Work / Life Balance in New Hampshire

Way back in 2007, I made a major life decision to leave the world of corporate and start-up culture in the Silicon Slopes (Utah), and move to a small town in the woods of New Hampshire. I am still in the same industry, although at a much smaller scale. This has been one of the best decisions of my professional career.

If you were to drive by Peterborough on highway 101 or 202, you may miss it completely. Nestled in among the trees, and away from the main roads is the bustling little downtown area of a quintessential New England town. With requisite red brick mill buildings, clock tower, and steeples, Peterborough seems like it stepped right out of a movie.

Mom & pop stores, world culture museum, fine-arts gallery, big screen movie theater, and a very popular Pub that pulls in some impressive musicians from Boston, Washington DC, New York, as well as top-notch local talent. Peterborough is home to the nation's oldest artist colony, The MacDowell Colony, and also one of the oldest professional summer theatre companies, The Peterborough Players.

The list goes on: Outdoor recreation with a healthy supply of lakes, rivers, mountains, and trails. There's downhill and cross-country skiing in the winter. Festivals in the Spring and Summer. To top it off, Boston (shown below) is only an hour-and-a-half away! Is it any wonder this is where I chose to land?

But what about internet access? I get a speedy 450Mbps from both home and work. Yeah it's not Google Fiber, but it's certainly not slow or even average. Did I mention that one third of the population in Peterborough are remote entrepreneurs and telecommuters?

Big city life isn't for everyone. Especially not for an introvert like myself. Finding a gem in the rough like Peterborough is a great alternative for people who enjoy a slower pace at home, but still want to work in fast-paced industry.