Franconia Struggles

[ChrisB]

Here's an interesting story about the economic ups and downs of Franconia.

Echos of the on-going Twin Mountain struggle to survive and thrive.

Question -- In the midst of what many feel is an explosion in hiker numbers, why are these small mountain towns declining?

cb

 

[skiguy]

Sorry Franconia you can't have it both ways. Quite a difficult situation to maintain. Come and play and spend money but when your done go sleep in your own bed. It's a small town. Just that a small town.

 

[DayTrip]

I'm sure it is the size of the town. It is a nice, scenic place that you drive through going somewhere else, a lot like Twin Mountain and others. Without a sufficient amount of attractions to make it a destination you really have no reason to go. If their intent is to bring in people but remain small at the same time as one of the quoted people said then I don't imagine they will have much success. You can't be relevant and invisible at the same time unless there is something truly unique going on where you are. (I just got back from Alaska and Talkeetna immediately comes to mind).

 

[peakbagger]

Not mentioned is that wealthy landowners split off Sugar Hill NH as a separate town in 1962 from Franconia. This reduced the somewhat lucrative tax revenue from vacation homes that mostly were built in Sugar Hill from the expenses of running a town. Cannon Mountain is state owned land and thus non taxable.

For folks not familiar with NH politics, the house of cards of no income tax and no sales tax has been falling down. Costs are being shifted to the towns and the "property poor" rural towns without industry or second homes are all in trouble. These towns are spending increasing amounts as a percent of the towns total revenue on basic services like schools which is driving up local property taxes so that new development is scared away. There is set of legal rulings, Claremont 1 and Claremont 2 that was supposed to equalize things but the lines are now forming for Claremont 3 as soon after the court rules,, the legislature finds a way of minimizing the court rulings impact generally to the benefit of the more affluent towns.

 

[ChrisB]

I'm sure it is the size of the town. It is a nice, scenic place that you drive through going somewhere else, a lot like Twin Mountain and others. Without a sufficient amount of attractions to make it a destination you really have no reason to go.

In contrast, I stopped in Gorham for a coffee at the White Mountain Cafe the other day and was amazed at the level of activity on Main St. The town was totally buzzing (pun intended). I assume 90 percent of what I saw (and heard) was related the new ATV park and trail system. Businesses were busy, traffic was heavy and money was obviously being spent at restaurants, gas stations, convenience stores and misc shops. A great, if somewhat frenetic, North Country scene.

Gorham seems to be one small town that has escaped the "North of the Notches" malaise.

cb

 

[DayTrip]

In contrast, I stopped in Gorham for a coffee at the White Mountain Cafe the other day and was amazed at the level of activity on Main St. The town was totally buzzing (pun intended). I assume 90 percent of what I saw (and heard) was related the new ATV park and trail system. Businesses were busy, traffic was heavy and money was obviously being spent at restaurants, gas stations, convenience stores and misc shops. A great, if somewhat frenetic, North Country scene.

Gorham seems to be one small town that has escaped the "North of the Notches" malaise.

cb

I don't know that I would put Gorham in the same category as Franconia or Twin Mountain. It is quite a bit larger, albeit still a "small" town, and is very close to numerous attractions that cater to a variety of interests (skiing, hiking, ATV, bike, golf, general sight seeing and plenty of shopping/food/bars/hotels in North Conway not too far away). As insane as North Conway has become over the years I think Gorham probably benefits from that fact alone as people who hate crowds and 2 hour waits for dinner head North for relief. I'm sure peakbagger can chronicle the ups and downs of the town over the years in relation to the ups and downs of local business. Certainly seems to be doing well now, which is nice.

 

[peakbagger]

On the outside it is looking good but it too has very high property taxes and a declining tax base with a lot of land locked up in current use status. The tourist businesses tend to fill a lot of service jobs but really don't impact the tax base. What is left of the papermill hasn't paid local taxes for close to a year. The hydro dam owners and the many transmission utilities in town (as with many small towns in NH) are all using a technique where they perpetually appeal tax assessments, this forces the town to escrow the payments, the money is needed to fund the town so the town inevitably has to settle at a lower amount to get it in hand.

Gorham happens to be the big winner for the ATV boom as to date, the boom is not attractive enough to draw in investors to build new hotels elsewhere, therefore the long term hotel owners in town get a shot in the arm. A local investor (co owner of the Mt Madison) has proposed a chain motel but wants significant incentives to do so. Meanwhile he had a contractor come in and do a superficial update this spring. I expect the lawsuit for the ATV access will get resolved at some point and hopefully the resolution works out best for the area.

 

[skiguy]

I don't know that I would put Gorham in the same category as Franconia or Twin Mountain. .

I would totally agree with this. Each of the northern communities are challenged economically these days and share some of the same common problems yet have each their own challenges. Jobs are of abundance but not the ones most people seem to want to fill. IMO some of it is due to a changing demographic of the folks that have moved North in the last couple of decades. Folks use to move to the north country for what already existed and live their live analogously. Now it seems folks move up from down south and want to bring what they had with them. This puts a strain on the resources or the lack their of. Also the cost of living has increased dramatically and for most they expect to make what they did down south to support it. But for the most part it's just not there. Also the growth in the tourist industry has not only put a strain on the labor market but the lack of affordable housing and very little wage growth does not help.

 

[ChrisB]

Gorham happens to be the big winner for the ATV boom as to date...

One thought I had watching the activity in Gorham was...

Maybe the petroleum-based life forms driving all those ATVs are more willing than hikers to throw money around doing their hobby in this era of the $16,000 side-by-side ATV.

cb

 

[skiguy]

One thought I had watching the activity in Gorham was...

Maybe the petroleum-based life forms driving all those ATVs are more willing than hikers to throw money around doing their hobby in this era of the $16,000 side-by-side ATV.

cb

Just don’t make any camo based remarks.

