed. We hunkered down for the first winter, which was a doozy, but we had faith, each other, and our community. The moral support was fantastic, but the struggle was real. It was stressful and frightening, like any major move or change can be. We had to find our own way and place here, and to be honest, we’re still doing that four years later. There have been lots of changes, ups and downs, but always with adventure and in freedom.

Thoughts for Movers – and Jennifer’s New Column

Be open minded. Nothing is perfect. Ask for support and assistance, and people will be there. As a counselor and life coach, I was asked to give that very type of support to community members, and that morphed into a career change for me! But it is still unfolding and takes time. Don’t be discouraged! You’re not going to like everyone or share their opinions, and that’s OK. Come here expecting great things. Do your part by taking 100% responsibility for your happiness, freedom, and lives.

Next month, I will talk more about moving challenges and expectations. Hopefully, I can share some tips and tools to better prepare you for the time of your life. In peace, Jennifer. #whatelsecangoright?!

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By Guest Blogger · Apr 6, 2018

My husband and I, lifelong Rhode Islanders, met in February 2012 while campaigning for Ron Paul in the presidential election. We learned about the Free State Project from that endeavor and signed the pledge to move in October 2015 at the National Republican Liberty Caucus’s Convention in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Rhode Island has been dominated by regulation-heavy, oppressive policies and a fiscally irresponsible and burdensome political culture for over 70 years now, and it is nearly impossible for a middle-class family to stay that way, never mind prosper at all. Despite the fact that both of our extended families still reside in Rhode Island, we knew we had to leave. We had to “get out” – for the betterment of our family and for a better future for our children.

It took us THREE more years to make it here, but on March 10th, 2018, we finally made it! We started by finding jobs here first. Bob (my husband) got his in July of 2017, and I immediately started looking too. I found the one I wanted in February 2018, and we pulled the trigger.

We signed a lease agreement up here by the end of February, and Friday March 9th was the kids’ last day in Rhode Island schools. The moving company packed up all our stuff Saturday morning, March 10th, and were done and leaving Weare, NH, by 2:30 that same afternoon! The kids were enrolled in Weare’s Schools and started their first day here on the following Monday, March 12th.

It was hard work, but it wasn’t difficult at all, if that makes sense. Between July and February, I kept wondering how it was going to work out, and worrying about all the “what ifs”, but when push came to shove and I realized THIS was our chance to JUST GET HERE, everything just HAPPENED. We MADE IT HAPPEN. Step-by-step, and with the help and support of friends and family, here we are!

They say good things are worth the wait, and this was totally worth the wait. We are now looking for land for our forever home, and our families are both so proud of us for doing what it took to follow our dreams and make our goals happen. The boys love their new schools, I love my job, my husband is thrilled to finally not be commuting from Rhode Island anymore, and we are just so grateful to finally be here.

 

• Why New Hampshire?
• Why the Free State Project?
• Visit New Hampshire for Liberty Forum this February!

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By Guest Blogger · Mar 22, 2018

To me, The Free State Project is the single most important liberty movement in America; perhaps the world. One could argue for Liberland, but no one is living there, and maybe crypto millionaires and billionaires will turn Puerto Rico into a voluntary mecca. But at this point in time, with almost 5,000 movers and native supporters, the Free State Project is the world’s largest community of pro-liberty individuals. That’s why I’m here.

Chances are if you live anywhere else in the world, your interactions with NAP adherents are limited to a monthly meetup and online conversations, if you’re lucky! When I lived in California, it was rare that I came across anyone interested in the cause of liberty. Real life mimicked the drone of social media, as communities bisected themselves into tribal rants. I learned to keep my philosophy to myself (mostly), because in that world believing it’s wrong to hurt people and take their things was somehow controversial. In this world, in New Hampshire, I engage with aligned people all the time. It’s so frequent that I fear I take it for granted, but I often remind myself how lucky I am to live in this place with these people.

I reside on the Freecoast with my wife and our cat. Several years ago my friends and I noticed the rapid expansion of the liberty population in our area, and we realized we could now take steps to solidify our hyper-local community. You see, the number of total FSP participants and friends had grown so large that it was possible to create well-attended regional events, meetups, and gatherings.

So we made our own festival – Freecoast Fest. Now in it’s fifth year, Freecoast Fest is a weekend event in September that pulls attendees from all over the country. It features a speaker series, entrepreneurial competition, and catered-cruise with keynote speaker on the iconic Thomas Laighton. Last year we cruised out to the Isles of Shoals, which is a group of small islands six miles off the coast of Portsmouth, NH.

We also built our own clubhouse called The Praxeum, at which we gather as co-workers, homeschool families, and friends. Our potluck feasts regularly top 100 people, and we see each other at weekly meetups, hangouts, and ad hoc play dates. The most striking thing to me is how many liberty families are here on the coast. There are so many that a robust support system for homeschool families exists. Parents and kids frequently get together to learn and play. In the past, parents that chose to homeschool had a valid concern that it might be difficult to give their children enough social interaction with their peers. That will never again be an issue in the Freecoast community.

The practical benefits of living in New Hampshire are well known, right? There’s no question it is one of the freest places to live in the world, and we reap the benefits of it. It manifests into high incomes, high employment, a low tax burden, and low crime. In fact, New Hampshire measures at or near the top of nearly every quality of life metric one can name. But these numbers, while very important do not tell the whole tale. If you move to New Hampshire, you will enjoy a far more active liberty community than anywhere else. There are people to meet and friends to make; people like me that share your values. Won’t you join us?

Read more stories of people leaving California for liberty in New Hampshire.

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By Guest Blogger · Mar 16, 2018

My husband and I and our four kids were living in Katy, Texas, before discovering the Free State Project. I was a dedicated youth leader homeschooling my kids, and my husband worked in the oil and gas industry.

In 2010, we started looking for better places to raise our children. I came across the FSP on the internet when I searched for the best places to raise black kids. New Hampshire was second on the list! It would take years of convincing my husband to leave a city we loved surrounded by family and friends we loved.

During the time of “researching” what the FSP stood for, I realized this community of like-minded people thought the way we did. I started connecting with Porcupines online, constantly asking tons of questions! When my husband got hurt on his job in 2014, we started our cleaning business. We realized that we can run this business from anywhere and decided that we could do this!

Visiting New Hampshire and Finding a Home

In March 2016, we decided to take a peek at what’s happening here in New Hampshire. Were the Porcupines real? My husband always asked this question since I was the motivated mover talking with everyone. During our two week stay, we visited Manchester and Keene. We found a lease option in Keene and went back to Texas to start packing.

But then – we get a call from the leasing agent. Her house fell through and she was no longer moving out! So we frantically searched real estate and rentals. An open listing in Berlin came up, and we jumped right in! It was sight unseen, so this was very scary to us, as we were leaving everything we knew behind! With faith, each other, and of course the Porcs, we had all we needed! We arrived at our new dwelling place in the North Country on April 1, 2016.

The Big Move

We’ve heard horror stories about trucks breaking down and kids going crazy. This was our first cross-country move, and to be honest, it was a breeze! Everyone showed up to help even though it was a rainy day. I knew then that these people were going to be family for life!

Getting Involved Locally

For the rest year, the plans were to settle, get to know everyone, and calmly live for the year. Apparently that was hard for me because in a small town, you see the things that you can help change. My husband and I produced PorcFest last year, I ran for City Council here in Berlin, and I am currently on the City Planning Board as well as participating in the local homeschool group. That’s far from being quiet, but I ABSOLUTELY love It! No regrets at all! I only wish we would have moved sooner, but we believe that it was all in God’s timing for our lives to have lined up the way that is has!

Tips for Potential Movers

Research the area, make that online connection with a Porc buddy, and dive in! If it doesn’t work out, you can always move back home, but I guarantee that living among freedom lovers is like living with family!

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By Guest Blogger · Feb 15, 2018

Arizona might not be the most common origin state for an FSP participant. Though not quite as free as New Hampshire, Arizona is toward the free end of the scale, particularly in comparison with neighboring California. In fact, the Grand Canyon State is full of freedom-seeking refugees from California, not unlike New Hampshire’s situation with neighboring Massachusetts. But having been born in New England, and despite not having lived here since around my early teen years, nowhere else has ever felt quite like home. I have always felt some odd pull back to this place, even stronger than the lure of the mild Arizona winters (although I could do without another 115°F summer).

I’ve always had libertarian leanings, but never saw much hope for any major changes, even in Arizona. Years ago, I’d heard vague rumblings about the start of the Free State Project, but it had long since fallen off of my radar. Then, in February 2016, I picked up that week’s issue of The Economist magazine, and I happened upon an article entitled Live Free, or Try. To my surprise, it announced that the FSP had reached its “trigger” number! I immediately regretted not having followed the FSP more closely, but I resolved then and there to return not just to New England, but to New Hampshire, and I soon signed the FSP’s Statement of Intent.

