Free State Project Reaches Milestone

The Free State Project has reached a milestone: 1,000 people have relocated here since the group announced in 2003 it had chosen New Hampshire as the future "free state."

The first 1,000 – now 1,001 – make up the first installment of a 20,000-person goal. There are now 11,602 people who have agreed to move to the Granite State, according to the Free Staters' website.

One of those people is Mike Finger of Portsmouth. He and his wife moved to New Hampshire from New York in August 2011. He said the milestone is great news for the project and the Granite State.

“I think it’s great news. It’s really a major milestone for the project. There’s been a big effort to get people to make the move,” said Finger on Thursday morning.

He believes more Free Staters will come to New Hampshire now that they have surpassed the 1,000 mark. Finger said New Hampshire appeals to Free Staters because they have a lot of shared values. He said they appreciate the fact that it is easy to start a new business here and that New Hampshirerites feel strongly about issues such as gay marriage and self-defense.

Compared to New York where he used to live, Finger said New Hampshire is a much more liveable, free place.