 

[peakbagger]

Yes many local business owners regard ATV and snowmobile folks as far more lucrative guests than hikers. There was an attempt to declare Gorham an Appalachian Trail Community, it didnt get much traction. Some motorized folks come with campers but many fill up the local and nearby motels. The guest cottage village in Randolph near Valley road probably would not be in business if not for ATV overflow from Berlin Gorham.

16K ATVs towed by $50K plus trucks.

 

[Jazzbo]

One thought I had watching the activity in Gorham was...

Maybe the petroleum-based life forms driving all those ATVs are more willing than hikers to throw money around doing their hobby in this era of the $16,000 side-by-side ATV.

cb

Petroleum Based Life forms!!!!!!!!!!! Wow!!! You should copyright that phrase.

 

[skiguy]

Petroleum Based Life forms!!!!!!!!!!! Wow!!! You should copyright that phrase.

Last time I checked ChrisB walked up here from the NH Seacoast just so he could go hiking. I don’t know how he does it without petroleum. Maybe he actually uses a canoe and follows the Saco.

 

[ChrisB]

Last time I checked ChrisB walked up here from the NH Seacoast just so he could go hiking. I don’t know how he does it without petroleum. Maybe he actually uses a canoe and follows the Saco.

Ha, Good Point!

My sport bike does get 55 MPG though!!

cb

 

[Jazzbo]

I heartily agree we are all petroleum based life forms - some more than others though. I miss the space my old SUV had, but love love love my new ride that gets 32.5 mpg. I'm contributing to thread drift and bad feelings so will say no more on this topic.

 

[skiguy]

Ha, Good Point!

My sport bike does get 55 MPG though!!

cb

I get it. One has to be on only 2 wheels to be kool.

 

[TJsName]

I heartily agree we are all petroleum based life forms - some more than others though. I miss the space my old SUV had, but love love love my new ride that gets 32.5 mpg. I'm contributing to thread drift and bad feelings so will say no more on this topic.

I think it's a worthwhile sub-topic in this conversation. I always joked with friends that I'd drive 250 miles to hike for 15 (or drive 4 hours to hike for 8), but [obviously] the experience overcomes that absurdity. While the hike is often the destination, the towns we go through are not. Some of them offer amenities if you're staying there, but otherwise are not on the radar in which to spend your time. There isn't anything special to warrant the side trip. Brewery's seem to warrant side trips for people if that beer and atmosphere is good, so I'm optimistic about the new place. I have friend's that go out of their way to go to Schilling, so that fact that the new place is closer means it will get at least a few visitors - especially apres-ski at Cannon.

So, while one's time is a big part of the equation, so is the fuel cost. If I drive my car up to Gorham I get about 40mpg on average and it's about 175 miles, so round trip is about 9 gallons of gas. If I drive a truck that gets 15 mpg while towing, then I'm using 30 gallons of fuel (not distinguishing between diesel and gas). If a UTV get's 20 mpg, someone could easily add 5-10 more gallons (depending on number of machines and miles ridden).

Given the need to haul the UTVs (if not renting), and the fact that the activity requires more fuel in addition to just getting there, I think it's safe to imply that such forms of recreation use more petroleum than hiking, all things being equal. Of course, carpooling (4 people in a truck with 2 UTVs vs 1 person in a Subaru) could equal out the emissions per person, but that's variable is unknown, so I think it's fair to assume the carpooling habits are equal among populations.

So, while ChrisB might use Petroleum to get where he's going, it does feel fair to imply that UTV enthusiasts use more petroleum for their recreating activities; however, it's not a judgement or a condemnation of the participants, as that is only a small aspect of one's overall carbon footprint! The worst thing one can do is have children.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I have ridden my bicycle to many mountains in southern NH, hiked up and down, and ridden home. No petroleum was harmed during these recreational activities.

Tim

 

[B the Hiker]

When I used to lead AMC trips, I would go up for the weekend and stay at Subsig. I was amazed that if I had a Saturday trip and a Sunday trip, both would fill, but there usually was no overlap whatsoever--completely different groups, other than us leaders.

I think most hikers want, or need, a day at home to do laundry, mow the lawn, see friends, and so on. So most hikers, I suspect, aren't staying up north at all, they drive up, they hike, and they go home.

This leaves us with the folks who go up for the weekend.

A lot of sociable people go to Subsig, heck it's $10 a night, or they stay at one of the hostels. I think very few camp, as a percentage. I suspect of the "frequent hikers" Subsig and the hostels take up the lion's share. For those who aren't frequent hikers, if they have young kids, there's the Highland Center, and without kids, there are some really lovely B&Bs or the Mt. Washington Hotel.

In between are motels, and it doesn't matter when I'm driving by them, very few of them ever seem close to capacity. I don't mean during bike week or the holidays, but, it's hard to see where motels fit in, especially if they aren't dead smack in the middle of North Conway or Lincoln.

The few times I have stayed at one, especially in the winter, it is near impossible to get hot water. Why would one stay at a motel when there are so many better options? Is it really surprising that Franconia is struggling? I just don't see what it has to offer hikers.


Brian


Brian

 

[bikehikeskifish]

FWIW, it is exceedingly rare that I spend any time up north other than hiking (or skiing, or cycling.) Very occasionally, I will pick up some fast food, or a Dunk's. More often, I will buy gas at exit 24. If I do stay up north, I have friends with extra beds and if those are full, space in the backyard to pitch my tent. So, it is safe to say that I contribute very little to the north country economy, and that my destination is always the trailhead and rarely any surrounding towns.

When I go to Maine, or should I ever embark on an Adirondack Journey, that would involve spending more time away from the trail and money on creature comforts and necessities.

Tim