I was lucky enough to have two things working in my favor to make this move happen rather quickly: a wife who was also ready for a change, and a Fortune 100 employer that happens to have a large presence in New England; and which was, crucially, willing to relocate me.

The Desert Southwest has its charms, but the Phoenix valley is like one contiguous mega-city, with individual towns blending together and no sense of place as one drives through. Conversely, New England/NH has so many beautiful, scenic towns – just point your car in any direction, set off on a 45-minute drive, and you’ll pass through several. Each has its own unique character and, crucially, sense of place, as some towns have been there for 300 years and clearly aren’t the result of the latest (mostly awful) trends in urban planning. We quickly zeroed in on Windham, near NH’s southern border, a well-managed town with good access to nearby cities, with Manchester 20 and Boston just 35 interstate miles away. We moved in the summer of 2017, a few months after taking the pledge.

The transition from the Sun Belt was much easier than I’d imagined, despite not having lived here for 20+ years. And if my Florida-native wife can handle this first winter, anyone can. We’ve decided to embrace our new environment, and we truly enjoyed our family’s very first White Christmas. I feel so lucky for the opportunity to live in such beautiful, interesting surroundings while participating in this amazing FSP experiment, and wholeheartedly recommend NH to any freedom-lover who’s considering taking the plunge.

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By Guest Blogger · Feb 7, 2018

Carol and I, along with our four children, came from Wisconsin’s Milwaukee area. I was working for Tesla Motors in Grand Rapids, MI, but we did not want to stay in Michigan at all. We were thinking about heading back to Wisconsin when we decided to look into a possible move to New Hampshire. It was then that we were introduced to the Free State Project and we met Mary in the Facebook group. We knew it was where we belonged and where our new adventures awaited.

We moved, with the help of some very good Free State people, into our new home in Pembroke, NH. There were resources for everything we needed within the Free State Project and, although moving can be expensive and stressful, having other like minded people around us, lending a hand, offering advice, and helping with home searches, made it much less stressful.

The people here are wonderful. The area offers so much from outdoor adventure to excellent shopping. We are within an hour of mountains, Boston, the seacoast, and some of the country’s most beautiful, clean and breathtaking forests, trails and waterways.

If you’re thinking of making the move, consider joining the FSP Facebook Group, getting to know people there and really asking questions. Keep in mind that we are all still individuals and you may not like or agree with everybody. Typically we agree with the libertarian philosophy. A huge part of that philosophy can be summed up in a common Wiccan saying: “Harm none, do what you will”. Not everybody will be what or who you agree with. So expect that. But most of the people I’ve met are more than amazing. This state… it is so beautiful. You’ll be surrounded by so many great people and places, so much history. I honestly feel more free here. Coming from Wisconsin, the Midwest in general, I feel like this place has not been utterly destroyed by greedy, power hungry politicians.

We saw something in New Hampshire. There is no way I’d ever turn back. My family and I virtually dropped what we were doing and made the move and it is worth it. It is where we were meant to be.

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By Guest Blogger · Feb 2, 2018

I learned about the Free State Project a few years ago when I was living in California working a good job with a government agency. I planned to fly to New Hampshire to attend PorcFest 2016 and to check out the area, but I came down with a health issue that forced me to cancel my plans. It became increasingly difficult for me to work, and in early 2017 I ended up taking early retirement. At that time, I knew I could no longer live in high-taxed and overpriced California on my pension income, so I looked at more affordable places in the country and decided to try going to PorcFest again. I made the long drive from California to Lancaster in June 2017 and attended the festival.

At PorcFest, I met other free state movers and met realtors from Porcupine Real Estate. I drove around New Hampshire after the festival to see which areas would be a good fit for me and my budget. I liked Keene because there seemed to be a lot of people interested in cryptocurrencies, and I liked the walk-ability of the city.

I drove back to California and thought things through, and a couple months later I flew back to New Hampshire to meet with Constance of Porcupine Real Estate. She showed me a lot of properties, but it was challenging getting my offers accepted by sellers. I thought the move to Keene wasn’t going to happen and left the area to visit friends in New York. Soon a listing opened up for a house within walking distance of downtown Keene and under budget, so I drove back to Keene and met with Constance and put in an offer $10,000 under their asking price. The seller accepted my offer, and I was relieved to be finally in contract.

I flew back to California and informed my brother in New York about the move. He was very discouraging and said that I would hate it because of the weather being different than Southern California. I thought about his concerns but kept moving forward with the home inspection on the house. I was very stressed between Labor Day weekend and when I was to move in October, but everything came together, and I had my stuff shipped in a relocation cube and drove across the country in mid-October 2017. I closed on the house in late October and have now been in Keene for about three months.

It’s been a challenging winter for me so far, but I’m getting used to it. At least I don’t have to endure all the Southern California gridlock traffic, smoke-filled skies and high rents. I can go days now without even having to get in my car, and I’ve made a few connections with some of the liberty-minded people in Keene, but it’s going to take awhile before I fully understand all the workings of cryptocurrencies. I’d like to build a life focused on getting more connected with the Free State Project, to be completely debt free, and to focus on my health and wellness.

The only advice I have to give is to weigh the costs of making the move. It’s a big decision, but it’s worth it for me to be more free than I was in a high-tax state like California. I would advise anyone considering a move to attend PorcFest like I did and then take some time and drive around to the different regions and see if one stands out.

Read more stories of people leaving California for liberty in New Hampshire.

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By Tiffany Hale · Oct 27, 2017

It’s so good to be home! We learned of the Free State Project about two years ago. We were from Grand Rapids, Michigan, a bustling city with a culture of political extremes. We researched New Hampshire and realized not only was the FSP great, but the beautiful Granite State also offered freedom from sales tax (6% in MI), low crime, and excellent job prospects. We planned a visit (last year) and felt so at home here among the Free Staters! From interesting meetups to great conversations with other liberty minded people we knew, this was the place for us, and we started planning our move soon after.

It was a tough choice deciding where exactly we wanted to be, since each region is so unique and has a lot to offer. Among our biggest considerations when selecting a place to live was a wholesome community for our daughter to grow up in. Coming from a bigger city, we were all too aware of some of the issues that come with it (crime, school quality, water and air quality, etc) but still wanted easy access to important amenities such as healthcare and shopping/entertainment.

The North Country was the perfect blend of everything we wanted. In Berlin we saw a community with a lot of history and hometown pride, where people have seen some tough times, yet a town with a TON of potential given some fresh ideas and the right leadership. Berlin touts not only a breathtaking mountain view but a variety of locally owned businesses and a pleasant drive to North Conway if we need a bit more.

So we moved into our new home in Berlin a few weeks ago! We have been welcomed with open arms into the community (FSP and otherwise). We’re so happy to be here; making the move was definitely right for our family! It was emotional to leave family, friends, and all things familiar, but now that we’re here we couldn’t be happier!

My advice to prospective movers is to visit New Hampshire a time or two and connect with people from several areas. There really is something for everyone here, whether you prefer varied and fast-paced city life or quiet rural living, or anything in between! Is it scary to pack up and move? You bet it is, but it’s a calculated risk. New Hampshire is an amazing place to build a life, and the FSP community is ready to welcome you home too!

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Oct 20, 2017

Hello, frustrated libertarian!

I’m Elliot Axelman, but you can call me Alu. Ten years ago, when I moved from my mother’s house in the ultra-orthodox Jewish world of Lakewood, NJ, to my father’s house in New York City, life immediately became much better.

The Lack of Liberty in New York

But as I began to follow politics closely over the past few years, I grew to hate NYC increasingly. I learned, moreso each day, that politicians naturally take away liberty from individuals and grant it to themselves in the form of power. That is the inherent function of government.

I learned that New York’s city and state governments are horrible entities that epitomize big government regulation and taxation. My effective tax burden in NYC was around 45%, the highest in the country. It was essentially impossible for me to own any firearm whatsoever. If I did not recycle at least five types of items regularly, police would punish me.

Once I really started to pay attention to city and state laws and bills, I saw how convoluted and tyrannical the process was. NYC mayor Bill Deblasio decreased the city speed limit to 25 MPH and installed over 200 cameras that automatically ticketed drivers who exceeded 35 MPH. The plan for this winter is to install at least 600 more of those cameras ‘to protect the children’. New York regularly looks for ways to take more freedom away from individuals.

