Most of the state is rural, but the tri-city area has relatively high crime (for the area). Outside of the urban triangle, there is enough space for everyone to be relaxed so most people generally are.
@worriedguy You forgot about the Castle Doctrine, a.k.a. “Make my day” laws. Trespassers can be shot legally, and there is a good chance that they will be. I got a new-to-me car that my neighbor up the road (a Vietnam vet with PTSD and flashbacks) didn’t recognize when I pulled into his driveway to turn around. I nearly got a .50 BMG round in the engine block before he realized it was me.
As for the snow, it forces people to learn how to drive. I laughed my ass off when I moved from NH to Seattle and saw how many people couldn’t handle a couple inches, especially since two nights previous I had been doing 45 MPH in a whiteout on glare ice in a Mazda with bald tires.
If you do decide to move to NH, I recommend Cheshire county. Keene is urban enough to have a plaza with the typical mall stuff (Target, Borders, Chili’s…) but still has a small-town attitude since it’s only ~23K people. The rest of the county is villages with General Stores, trees, nice people, trees, cabins in the woods, trees, the occasional animal darting across the road (bear, moose, turkey, coyote…), and you might see some trees.
Great, now I almost want to quit my job and move back!