By KATY SAVAGE
Special to the Eagle Times
Joanne Dufour walks 3 minutes to work every morning. In her small town of 6,500, she said knows just about everybody.
“Everybody is just familiar with everybody,” said Dufour, the executive assistant to the town manager in Newport. “Everybody helps everybody out.”
Dufour, 55, moved from East Hartford, Connecticut about 31 years ago.
“It’s a big difference,” she said about the two states.
Dufour moved to New Hampshire to raise a family.
“It was more appealing to raise a family here than any part of Connecticut,” she said.
Others say the same about the Granite State and now New Hampshire has the rankings to prove it.
New Hampshire was just named one of the best states in the nation for the second year in a row by the U.S. News and World Report.
The U.S. News and World Report considers eight factors in determining the best overall states, including health care, education, economy, opportunity, crime, quality of life, opportunity and fiscal stability.
New Hampshire got the highest opportunity score and placed fifth overall, behind Iowa at No. 1, followed by Minnesota, Utah and North Dakota.
“Doesn’t surprise me one bit,” said Sullivan County Manager Derek Ferland of New Hampshire’s score.
Ferland grew up in New Hampshire and lived here 17 years before joining the air force. Ferland spent 26 years crisscrossing the states. He lived overseas in England and spent time in Kuwait. Ferland moved back to his home state a year ago for New Hampshire’s quality of life and ability to raise a family.
“You’re still close enough to decent-sized cities,” said Ferland, 44.
Claremont City Manager Executive Assistant Doree Russell has lived in Claremont the past 12 years.
What makes the city so great, she said, is the recreation and business opportunities. Russell mentioned Claremont’s 600 acres of parks, its walking trails and recreation areas in addition to Claremont’s diverse businesses and architecture.
“Claremont has a lot going for it,” she said.
There are 300-400 businesses in Claremont, a city of about 13,000, including 10 major employers. A new Hobby Lobby is scheduled to open in April.
Claremont Director of Planning and Development Nancy Merrill recently updated a master plan for Claremont that considers expanding the downtown area and bringing more businesses.
Merrill has lived in New Hampshire all her life. The geography, low crime rate and being able to go from work to outdoor recreational activities are what’s kept her here, she said.
“New Hampshire ticks off a lot of those boxes,” Merrill said, adding, “It’s a pretty safe place.”
Claremont City Manager Ryan McNutt said the same attracted him. He moved to New Hampshire a year ago from Massachusetts. The ski aficionado fell in love with Claremont’s quality of life.
“It has a lot more amenities and resources than where I grew up,” said McNutt, 40.
Two other New England states also topped the list of “Best States.” Massachusetts ranked No. 8 while Vermont ranked No. 9. New Hampshire topped the list for its low crime and unemployment rates, patent creation and education opportunities.
“New Hampshire consistently performs well in these comprehensive rankings because it offers the best combination of financial opportunity, education, and quality of life,” said Taylor Caswell, commissioner of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs in a press release. “More importantly than rankings, we see it on the ground: New Hampshire’s businesses are expanding, communities are investing.”
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