Looking for the Freest State

After it initially slipped my mind, I was reminded about the Free State Project while finishing up my research for the freest state and preparing to move to Wyoming. Once my memory was refreshed, I spent some time on the Free State Project’s website, and I re-watched the video I had seen years ago, 101 Reasons Liberty Lives in NH. This tipped the scale from Wyoming to New Hampshire.

Visiting New Hampshire

A few days later, I made the four-hour drive up from New York to attend a libertarian leadership conference in Manchester. I met some great people and I looked around the state. I returned a few weeks later with more specific goals, and then I came back shortly after to look for apartments. I found a beautiful apartment and pulled the trigger on it.

Starting Over in New Hampshire

I made the move on a September Saturday and began work on Monday. My girlfriend joined me shortly afterwards. Despite the fact that I had just started working for a company that was, by far, the best employer I had ever worked for, I had no hesitation in resigning when I decided I was moving.

A few hours after landing in Manchester, two libertarians (both Free Staters) came to my apartment to help me bring my king size bed inside and assemble it. They were complete strangers then, and they have since become friends and allies in the perpetual fight for freedom.

Eight months have passed since we moved here, and I maintain that it was the best decision I’ve ever made. We have excellent jobs; we’ve made great friends inside and outside of the liberty movement; and we are living in a beautiful apartment. Unlike in NYC, it’s likely that you can afford to live in the apartment or house you desire in New Hampshire.

There Is Hope – Leave New York!

If you believe that you own yourself and the government does not have a claim to your body and your income, I assure you that there is hope. So many of my friends feel stuck in NYC. Many people do not understand that they can simply leave. No matter what is keeping you in your authoritarian state, you can leave and make an amazing life for yourself in New Hampshire.

Along with the other amazing porcupines, I will help you move in. As a paramedic, I’ve pretty much been lifting and moving heavy stuff in stressful situations since 2011. It would be my pleasure to help. If you need any help before or after the move, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Free State Project or any of us. I can easily be found on Facebook and I’d love to help other porcupines move to freedom! Together, we can secure the great liberties that we have and expand them to the point of true self-ownership.

We’re looking forward to meeting you! And if you need a partner for power lifting, MMA, boxing, grappling, or anything super active, get in touch with me. You can also follow my journey and tons of other podcasts/articles on self-ownership at LibertyBlock.com.

 

 Build Your Own Free Life: Connect with us or come visit New Hampshire!

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Aug 25, 2017

Hi. We’re a family of three from San Diego. Our journey to the Shire included nine days of driving and four years of planning. There’s been a lot of healing along the way, and I’m happy to say we are in a good place. I mean: It’s almost September, winter is around the corner, and we live in a trailer…and we’re happy!

And YOU are going to be moving to New Hampshire soon, so there’s no better place for us than here, waiting to welcome you as we were welcomed. That’s right! Moving means friends and strangers waiting to welcome you! I (Patrick) have been telling people there is no better way to do it. So here’s my story about making the move.

In 2014 my friend Robin and I visited for PorcFest. After a few intense days spent camped out in the valley, there at the Satoshi Saloon, I looked out at the White Mountains and wept – overwhelmed with feelings of hope.

The following year my wife and I started running what-if scenarios. We’d been working at our family’s roofing company for eight years. We enjoyed the work and had an opportunity to buy a productive company, but our discussions ultimately led to our retirement. We prepared the business and hired out our responsibilities, while selling most everything we owned and putting our house on the market. However, we hadn’t decided to move to New Hampshire at all.

When we first asked “what if we changed everything,” it wasn’t out of a desire to move to New Hampshire. We had reasons to leave, places and ideas we wanted to explore, and ultimately, the security and resolve for a momentous change. We decided to move to León, Nicaragua. We weren’t even sure the Shire was our second choice. So we set off on a year-and-a-half adventure to explore the world and find out.

We started with an epic, five-month, tent-camping road trip that included a two-week tour of the Shire. Ultimately, we decided New Hampshire would be plan B. Our plan A wasn’t much of a plan yet; at that point we had ‘fly to Nicaragua, make money.’ During the road trip I participated in Ernie’s dome build (at JackFest). Studying domes led to studying masonry, which led to a business plan to produce compressed earth blocks in Nicaragua. I only mention that connection because the business idea was exciting and needed, but the spark came from a hippie dome-build. We had a plan A! We enjoyed living in León, and the plan was coming along, but we decided a successful business in Nica wouldn’t afford us the lifestyle we wanted. We set a new direction… Shirebound!

We bought an RV trailer, loaded it up with our worldly possessions, and started our trip here. We were homeward bound and it felt good. We landed just in time for PorcFest. The New England summer and campground life have been a joy. Life stuff is coming along. The community is great! And no, we do not intend to winter in an RV.

Our journey may sound crazy, but I assure you we are not. I’m happy to be here in the Shire today, to spread the message of individual liberty, and build a better tomorrow.

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Aug 11, 2017

Sometime in 2011, I (Jeremy) began listening to Jack Spirko’s The Survival Podcast. Something about his monologue connected with a longing I felt. At the time, I had a strong desire to become more secure from life’s stresses. I felt like we lived by the thinnest of margins and I wanted to work on a more robust lifestyle, far safer from the unexpected challenges life throws at us from time to time. Jack spoke of becoming more self-reliant and insulating ourselves from what he called “systems of control.” He seemed to be developing his philosophy in real-time and I liked that. We were on a journey together to find ways to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the ‘slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.’

As it happened, Jack found the Free State Project for me. Soon after I began listening to his broadcasts he began to advertise the FSP at the beginning of his shows. I was intrigued. Someone else had, far sooner than I, become very concerned about liberty and how to get more of it. I grew up thinking that America was the land of the free, but more and more it seemed there were more rules, more laws, and more things ‘you just shouldn’t say.’

Not long after finding the Free State Project and exploring it through forums and online interaction, Ashley and I took an offer to relocate to central Ohio for better employment opportunities. We lived and worked there for almost five years. I continued to monitor the events in New Hampshire through the postings of FSP members and its friends. In time, it became apparent that the place we really wanted to ‘give it a go’ was New Hampshire.

I began applying and interviewing for positions in the area. As it happened, I accepted a role as a moderator of a forum created by Jack called Walking to Freedom. The forum is there for people to discuss issues associated with exercising one of the last and most powerful forms of voting, relocation. Early this year, I was contacted by another member of the WtF forums about a position in Nashua, NH. I sent him my resume and flew to New Hampshire in February for an interview. As I flew over New England to arrive in Manchester, I was amazed by the endless forests and sparsely populated landscape. Driving down to Nashua, I couldn’t take my eyes from the forest that seem to encroach on every man-made construction. I already loved it.

After returning home, I told Ashley I dearly hoped it worked out because I thought New Hampshire was fantastic. Fortunately, an offer was made and we accepted. I arrived at the end of April 2017, and Ashley finally made it here in June after our home in Ohio closed.

To this day we are grateful we have had the opportunity to be here. New Hampshire is a beautiful state full of wonderful people. Government is more accessible than I’ve ever experienced. We have already met two state representatives at Nashua Liberty Association events and attended the NHLA Liberty dinner. Through the Free State Project, we’ve made many new friends and taken part in several events. I would encourage anyone looking for a more liberated life to give New Hampshire a close look. It is worth it.

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Jul 28, 2017

My husband Jeremy and I are originally from two small towns in Western NY: Avon and Byron. We were looking for change in the spring of 2013 when we finally decided to move to Charleston, SC. By October 2014, we were settled in Charleston!

We were only in South Carolina for a few months before we first saw the 101 Reasons: Liberty Lives in New Hampshire documentary. We were both very intrigued, but we really thought Charleston was our new home. A few years went by, and after dealing with a few tornado scares, a hurricane, taxes going up, and a massive flood of people to a very SMALL area, we decided to move out of the Low Country and back up to the Northeast.

During the growing pains in Charleston, one place kept coming up in conversation: New Hampshire. We got married in Buffalo, NY, in October of 2016 and decided to have a mini-moon in Goffstown, NH, in a STUNNING Airbnb on Mount Uncanoonuc (we highly recommend it). We were hooked after that stay! We finally arrived in Manchester in June with our two cats.

Our goal here is to start a small organic farm/animal sanctuary and give back to the community in every way we can. We love how involved the Free State Project is with everything. It is so refreshing seeing people realize their power to influence change on a local level…all while making great friends at the same time! We are passionate about educating ourselves on politics of all levels. It has been very clear from the start of our journey to now that this state holds a lot of people who think exactly the way we do. Power in numbers is what really spoke to us. We are so excited to be a part of this project and to achieve our goals here!

