# Compare Hampshire and New Hampshire **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 20, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726 "2015-07-20T20:47:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/1 "2015-07-20T20:47:11Z")
[Hampshire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampshire) - as old as the hills, the heart of England, and more people in it than… [New Hampshire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshire) - first settled by English colonists 1623, many times the size, and…what? Just for fun, or curiosities, but what do we know that the original and the cheap knock-off have in common or contrast? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/2 "2015-07-20T21:34:51Z")
Well for starters they both have a city of Winchester and Portsmouth. Portsmouth for both is a seacoast port city. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/3 "2015-07-20T22:04:52Z")
Every state in New England is littered with place names lifted from the old country. Most of them are shared by most of the states. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/4 "2015-07-21T08:17:23Z")
I live quite near the coast of Hampshire, but I’ve only driven up the coast of New Hampshire. I’ve shopped in Portsmouth, Hampshire (and climbed around on the Victory) as it’s only a few miles up the M27, but never been to/stopped in Portsmouth, NH. I work in Winchester, Hants, but never been to the one in NH. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/5 "2015-07-21T11:15:09Z")
It’s probably going to piss some people off, but New Hampshire always wins the informal “what is the least notable state?” debates I have had. It’s geographically small, but not small enough to be notable. A small population, but not small enough to be interesting. It’s new England, but not as New Englandy as some others. There is really no generally recognized crop, prepared food, or product associated with New Hampshire, nor industry. If you ask random people to come up with a motto for New Hampshire you usually get something along the lines of "New Hampshire:…umm…well… It’s a state. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/6 "2015-07-21T11:27:12Z")
> [@Malden\_Capell](#): > > Just for fun, or curiosities, but what do we know that the original and the cheap knock-off have in common Hurricanes hardly happen. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/7 "2015-07-21T12:59:38Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > IIf you ask random people to come up with a motto for New Hampshire you usually get something along the lines of "New Hampshire:…umm…well… It’s a state. I thought it was “Live free, or die.” Which, in my opinion beats “The Land of Opportunity” and “The Natural State”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/8 "2015-07-21T13:17:17Z")
And also …… Years ago they shared the same Monarch a certain King George. New Hampshire had the sense to disengage from him long ago. Remains to be seen if the good people of Hampshire will do the same. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/9 "2015-07-21T14:04:08Z")
New Hampshire spends much more of the year coated with ice than does Old Hampshire. It probably has fewer black people, too. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/10 "2015-07-21T16:51:03Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > It’s probably going to piss some people off, but New Hampshire always wins the informal “what is the least notable state?” debates I have had. It’s geographically small, but not small enough to be notable. A small population, but not small enough to be interesting. It’s new England, but not as New Englandy as some others. There is really no generally recognized crop, prepared food, or product associated with New Hampshire, nor industry. If you ask random people to come up with a motto for New Hampshire you usually get something along the lines of "New Hampshire:…umm…well… It’s a state. It was a big reason why the British bothered to fight for the colonies. The tall straight pine trees from New Hampshire were perfect for ship masts and were not available anywhere in Britain. The Royal Navy needed a lot of ships masts. See: [Pine Tree Riot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Tree_Riot) ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/11 "2015-07-21T17:00:46Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > It’s probably going to piss some people off, but New Hampshire always wins the informal “what is the least notable state?” debates I have had. It’s geographically small, but not small enough to be notable. A small population, but not small enough to be interesting. It’s new England, but not as New Englandy as some others. There is really no generally recognized crop, prepared food, or product associated with New Hampshire, nor industry. If you ask random people to come up with a motto for New Hampshire you usually get something along the lines of "New Hampshire:…umm…well… It’s a state. I was born in Portsmouth (UK) and spent my first 17 years in old Hampshire - despite some nice countryside I’d say it’s pretty bland too really. It’s probably okay if you can afford a large country pile - but then, where isn’t? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/12 "2015-07-21T17:06:59Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > It’s probably going to piss some people off, but New Hampshire always wins the informal “what is the least notable state?” debates I have had. Really? In a competition with Delaware, Rhode Island, North and South Dakota and Oklahoma, you’d pick New Hampshire? At least New Hampshire has skiing and a [mountain lots of people die on](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington_%28New_Hampshire%29). ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/13 "2015-07-21T17:07:55Z")
Does New Hampshire produce watercress? ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/14 "2015-07-21T17:34:01Z")
Well, did the UKian Hampshire ever have one of its most famous [natural landmarks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Man_of_the_Mountain) fall apart? ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/15 "2015-07-21T17:41:02Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Really? In a competition with Delaware, Rhode Island, North and South Dakota and Oklahoma, you’d pick New Hampshire? At least New Hampshire has skiing and a [mountain lots of people die on](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington_%28New_Hampshire%29). And a record breaking [wind speed.](https://www.mountwashington.org/about-us/history/world-record-wind.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/16 "2015-07-21T18:30:49Z")
> [@Big\_Norse](#): > > And a record breaking [wind speed.](https://www.mountwashington.org/about-us/history/world-record-wind.aspx) I’m trying to come up with a “record wind-breaking” joke, but nothing is coming to mind. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/17 "2015-07-21T18:31:15Z")
> [@Big\_Norse](#): > > And a record breaking [wind speed.](https://www.mountwashington.org/about-us/history/world-record-wind.aspx) I wonder if posts 16 and 15 are related. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/18 "2015-07-21T21:05:32Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I wonder if posts 16 and 15 are related. > :dubious: It wasn’t me, it was the dog. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/19 "2015-07-21T23:02:29Z")
> [@Big\_Norse](#): > > It wasn’t me, it was the dog. Ah, of course. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-hampshire-and-new-hampshire/725726/20 "2015-07-22T02:16:33Z")
I always think of New Hampshire as the first state to host a primary for the presidential elections. I always assumed it was because they had nothing else going for them.