10 Commandments of Living in New Hampshire People who live in the Granite State are very proud to live here for so many reasons. We often say that we have it all. Mountains, lakes, oceans, countryside AND city life are part of living in the 603. If you've lived here for a certain amount of time, you have seen many changes to our landscape. More and more people are discovering the joys of the Live Free or Die state. I grew up in Nashua, which some wouldn't even consider the REAL New Hampshire, much like people in Maine don't think of Portland as the REAL Maine. Nashua borders Massachusetts and many come home to the Granite State to avoid the taxes of our friends to the South. It's a very busy city in every way and some consider it Massachusetts North.