We are so thankful for everyone – from realtors, local business owners, and of course, the FSP – for all the information and assistance you have provided us on our journey to becoming residents of this beautiful state! We’ve received such a warm welcome from everyone and it is truly something we will never forget.

We can’t wait to grow some food and spread some Liberty with you all.

Brittany and Jeremy Dean

Moved in June 2017

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Jul 21, 2017

I am a father, anarchist, minimalist, business owner, and systems engineer. I have traveled throughout the country, cruised around the Caribbean, and visited Europe. I have lived my whole life in the small town of Bergen, NY. It is a great community, with the unfortunate geographic issue of being located in the least free state in the country.

I have been searching for liberty my whole life, but for a while I didn’t know what that really meant. I never bought in to the political party system and division tactics. I never registered to vote or participated in this corrupt and manipulated system. The first half of my life, I ignored the political system as much as possible. It was 9/11 that shook me awake, and I realized that the beast wasn’t going away. I spent the next 10 years engulfed in the alternative world news, from Alex Jones to Occupy Wall St, RT, and on and on. It was a bit overwhelming to say the least (especially Alex!).

It wasn’t until September of 2012, when I was watching a YouTube video of a girl in Texas being arrested on a bicycle that I found, among the thousands of comments, a link to The Free State Project. I dove in, and was so ecstatic that I signed the Statement of Intent that night.

I looked at houses in NH, and discovered the tiny house movement. Being a single, minimalist, outdoorsy freedom lover, this was perfect. I have always wanted to rewire my house with all 12v battery operated led lighting and electronics – enabling a permanent solar powered life. All of this came together perfectly, in a plan to sell my house and live permanently in an RV. It is pre-built, runs on 12v natively, and comes with a huge bonus of being mobile.

By 2014 I bought the camper, and spent a year living in my backyard as a trial run. The next summer, I bought a truck and tried a few short trips with my house on wheels. In 2016 I attended Liberty Forum for my very first visit to NH. This was an absolutely amazing experience, and I was instantly assured that this was better than I could have ever anticipated. This feeling was only amplified after attending PorcFest the same year.

I have some serious regrets about not visiting sooner, as that decision has literally cost me millions of dollars. When I first read about Bitcoin online in 2013, I realized its potential immediately. It was exchanging at $25-30 at the time. Although I couldn’t figure out how to get it or store it back then, I would have invested heavily into it. From the stories I’ve heard, all I would have had to do is show up at PorcFest and I would have learned about Bitcoin back when it was in the single digits… and I would have been able to buy and store it. So, there’s a lesson in procrastination I guess.

During the summer of 2016, I was offered a position with a new company that would enable me to telecommute. I was ready to hit the road. Come spring, I saw my family, tied up loose ends, hitched up, and headed to the ‘Shire. I explored the state, staying at some outrageously beautiful campgrounds.

Unfortunately, living on wheels in a campground does not qualify one as a permanent resident. I tried many different town and state offices pleading my case, and kept running into walls. They were not sympathetic to my situation, and could only repeatedly quote from their rule book that was written well before they were born. It was frustrating, exasperated by my take on government systems.

Then I recalled the few thousand friends that I had on standby, and I put out a public cry for help. The first response came within hours, and then the floodgates opened. Within a day, I had more options to choose from than I knew what to do with. This was my first post to any of the FSP groups, and I was completely overwhelmed with the response. I think my FB friends list doubled in a week! I eventually decided to rent an apartment short term to satisfy the archaic residency requirements.

The overwhelming feeling of happiness that I had when the clerk told me “It looks like you have everything you need” is indescribable. At that moment, I truly regained hope and have a new outlook on my future.

My dream is to build an open shared community on 100 acre woods, in the Free State, that would qualify as a permanent residence for whatever type of homes are built/parked on it. I think that project has a few years to come to fruition, but I won’t give up hope.

Brian Becker,

Moved June 2017

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Apr 28, 2017

Until a few months ago, I had lived my entire life in the Mojave desert of California (Lancaster, specifically). By the time I reached adulthood in January of 2004, I was already sick of both the natural and political environment there and knew I wanted to leave as soon as possible for climes more suited to my tastes.

I can’t recall exactly when I first read about the Free State Project online except to say that it was at least 8 years ago. Whenever it was, I was immediately convinced that New Hampshire was the right place and I decided at that time to participate and move as soon as possible. I refrained from signing the Statement of Intent until I was sure I’d be able to fulfill my pledge, since I knew that it would be some years before my move.

As it turned out, however, I shamefully forgot that I hadn’t actually signed until I was in the process of driving across country on my move, having been engrossed in selling my house and making preparations as soon as I decided the time was right. Events lined up rather quickly and I had been resolved to participate for so long that actually signing entirely slipped my mind.

I can’t say I’ve really had an activist interest as such, up until now. My desire is to live free and be left alone by the state to the greatest extent possible and I’ve long used my vote and what monetary political contributions I could to achieve that in the best way I thought possible.

Ryan Bloodworth

Moved December, 2015

Reporting by the FSP on participant activity does not represent support or endorsement and may not portray the diversity of opinions and activities that exists among participants.

 

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Apr 14, 2017

Sarah and I came from Upstate New York, the only area either of us had ever lived. We were raised there, went to college there, and got jobs there. It kept us happy for a little while but we knew we wanted to experience more than the cramped suburban apartment in which we were living.

When we got engaged in the summer of 2015 our dream was to stop renting an apartment and find a home, ideally with enough land for Sarah to keep her horse and for me to have some chickens.

While not as ridiculous as NYC, upstate was still an expensive place to live, so we started looking to move. New Hampshire was appealing because it was liberty-friendly, had those 4 distinctly beautiful seasons, and was close enough to see our families without an airplane ticket. When we saw Freedom in the 50 States and discovered that NY was ranked last and NH was ranked first, we knew we were making the right move.

So, during one crazy week in June of 2016, we got married, moved to NH, and took new jobs.

By pure coincidence I met a Free Stater at my new job, and that spurred us to get involved in the movement. We quickly discovered just how welcoming FSP people are at the New Mover’s Party, and then made even more friends through PorcBuddies, the Salisbury Swap, Area 23, and various other events.

Within six months of moving we had found what we were looking for: a house with a barn and pastures on a gorgeous 20 acres of land. We made the plunge and had closed on our new home by Thanksgiving.

Since then we’ve grown our family to include another dog, a new horse, and a bunch of baby chickens. None of this would have been possible at our place in NY, but we’ve done that here in New Hampshire and all in less than a year.

While making the move felt daunting at the time, looking back it’s easy to see just how much better off we are. We’re enjoying lower taxes and a higher standard of living, with more freedom to live the life we want.

We’ve met amazing individuals, both in and outside of the FSP movement, and have really come to know New Hampshire as our new home. The future is bright here and we couldn’t be happier!

Justin and Sarah Valentini

Moved June 2016

Original publication →

By Editor · Apr 7, 2017

I am mover #1653. To know my Free State Project story, I must tell you where I was and how I got here.

It’s mid-July, 2014 and I live in Marion, OH, an hour north of Columbus, when I first hear of the Free State Project. Marion is a place where jobs were scarce. Ironically, I had moved there, in 2008, for a kitchen manager position for a new restaurant concept. Then the financial crash came and my position was absolved. What followed over the next 7 years was my full awakening and transformation into the person I am today.

In 2010, after a year of being unemployed or underemployed, I returned to college, at 40, to pursue a career in web media design. Most of my previous work experience had been restaurant related. After the experience in 2008 I felt I should pursue other interests of employment. It took me 3 years to get my Associate’s degree in Interactive Media. In those 3 years; I was homeless 2 consecutive summers due to lack of viable work, I learned to grow marijuana on an expert level, and most importantly became a non-statist.

In 2013, upon graduation I designed a local restaurant’s web site, became their webmaster, and worked in their kitchen part time. I also did a few other freelance design jobs that made me feel like things were headed in the right direction for me professionally. In May 2014, I was preparing myself for a big change. I needed to escape this downtrodden town, where most of the populous was on state assistance and there was a serious heroin epidemic. I was never a user, but saw what it does to people and families first hand while living there. I had met a handful of like minded, awake, non-statist people there. Nothing I would call a community though. Being an advocate of cannabis and hemp legalization and decriminalization I was considering relocating to Denver, Colorado, which seemed to be the epicenter for those interested in such things. Then, in July, I was talking to a friend who is a New Hampshire native about politics and liberty. She suggested I check out freestateproject.org as they seem to share my ideals and thoughts on government and such.

I went to the web site. I read the entire thing in 90 minutes. I immediately signed my statement of intent to move. I am admittedly impulsive, but in this case, I felt deep down in my soul that the FSP has it right. That THIS movement could make history. That the FSP is something I NEEDED to be a part of.

