👋 Hey everybody,
Rae here — one of the core members building Freedom Village.
Since COVID, and now with proposed asset taxes in San Francisco and an openly socialist agenda gaining traction in New York City, the U.S. is undergoing a very real reshuffling of its citizens.
That’s not surprising. I’ve lived in San Francisco, New York City, and Miami, and spent meaningful time in Austin and Los Angeles.
What is surprising is how little New Hampshire gets talked about.
The zeitgeist keeps pointing to Austin and Miami. Likely because it’s warm there — and cold here. But I think that’s starting to change.
New Hampshire is the Texas or Florida of the North. Yes, winters are real. But summers in Austin and Miami are borderline unlivable. Climate cuts both ways.
What NH offers instead:Low taxes, lower overall friction than traditional tech hubs, founders meeting in living rooms, startups and creators mixing over dinner — and early-stage energy that’s quietly compounding.
We’re also uniquely positioned geographically:
Within 1 hour of Boston’s universities and biotech ecosystem
Within reach of NYC’s financial institutions
Without Boston or NYC politics, prices, or bureaucracy
New Hampshire, by the numbers (with sources)
New Hampshire consistently punches above its weight on the things that matter most:
Safety: Ranked the #1 safest state in the U.S.→ U.S. News & World Report, Public Safety Rankings https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/crime-and-corrections/public-safety
Crime: Lowest violent crime rate and among the lowest homicide rates nationwide→ FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov
Health: Regularly ranked top 5 healthiest states; high life expectancy and strong access to care→ America’s Health Rankings https://www.americashealthrankings.org
Income: Median household income ~$95K (well above the national average)→ U.S. Census / Data USA https://datausa.io/profile/geo/new-hampshire
Taxes:
No state income tax
No sales tax
No capital gains tax→ NH Department of Revenue Administration https://www.revenue.nh.gov
Unemployment: Consistently below the national average→ Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov
Cost of living: Higher housing costs than the U.S. average, but partially offset by higher incomes and no income/sales tax→ BEA + Census https://www.bea.gov
Quality of life: Top-tier rankings for child well-being, education, and livability→ Annie E. Casey Foundation https://www.aecf.org
Bottom line: Low crime, strong health outcomes, high incomes, and personal freedom — quietly, without hype.
Why New Hampshire is a natural home for builders and techno-optimists
Freedom as a founding principle
“Live Free or Die” isn’t irony — it’s operational.
Strong property rights and local governance
Minimal bureaucracy
Town meetings still matter
Personal responsibility is cultural, not rhetorical
Lower taxes, lower friction
No income tax — your labor is yours
No capital gains or dividend tax — founders and investors keep the upside
No sales tax — lower everyday friction
No estate tax — legacy stays in families
Balanced budgets and low state debt→ NH Treasury & DRA https://www.treasury.nh.gov
There are no billionaire taxes or wealth taxes being debated here.
Politically heterodox, not tribal
Fiercely independent electorate
Libertarians, centrists, conservatives, and classical liberals coexist
Civil discourse still happens in person
Over 10,000 Free Staters have relocated and now hold elected seats→ Free State Project https://www.fsp.org
Pro-innovation, pro-nuclear, anti-bureaucracy
~56% of NH’s power comes from nuclear energy (Seabrook Station)→ U.S. Energy Information Administration https://www.eia.gov
Projects move faster due to local control
Real ability to prototype without drowning in red tape
New Hampshire is quietly leading on Right to Try
New Hampshire has one of the most advanced Right to Try frameworks in the country — and it’s expanding.
Right to Try allows patients with serious or life-threatening conditions to access investigational treatments that have passed safety trials but are not yet fully FDA-approved.
While many states adopted early versions, New Hampshire has gone further, modernizing its laws to:
Broaden access to experimental therapies
Reduce friction for doctors and patients
Provide clearer legal protections for providers
Position the state as a hub for responsible medical innovation
→ NH Right to Try statutes & reforms https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us
This is a state focused not on whether patients should have options — but on how to make access work better.
Builder-friendly terrain
Affordable land relative to coastal tech hubs
Access to water, forests, and coastline
More zoning flexibility than neighboring states
Boston-level talent within a 1-hour drive — without Boston politics or prices
Notably, Alex Karp (Founder & CEO of Palantir) and Jeremy Hitchcock (Founder of Dyn and Minim) both live here.
Self-reliant culture, high trust, low noise
People fix their own snowblowers and build their own barns
Neighbors show up when it counts
Lowest crime rate in the country
Founders meet around fire pits, not panels
A gateway to the Northeast
1 hour to Boston and the Atlantic
~4 hours to NYC
~3 hours to Montreal
International airports in Boston, Portland, and Manchester
It’s fucking beautiful here
Ocean access, ski mountains, forests — all within reach.
Mount Washington has incredible hiking
People surf all year long at Rye Beach
Stunning summers full of grilling, fresh seafood, and campfires
Clean, safe protected lands
Four seasons and quintessential holiday season
If you’re curious about how we’re building Freedom Village here in New Hampshire, subscribe to this Substack to stay in the loop and subscribe to our community event calendar on Luma.
Thanks for reading, what did I miss?
✌🏻 Rae