"The Granite State"

Welcome to New Hampshire

New Hampshire/Vermont border on I-89
August 9, 2009

To me, New Hampshire is always associated with Presidential primaries. I'm not sure how the Granite State was awarded this distinction, but until this year, it seemed like other states were willing to leave this be, but those days might be over. I can understand why New Hampshire was upset by these developments, as it wasn't particularly memorable otherwise. Don't get me wrong; it was a perfectly lovely state, just not memorable. The one national landmark, the Old Man in the Mountain, collapsed in 2003 (yet remains on their license plates; see below). It does get some praise for being the first state to formally break away from Great Britain during the Revolution.

Usually getting pictures of the welcome signs is pretty easy; other times, it requires a fair amount of work and planning. New Hampshire was the latter, as it took three attempts before I could snap the picture you see above. The first time I passed this border crossing, I didn't see any welcome sign whatsoever. I knew I had to have missed it, as there is always some marker of the border, whether it be grandiose or bland. So I turned around and went across again. This time, I saw a small marker at the state line, but I was still convinced there would be something bigger. As I passed the first exit, I saw the sign above, but it was located on an offramp and I was already passed the turnoff, so I had to make a third pass. I used the exit, but there was no shoulder along the ramp, so I pulled into a parking lot and climbed up the hill to snap this picture. For all the work, the sign isn't anything special. I like the tan background and the quaint New England town in the middle, but the state's ubiquitous motto on the sign makes it unique to New Hampshire.

Welcome to Concord

August 9, 2009

If you had to find a location to film a movie set in what people assume an average New England town looks like, I would strongly recommend Concord. It wasn't too small like Montpelier or too cosmopolitan like Boston or Hartford. It just felt right for one of the smaller states in the country and felt like it was well preserved over the last 50 years. The area around the capitol had a lot of small stores and old stone buildings that form the downtown square around the building. While most of the towns I visited in New England attempted to blend historical sites with modern additions, Concord seemed content to remain in the past.

As it seems to be the standard throughout New England capitals, the state house is rather small. It seemed impossible to fit two chambers of the state legislature into that building, but an engraving on one of the stones on the building brags it is the oldest capitol that still uses its original chambers. The small capitol grounds are surrounded by streets on all four sides, yet it seemed to be a local hangout, as there were numerous people hanging out and having picnics. The site was home to numerous statues and monuments, including ones to famous Granite Staters Daniel Webster and Franklin Pierce.

Miscellaneous New Hampshire Symbols

State Route Sign

License Plate

Seal

Quarter