Within 6 weeks, I had sold all my furniture and my last harvest to fund the move. My friend who told me about the FSP said I could come stay with her and her son while I got on my feet. On September 11, 2014 I arrived in Bradford, NH where my friend lives. I met a neighbor of hers who was a freestater from Texas. I constantly talked to her about the community and how to get connected to the right people for employment and to become active. While staying on my friends couch a few days our relationship became strained. I no longer felt welcomed. I had to leave. When I left Bradford I had less than $400 in my pocket, I had no idea where I was going, where I was going to live, or how I was going to survive.

The freestater neighbor referred me to FSP Facebook groups, she talked to some FSP friends of hers and suggested I go to a private members-only club in Manchester. I wrote a synapse of my situation and posted in a FSP group. A freestater from Chicago, living in Manchester, contacted me. We agreed to meet at a local coffee shop to see if he would be willing to put me up for a couple of nights. Our conversation was informative for both of us.

I learned about the size of the community in Manchester, about the diversity within the community, and that the club was having a social event that very evening. The freestater from Chicago, Scott, invited me to attend this event with him. He explained it would be a great place to start networking within the community. He expressed that some attendees of this social event would be people with the potential to provide me with employment opportunities and more permanent housing situations. So, without hesitation, I accepted Scott’s invitation.

We arrived at “That Place” and Scott introduced me to a couple of people and I started listening and talking to anyone who engaged me in conversation. I spoke with a guy, Calvin, about my situation. The freestater from Texas and he had spoken about me earlier in the day. He said he would talk to a guy he knew and see if he needed a Frontend Web Developer, since that was the type of position I was searching for. Chris and I met and spoke for quite some time. At the end of the conversation he offered me a part-time gig and a room with a bed, nothing fancy, rent free for 2 months! It was certainly convenient that within 12 hours of arriving in Manchester and connecting with the community, I procured employment and a place to call home. The room was in an apartment above “That Place”, which is freestater owned. When I fell asleep upon Scott’s couch that night, I felt a peace flowing through me, like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. The next day I would meet Chris for breakfast and start working for him as Frontend Web Developer.

We met at a local diner. While having breakfast I also filled out an application for a cook position. It just so happened that a cook was just let go 20 minutes prior. I met with the manager, was hired as part time line cook, and started the next day.

Within 24 hours of arriving in Manchester to join the Free State Project community, I was gainfully employed and had a roof over my head. I arrived on a Wednesday evening, moved into my room Thursday, started one part time job Thursday and another Friday. Within 48 hours my life was on track. I absolutely felt I had made the right decision.

Now it is 2017. I am a fulltime Uber/Lyft driver. I still live in Manchester. I have met the woman I will spend the rest of my days with. I am putting my roots down here in the Shire, because “it’s like this here, too”. I am also pursuing some creative and liberty minded endeavors. Perhaps I will write of those in the future. I truly hope there will be true liberty in my lifetime.

Original publication →

By Editor · Mar 27, 2017

What it took to get me to New Hampshire:

Back in 2011, when I was just about to graduate college in my native state of Connecticut, I had a dream of buying a sailboat to live on and travel the Caribbean. I was travelling to Rhode Island and back multiple times per week, skipping school and even my own graduation, to work on an old boat I had purchased in someone’s back yard. My old VW Jetta TDI was in need of repair from all the driving, and I found a local TDI mechanic to do the work in Rhode Island, a guy around my age named Jeremy. It was clear that he and I had similar values and political beliefs, and after hours of conversation while he was working on my car, he told me about the Free State Project.

Of course, the sound of living in New Hampshire at the time while living on my sailboat was not feasible, so I put it on the back burner. Regardless of my living situation, I signed the Statement of Intent and felt better about myself and the world knowing that there was a large group of people out there that I could parallel with.

I sailed my 30-foot sailboat to Florida single-handedly, and after 26 days at sea, arrived in Florida on my 21st birthday. I lived on my sailboat in Florida and traveled all over the country for work, and after two years I saved up enough money to buy a bigger boat to support my bigger dreams. I spent six months fixing up my new boat, getting it ready for the big journey to the islands. A few days before my departure date, I took the boat out in a stiff breeze to make sure everything was ready. Unfortunately, everything was NOT ready, and I found myself dead in the water, literally. After sinking all of my money into the boat, I was forced to sell it and move back home to Connecticut and live with my mother. Talk about a setback!

I lived back at home and worked a somewhat normal job doing HVAC and set my eyes on a new dream: buying a farm. After months of searching and countless showings, I found a foreclosure property two blocks away from where my grandparents owned their house when I was a kid. It was a run-down colonial house with three barns, a silo, and five acres of neglected fields and fencing. I spent the next two years fixing up the property and turning it back into a real working farm. I successfully started my own horse boarding business, had a huge organic garden, was raising many species of livestock, and had the entire property running on solar power.

In March of 2016, I ran into some trouble with Connecticut. The tax bills were increasing after fixing up my property, and the cost of doing business as a farmer was not sustainable. My girlfriend and I had a disagreement, and she went to the state. The police came to my house and seized all of my guns and ammo without ever asking me my side of the story. I spent the next eight months battling the courts and the cops, spending thousands of dollars on attorney’s fees and going to court more than a dozen times.

I took this as a sign to get out of Connecticut, and within three months I put my farm on the market. I closed my business, worked on relocating my HVAC job to New Hampshire, and concentrated on looking for a new home with my amazing new girlfriend, Michelle (who thankfully is not crazy). We spent all summer looking at homes with Christopher Dunn (an FSP participant who is the best realtor I could have ever imagined), and finally found the perfect place in Sutton. By December, I had my farm under contract and everything was working out.

Here it is, March 2017, and I have officially sold my farm and home in Connecticut and am two weeks away from closing on my new property in Sutton, New Hampshire. I started my new job in February and absolutely love working up here. I have been delighted with the support from everyone welcoming me to the community and am looking forward to being a part of this wonderful state. Live Free or Die.

Original publication →

By Tony Jankowski · Mar 22, 2017

I’ve been a participant and signer since 2005, and in 2009 my now wife Jaime and I moved from just over the border in Massachusetts. When I say “just over the border,” I mean 1/8 of a mile, and that’s where I grew up. Sure, I went to school in Massachusetts, college and worked there, but New Hampshire and its low taxes and booming economy was always the goal. I grew up watching the businesses on the Mass side falter and shutter while just over the border the sleepy Seabrook community grew into the big box boulevard and all the jobs with it. When we decided to finally make the plunge, I leaped farther than just 1/8 of a mile, I roamed up to Exit 20 on 93. We found a place in Tilton, the gateway to the Lakes Region. Jaime was still working in Methuen, Mass and I was still working in Seabrook, at least for a month before the economic crisis hit home and my company shut down.

I was out of work for about a year, and there was next to nothing for liberty folks up here for support. We felt so alone, even being only an hour from our homes. We wanted to make sure no other liberty family would ever feel so alone when they moved here. Along with early movers Glen Aldrich, Michael Sylvia and the late Firecracker Joe Roux, we founded the Lakes Region Porcupines as a regional get together club. We added ourselves to the MVP & Concord Porcupines rotation of monthly meetings.

When Jaime found work in Concord and I found work in Laconia, things started to come around for us. It was time to start giving back. Glen Aldrich and I went to work showing that we are more than just invaders, we are Granite Staters. We began doing blood drives, then we moved into doing a Toy Drive that has served many, many families in the Lakes Region, and has given us a name that is quite positive to the natives. Two years ago, we started the LRP Beach Day, where we could have an affordable barbecue and fundraiser for Center Harbor Food Pantry. One could say we spent a good deal of free time showing ourselves as the good neighbors we are.

Last year, Jaime gave birth to our first child, Osiris, and at the same time had great difficulty returning to work after the pregnancy. Eventually she was let go and we found ourselves on the needy end of the spectrum again. Fellow Free Staters came to our aid and ran a chip-in for us, allowing us to pay ahead a few bills and for my wife to purchase the building blocks for her new agorist business, where she can work from home and provide a service to others for a fair price. It has allowed us to move from treading water into a place where we are looking forward in a positive way. Jaime and I are expecting our second child in November, and we plan on instilling the values of community, service, and liberty in our children so that they too can grow to help others on their path to individual freedom.

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Mar 10, 2017

In February of 2008, when I became a U.S citizen, I was led to believe that voting was now my civic duty. Previously, I had been completely apolitical, and for the first time I started to read the agendas of the two parties. Looking back, I was just another ‘one issue voter.’ At the time, I could not comprehend how a government could force individuals to purchase health insurance. As disgusted as I was with taxation, it seemed like a no-brainer to avoid voting for Obama. I still hadn’t found a political home until a new friend from work introduced me to Ron Paul minarchism. This led me to a group of friends involved with Campaign for Liberty in Baltimore, Maryland. Later that year, this new group of friends decided to head to Lancaster, NH, for the event of the year that I knew nothing about. It was called PorcFest.

The seven days I spent at PorcFest were some of the greatest days of my life. I met a new family, friends, and finally found my political home. Conversations at PorcFest sparked my personal quest to learn about libertarianism. It turned me into an avid reader, studying subjects ranging from Austrian economics to personal liberty. By the end of PorcFest, none of us wanted to go back to Maryland. We decided that we would come back next year and seriously consider moving to New Hampshire.

All of us returned for yet another great time at PorcFest 2011. By the end of the Fest, I was asking myself one question, “Why haven’t I moved yet?” After we returned to Maryland, within a month, I resigned from my job. In August, I flew in for a job interview, and I moved to New Hampshire in September of 2011. When I arrived at the apartment in Laconia, I was welcomed by five complete strangers (Free Staters). The late Hardy Macia was one of them, may Allah rest his soul. It took them less than an hour to empty out a 29 ft U-Haul truck.

A few weeks later, I got sick and on a Facebook “Porcupine” page, I asked if anyone knew of a doctor’s office in the area that was open late. Within minutes, complete strangers wanted to know if I needed a ride to the doctor’s office. I didn’t need a ride, but to this day, the story warms my heart. I am grateful for such community the libertarians have created in the Free State, where strangers have become friends and family. At PorcFest 2015, the national director for Muslims for Liberty honored me with the position of NH Director for M4L.

My fiancé was attending college in Maine at the time and it took her another 1.5 years before she too moved home. We now live in Moultonborough, NH, where she is an assistant director to a nonprofit charitable organization, and I am a mechanical engineer for a reputable engineering consulting firm. The Free State Project has transformed our lives.

Goshe King

Moved September 2011

Original publication →

By Guest Blogger · Mar 3, 2017

New Hampshire just repealed concealed-carry permit requirements!

We have medical marijuana and are close to decrim.

We were the second state to recognize marriage rights for LGBT through legislation rather than the courts.

We have the best per capita representation in a state legislature, with an average of one representative for roughly every 3,250 people.

We have no income tax and no sales tax and the least tax revenue per capita among the states. Unemployment is also lowest among all the states.

There is no requirement for car insurance which makes it super cheap (I saved 50%, yes my rates were literally halved, by switching to New Hampshire and didn’t even need to call the lizard!).

We have among the lowest crime rates, and have been ranked among the healthiest states. We have the least STD’s!.

We have minor league baseball and hockey, some of the best hiking and skiing, Hampton Beach, and Chunky’s Cinema Pub!

This is what freedom can do, and we are just getting started! Live Free or Die!!

If your bags are not packed yet… what are you waiting for?? LIVE FREE with us!!

Robert Lombardo

Moved March 2015

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By Guest Blogger · Feb 24, 2017

I moved to New Hampshire in late January from Iowa. I am a New Englander by birth, but life landed me in Iowa for the past seven years, happily so. My wife is still back in Iowa settling up affairs there, and I moved early to start a new job. Having lived in both Connecticut and Massachusetts previously, when we decided to move back to the area the choice was between two states – Vermont or New Hampshire. I would like to say that we chose the Shire for reasons of principle, and that was certainly a factor, but the overriding factors were the pragmatics. As a technologist it opened up the greatest number of options for employment for me (Manchester, Concord, and the Boston area); the taxes are favorable (I’ve given more than enough money to Taxachusetts); and the mode of life here is more to our liking. Once we sell the house in Iowa, my wife will be moving out here as well and we will be purchasing property to start a small farmstead. Our goal is building toward self-sufficiency and working with like-minded people to secure as much freedom and privacy as possible for everyone.

While I respect and support many, we are not revolutionaries – we balance our desire for personal action against the risk to our family’s security. We are simply a middle-aged couple, fortunate enough to be able to come here and help secure a better future for our children. I expect that as they grow and become independent from us, our level of activism will rise, but for the time being we will take the safer path. Selfish though it may seem, they are our overriding concern; we are not ashamed of that. We hope to pass on to them more options than we had, to give them experiences we could not provide where we were, and New Hampshire seems like the most likely place where our ideals may blossom into reality. And so we are here to lend our support, such as it is now, such as it will be in the future.

I realized as I was writing this that it is not the prototypical FSP mover story, but I wanted to share it honestly and openly to encourage others who share our concerns regarding the risks related to activism. We’re here to help and provide support, but we are not positioned well to fully engage the way we both would if we were in our twenties.  I think that once my wife moves (she is also a signer) it will be easier to quantify, as by then we’ll have a more definitive sense of what/where we are going to land within the Shire. For right now we are just in transition, but I wanted to do my part to help bolster the mover numbers.

Josh

Moved January 29, 2017

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By Guest Blogger · Feb 17, 2017

I had been “kinda sorta” planning on visiting New Hampshire for a while and had a train trip planned to L.A. in June for a friend’s wedding. Due to train schedules, I took almost two weeks off of work. My anarchist friend who lives in New Hampshire told me that the TSA had quit some of the more objectionable activities that were the reason why I refused to fly on planes. So I rescheduled my trip and flew to New Hampshire the morning after the wedding.

Back in Louisiana, I had begun to catch myself making concessions. After living in the Prison Capital of the country, New Hampshire was immeasurably better. Once, I was driving to the store at night, and saw some people walking down the sidewalk. The person in the car with me had to explain to me that walking after dark will NOT get you stopped by the police here.

It was really cool meeting some of the people “from the internet” whose videos I had watched on my way to anarchy. It felt better, and I would even say healthier, to be practically able to call things by their proper names–Federal Reserve Notes, people claiming to represent the state, etc.–because I was surrounded by people who both knew what I was talking about and agreed with my assessment of the situation.

While there are some cool people in Louisiana, ultimately I moved to New Hampshire to be around other anarchists–they don’t support committing acts of aggression; they tend to be willing to discuss philosophy; and there is no need to deny or ignore objective reality when I am around them.

Melanie Johnson

Moved Nov 2016

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By Guest Blogger · Jan 27, 2017

In August 2004, there was a rumor that my employer might close the facility where I worked in Texas. While discussing our options, I mentioned to my wife that a new facility had just been approved in New Hampshire.

Her response: “Are you serious? How soon can we go?” I smiled and said, “Well, let me tell you about this thing called the Free State Project.”

Neither of us had ever lived in New Hampshire, and had no ties to New England or even the Northeastern U.S.; we were solid Southerners who hated the heat. But thanks to the FSP, we were able to research towns where we might like to live, compare housing prices and tax rates, and generally fall in love with New Hampshire.

We made our first visit to the 2006 Porcupine Freedom Festival, and spent a week touring the communities of the Great North Woods. The next time that we set foot in New Hampshire was October 1, 2012, when we arrived pulling all our household goods behind us to move into a house we had purchased online without ever seeing it in person.

I don’t recommend it, but it worked out wonderfully for us!

Since moving, we have not been activists. We live in our community and try to be the best neighbors that we can be. We donate and support local charities. We shop at the farmer’s market every Saturday. I found myself accidentally elected to the board of my county’s Republican party, just because I voted in a special primary and then showed up at the meetings.

Life hasn’t always been easy living so far from our natural family in the South and Midwest. Two of our adult children, a son and daughter, moved with us. Our son took his own life at the age of 19, and the support of the Porcupine community was overwhelming. Our daughter gave birth to our first grandchild, who was stillborn, and again the Porcupine community responded. But what is more important in both events is the response of the local community where we live.

Anonymous bags of groceries were left on our doorstep. A local monument company donated all labor and installation costs for a monument for our granddaughter. Relative strangers have stopped us in the store to express sympathy, and give hugs, despite that stereotype of “reserved” flinty New Englanders.

The tragedies would have happened in Texas as well, so it’s certainly not a consequence of our move. What is a consequence, and a very positive one, is the response of the local community where we chose to live and become involved.

We love our life in New Hampshire. We love the challenge of winter and the beauty of all the seasons. We love our town and the surrounding area, and we don’t have to make the headlines in order to help create a society where the maximum role of government is the protection of life, liberty, and property.

Not long after I moved, a local coworker who has rarely ventured outside the county pulled me aside to whisper, “I heard why you moved here. I think it’s great!”

And that is why New Hampshire is our home.

Kevin Craig

Moved October 2012

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By Guest Blogger · Jan 20, 2017

Mike writes: For a few years, my best friend and oldest Army buddy, Jess Edwards, frequently sent materials to me on the Free State Project and why we should move to New Hampshire. We originally planned to retire in California. Things change.

Two years ago, Debbie and I decided to join the Free State Project. Why? There must be at least 101 reasons to make the move. 🙂 Here are our Top 5.

As much as we enjoyed the weather in California, it is constantly becoming more and more a Nanny State bent on reducing individual liberty and stealing from everyone to advance ludicrous agendas and projects. Wind farms built to produce “green energy” years ago are now being torn down because they kill a few birds. Want a handgun? You can’t have it unless it is approved on the California DOJ “Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale” that shrinks every year because they are mandating a move to “smart” handguns. They’re even regulating dust from farming. Dust??? ‘Nuff said.

Taxes. With New Hampshire having no income tax and no sales tax, we can save about 15 cents on every dollar. Being retired now, that is a big benefit.

Family. My children and grandchildren live in Virginia and Maryland. We are now about 2,500 miles closer. More visits with the grands! How is that not a huge plus?

People in the Free State Project really want to make a difference. The political activism is energizing. There are plenty of forums for information on how we can advance individual liberty; and everyone we have met are just plain good people. We can make a difference.

Last but not least, it is great moving closer to our friends, Jess and Naomi. We have lived in close proximity on several occasions, but new jobs meant either or both families moving. We don’t plan to move again. We have found a nice home in Manchester, only seven miles away. We are home! Here’s a shout out to Mark Warden of Porcupine Real Estate who has been working with us for over a year to get the new home!

So Debbie and I are officially Free State Project movers numbers 2057 and 2058 as of December 26, 2016. Many thanks to Chris Lopez, Jess and Naomi, and all of the Free Staters for convincing us to move and making it a warm welcome.

Mike and Debbie Kimball

Moved December 21, 2016

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By Editor · Jan 6, 2017

I’d learned about Free State Project from advertisements in the Libertarian Party newspaper and tried to find employment in NH after I finished school in 2004. Unfortunately, as I was just starting out my career, I had to take what I could get in terms of employment and ended up living and/or working in the statist dystopias of NJ, CT, and NY.

During this time, I became increasingly frustrated with the overbearing reach of the government and the massive support of collectivism in the Tri-state area, particularly as the cost of living rose tremendously due to the “tax and spend” habits of the state. Also, Bloomberg started pushing his soda bans, his political advertisements with his “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” propaganda, and his statement that government “has the right to infringe on your freedom”.

I was living in CT and commuting to NYC for work, both due to the extreme cost of living in NYC and to keep my 2nd Amendment right which NYC refuses to recognize. The commuting time was horrible (4 hours a day) and the limited 2A rights that were respected in CT were suddenly taken away in 2013 with an unconstitutional “assault weapon ban.” This transformed thousands of peaceful citizens into felons if they did not register their guns. This was the last straw for me especially as this particular legislation is so vaguely written that an “assault weapon” is considered any weapon that can “accept a detachable magazine of over 10 rounds”, basically covering every modern firearm. One of the most alarming warning signs of the state’s overreach was when I went to a Connecticut Citizens’ Defense League gun rights rally on April 20th, 2013 in Hartford, and saw a policeman on the balcony of the state building slowly videotaping and photographing the protesters. All of this made me want to move out of Connecticut as soon as possible.

I wasn’t sure if I’d manage to get to New Hampshire as I had had trouble finding employment when I tried many years ago. I was active on the FSP forum for a few months and visited Manchester to explore New Hampshire for myself. While visiting, I met a few Free Staters who easily sold me on moving to enjoy the freedoms here. At the time, I was in the process of interviewing for a job that had significant travel but allowed me to live anywhere near an airport. Although they had wanted to place me out of NYC, I told them I would only accept the job if I could live in Manchester, NH. I pointed out that Manchester has its own airport and would cut their travel reimbursement costs as it would be far more expensive to fly out of LGA. They were sold on the idea and I was suddenly free to escape!

Soon after I moved, I had the enjoyable experience of calling up Connecticut Firearms Licensing to inform them I was no longer a CT resident and that the registration no longer applied to me. Having gone through this ordeal, I am determined to help out and do whatever small part I can to ensure that the loss of personal freedoms in CT and NY will never happen here in New Hampshire! I’ve realized that liberty is precious, and can’t be taken for granted in our time.

Since I’ve been here, I’ve met so many wonderful people who are fighting for our freedoms. I have fond memories of participating in a drive to stop police militarization in Concord, protesting Bloomberg’s imported anti-gunners on the steps of the Capitol, and assisting with Liberty Forum (Merav – you are awesome!). The best thing is that there are enough liberty people here to actually push for positive change and help create a better world free of aggression.

Hans moved in May 2013.

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By Sarah Chamberlain · Mar 25, 2015

Community. The word always left a bad taste in my mouth. In my life, “community” has meant something awful, something dreadful. And by age 23, I knew that becoming part of a community was something I would fight to avoid at all costs.

I think it was just after September 11th 2001 when my confusion began. I was a theater major at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. When the towers fell, and the flags began to wave, I took solace in the sense of community I felt on campus. There, I was among people who seemed to understand the reality of what was actually happening. This was no War on Terror, but a war for profit; and the masses rallying behind it were getting swindled. It was tremendously comforting to know I was not alone, to know there were many others who had not fallen victim to this great hoax. These people called themselves liberals. So, I supposed I was a liberal too. Then, things began to change.

As professors regularly set aside Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Moliere, and Chekhov to lecture against Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Rice, I began to notice an odd sort of trend among my fellow students. We no longer debated the significance of literary themes, the merits or downfalls of modern linguistic variations in classical productions, the pros and cons of proscenium versus black box. In fact, we no longer debated much of anything.

Somehow, the consensus we’d reached concerning current events grew into an expectation of consensus in every subject. In just a short time, it seemed we were all expected to approve and to disapprove of all the same things. The intense debates I once enjoyed both in and out of the classroom had turned into patterned exchanges of one-upsmanship, proclaiming, then re-voicing the very same opinions over and over again. My beloved community had become nothing more than an echo chamber. And I was starting to feel suffocated.

One afternoon, in 2003, I was driving around the city, listening to NPR’s broadcast of the show This American Life. It was the first time I’d heard of Jason Sorens, and The Free State Project. I listened intensely, imagining myself moving to Vermont (which seemed the state most likely to be selected for FSP at the time). I grew more and more excited as the show continued. But after the broadcast ended, I thought, Yeah right…like people will really uproot their lives and move… and soon I forgot about it.

It wasn’t until 2004 that I began to understand that my community’s disdain for the government did not exactly mirror my own. To them, it wasn’t that government was destructive; but that this government, the current administration, was destructive. A few months prior to the 2004 presidential election, professors began attending our Theater 100 assemblies to make announcements to the entire Communications and Theater student body about the importance of voting for John Kerry. While nobody seemed to like Kerry, they all seemed to believe he was the solution to our current problems; that he would end the war, and stop all the fear mongering. It seemed to me that everyone was doing their fair share of fear mongering, and I wasn’t able to understand the great push to vote Kerry. I began to grow disinterested in politics; although I had decided I would vote for a man called David Cobb, whom I’d heard talking on the radio about the importance of legalizing marijuana, and a few other things that just seemed like common sense. Otherwise, I began to retreat from all politics, and all political discussion. I’d had enough. And with my refusal to further participate in the cultural tribalism, I became an outcast.

In the years since college, I’ve found various ways to insulate myself from others. I cut out any lingering friends. I excelled in fields of work that were undesirable but paid plenty, simply because it prevented the necessity of having to work well with others. And although I always kept a boyfriend and a cat in order to preserve my sense of humanity, I was becoming less tolerant, more calloused, set in my ways, and even angry. I was isolated. And I was depressed. Then finally, I met the man who would become my husband.

Like me, Marcus also seemed a bit socially awkward, and as we got to know each other, it became apparent that he had also been cast out by the extreme liberal progressives of Philadelphia. Like me, he’d taken just enough of a stand to let people know he wasn’t part of their collective. So, there we were, two misfits in love in the city of Philadelphia.

When it came time to plan our family, we knew we would have to relocate, and we began to weigh our options. Marcus immediately mentioned New Hampshire, encouraging me to look up The Free State Project (a name that had long before escaped me). I never got around to looking it up. So, we instead went about visiting various states to check out real estate and to try to get a feel for the people. Then, one night, The Free State Project entered my Twitter feed. I ended up on the FSP website for hours, reading and researching the 101 reasons to move to New Hampshire, which prompted me to read the New Hampshire State Constitution. Moved to tears, I excitedly blurted to Marcus, “There’s this thing called the Free State Project. It’s great! We have to move to New Hampshire!” Luckily, Marcus is a patient man, and instead of being exasperated, he was amused. That same night, we began planning our move to New Hampshire.

On Halloween of 2014, with our infant son and pet cat in tow, we made the move. We were met by several other Free Staters who came out on the cold morning of November 1st to help us unload our U-Haul and carry our boxes and furniture into our new home. And since that morning, “community” has taken on an entirely different meaning for me. Among Free Staters, community seems to mean this: A group of people who share one common interest: liberty…and possibly, but not necessarily others. Here, we get to pick and choose freely. We are not obligated to uphold a collective moral standard. We are not forced to support or participate in the efforts or activities of others. But the fact is, I want to!

I am still socially awkward, but for the first time in my life, I regularly seek ways to get involved, ways to meet new people, ways to congregate. I enjoy hearing new ideas, even those with which I might not agree. And I enjoy being able to speak freely among people who might agree, and who might disagree with what I’m saying. Among Free Staters, there are so many different lifestyles, so many different types of activism, and so many different approaches to achieving the ultimate common goal of “Liberty in Our Lifetime.” I can’t think of a better way to live, or a better place to raise a family. And never have I been so comfortable in referring to any other group of people as my community.

Photo credit: www.lccsnj.org

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By James Davis · Oct 22, 2014

My wife and I were running a summer camp and conference center in upstate New York, and while we were enjoying a relatively “free” lifestyle, we weren’t satisfied. We couldn’t seem to find community in our immediate area, and while there were people we resonated with, it was hard to imagine raising our two children in an area so far apart from us philosophically.

We had toyed with the idea of moving for the FSP for the last four or five years. It wasn’t easy. We were living in a rather idyllic situation – on 850 acres with a private 45 acre lake, financially secure as a single income family. But we came out to Keenevention in 2013 and were ultimately sold on the people we met here.

So, in September, we packed up our life (again) and headed south for sunny New Hampshire. We were greeted by more than a dozen smiling helpers to welcome us “home.” We’re planted on the Freecoast in Dover at the moment, and loving everything about it. The proximity to so many things we love is amazing. The ocean is 20 minutes away. There are frequent meet-ups for all sorts of things that interest us. We’ve already tied in with 3 other families that share our values.

We’ve remarked every single day for the past week how happy we are about our move. All of us, from parents to kids. We can’t wait to tie into the community even more and meet the rest of the wonderful Free Staters that we haven’t had a chance to meet yet!

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By Guest Blogger · Aug 20, 2014

Hey hey we’re the Mohneys! Like, Mony-Mony, but Mohney-Mohney. We’re here for the freedom! My husband Kyle, our three boys, and I upped the Freecoast population by five when we moved here in June from Michigan. Yes, Michigan—your winters don’t scare us, Free State.

Kyle started researching the Free State Project a few years ago when we decided to leave The Mitten in search of a home on the East Coast. Immediately after discovering the FSP, Kyle began growing the seemingly requisite beard to fit in here.

Then, after a night/day shift in our politics and philosophy, a handful of trips to visit out here and meet Porcupines, and 14 hours in a large moving truck followed by half a dozen new friends helping us unload, we’re happy to call New Hampshire home.

We’ve spent the last couple months on the beach, in the mountains, road-tripping and adventuring with our boys, getting to know different groups of Free Staters and trying all the pizza. There’s an awful lot of pizza in this state.

Long story short: we love it here. We’re so happy to be surrounded by more like-minded people who are also willing to discuss politics and philosophy, without requiring an explanation regarding who will build the roads.

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By Angela Harris · Feb 1, 2013

After the winds of Winter Storm Nemo had subsided and the raspy protests of shovels scraping pavement commingled with the mechanized purr of snow blowers moving mounds of nature’s frozen tears, we took a much needed respite from our participation in the clearing activities to reflect on our new life in the Granite State. The two of us have been through our share of winter storms, but Jeremy, our teenage son who made the move with us, left New England before he had developed a full appreciation for some of the nastier offspring Old Man Winter and Mother Nature can create. For the better part of the past decade, and hence the majority of his life, we had lived in the balmier climes of North Carolina. Freezing temperatures weren’t foreign, but their stay was usually brief and rarely were they accompanied by more than a dusting of the white stuff. That said, you might suspect that a generational storm would dampen our enthusiasm as one of the newest families to officially move to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project. On the contrary, we found Nemo to be a welcome challenge, telling us it‘s time to put up or shut up. One snow storm isn’t enough to make us reexamine our pursuit of “Liberty in Our Lifetime.”

Our journey to the Free State ended up being a long one. We had heard about it while we were living on Cape Cod. At the time, a state had yet to be chosen. Though we knew New Hampshire was in the running, our family was rapidly outgrowing our starter home (in addition to Jeremy, we have two older kids who are in college) at a time when one of the innumerable Fed bubbles was manifesting in skyrocketing real estate prices. New Hampshire’s home market was rising as fast as the market in Massachusetts, so instead of making the trek north of the border, we began eyeing property in the South. The bubble’s effect down there wasn’t as severe and we were able to find a larger home without breaking our diminutive bank.

As time passed, the nascent Free State Project faded for us. Our love of liberty was still strong and growing, but our attention was focused on more proximate activism; we found North Carolina has a vibrant liberty community. Unfortunately, unlike New Hampshire, the size of the Tar Heel State’s population tends to dwarf most efforts to create a freer society. But, through our involvement with various groups there, we ended up meeting local activists who told us about a week-long event called PorcFest that takes place in the Great North Woods. It didn’t take much convincing for us to plan the trip and, in the process, the Free State Project was thrust back into the forefront of our minds.

The 2011 Porcupine Freedom Festival was damp, cold, and the most fun we’ve ever had in our lives! Being in a place with more than a thousand individuals who value and espouse liberty was like a Great Awakening. This is how life could be! PorcFest offered a concrete example of a freely-functioning community. It was truly amazing to behold. By the close of our second day, we decided that it was time to move beyond the baby-step of Free State Project signatories and take the giant leap towards creating that better world now. We were going to make the move.

While we wanted to relocate immediately, it ended up taking us about a year and a half (and another PorcFest) to finalize our move. At last, we were on the road to the Free State! We were a bit concerned about traveling north in the middle of winter; inclement weather can turn a long trip into a grueling nightmare. Providence must have been on our side because nary a flurry fell. The only hindrance was a stretch of fog beginning in Pennsylvania. It was thick and at times made us fear we would veer from the road, but we stayed the course. Then, at last, the fog lifted … and we were home.

We arrived in Manchester in the middle of January and, despite the cold weather, were warmly welcomed into an instant community of like-minded friends. Within our first two weeks, we mingled at a Porcupine “happy hour” at Strange Brew, joined the audience at the Artsy Fartsy Party where we met a sizable group of other Free Staters, and went to a fundraiser to assist an activist get her wheels back under her. We attended the monthly Merrimack Valley Porcupines meeting and a New Movers party and received notice of multiple rallies, hearings, and other activist events to choose from. The most challenging part of the move thus far has been finding a calendar big enough to fit all the political and social happenings in the area!

Although we have only been here a short time, we look forward to taking part in the vibrant and motivated Free Stater community. If our first few weeks are any indication, we have an exciting road ahead of us. Moving to New Hampshire was the right decision.

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By Editor · Jul 1, 2008

• Kevin moves to New Hampshire, builds a house, holds parties, and starts a revolution!
• Even when facing the daunting activist-commute from Rhode Island, Dan made himself a key Ron Paul volunteer in New Hampshire. Now he’s here full-time.
• Carla jumps out of the South African frying pan and lands in the American fire. But in New Hampshire she’s found the least bad part of America.
• He stops pretty girls in their tracks at Ron Paul sign waves, but today Greg from Nashua stops for us and tells us why he moved to New Hampshire.
• Jeremy (J’raxis) discusses moving to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project.
• Max was a very early mover, and has finally settled in Seabrook. He rents out rooms in his house to freedom-lovers.
• Beth Golomb discusses moving to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project.
• Todd Puterbaugh discusses moving to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project.
• Ofer Nave discusses moving to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project.
• Eli Eastman discusses moving to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project.
• Cal Pratt discusses moving to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project.
• Irena Goddard discusses moving to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project.
• Rochelle Pitkaniemi discusses moving to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project.
• Eric Vitruvian Manda discusses moving to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project.
• Lauren Canario discusses moving to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project.
• James Schmill, AKA Puke, is an Army veteran who served in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

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