New Hampshire: The World’s Friendliest Bitcoin Community

When the U.S.-based online retailer, Overstock.com, began accepting Bitcoin in early 2014, New Hampshire topped the list for Bitcoin sales per capita, with Overstock’s home state of Utah coming in second, thanks in large part to New Hampshire’s Free State Project.

Due to New Hampshire's focus on technology-based businesses and its historical status as one of the freest states in the U.S., New Hampshire has developed a thriving Bitcoin ecosystem, allowing its residents to develop a 100%加密货币income system.

The world's longest-running Bitcoin meetup

Manchester, New Hampshire is home to what participants claim is the longest-running weekly Bitcoin meetup in the world! Zach Harvey, CEO and co-founder of Bitcoin automated teller machine (BTM) manufacturer Lamassu, founded the meetup with his brother and business partner Josh Harvey.

“My brother started the Manchester Bitcoin meetup in July 2012, right after the 2012 Porcfest (Porcupine Freedom Festival), which helped to fuel Bitcoin’s popularity.

Porcupine Freedom Festival 2012 was the first time many of us actually used Bitcoin to buy things and conduct an everyday transaction. For Bitcoin enthusiasts, this marked the transition from talking about Bitcoin to actually starting to use Bitcoin.

That led to a weekly meetup to experience using Bitcoin, once a week, and of course, we discussed Bitcoin at the same time.”

Matt Whitlock, a longtime attendee of the weekly meetups, can easily buy or sell Bitcoin at various private parties whenever he wants.

“It’s very easy to trade Bitcoin at meetups, you can always find someone who wants to buy or sell. Of course, with the current price trend of Bitcoin, it may be harder to find people willing to do spot trading.”

Bitcoin rent collection

Matthew Ping, owner of Ledgeview Commercial Properties, is one of several property owners in the Manchester area who are accepting bitcoin for rent payments.

One Freecoast resident, Mike Vine, a technology evangelist for LBRY, also runs a “coworking” and event space called Praxeum, where members’ dues can be paid in bitcoin.

“There is a lot of interest here, and Bitcoin is a very popular medium of exchange in our Free Coast community…Collaboration is a natural market for Bitcoiners. Both aspire to be tech-first, free-spirited, avant-garde communities.”

Bitcoin-friendly business environment

Coinmap.org lists New Hampshire as having more businesses accepting Bitcoin than Massachusetts further south, despite having less than one-fifth the population and lacking a major metropolitan area like Boston.

In a 20-minute drive from downtown Manchester, businesses and companies that accept Bitcoin include: bars (including Area 23, one of the best bars in New Hampshire), a pizza restaurant, a chocolate shop, a barber shop, a construction company and two law firms. Elsewhere in the state, Bitcoin is accepted at a farm, a gas station, a silver mint, a newspaper shop, and a gun factory (Shaolin Rifleworks). Arcade City, a taxi software company that CoinTelegraph reported before, has now officially announced that it allows their drivers to accept Bitcoin.

Underground Market

What makes New Hampshire unique to Bitcoin is its Community Market Day Project, a decentralized trading venue that is packed with dozens of small vendors, most of whom trade privately. Jessica Love is the project's initiator and also sells bulletproof coffee.
, one-third of sales are paid in Bitcoin.

“Vendors may vary, but at Community Market Day Manchester you will usually have at least 10 out of 12-15 vendors accepting Bitcoin. Over the next three to four months, a number of market day venues will open in three or four other Free State rotating weekend areas where more Bitcoin users will be attracted to the vendor stalls.”

Jessica Love has seen all manner of goods and services being sold for bitcoin at market days across the state.

"There are literally so many products and services you can buy at the Community Market Days that you can pay for with Bitcoin. Farm meat, farm eggs, farm handmade goods, farm honey, and things raised by friends and neighbors. Organic soaps, candles, coffee & tea, jewelry, woven goods, home goods, handmade goods, and more. Services too, massage, chiropractic, and even hypnotherapy. I believe anything can be brought to the Market Days and traded for Bitcoin. We are living in the ultimate anti-economics experience outside of the economic framework and starting to carry over to currency. I am definitely seeing a surge of interest in Bitcoin at the Market Days. As more and more goods can be exchanged for it, people seem to be happy to move their business to the local free market economy we are building. The Community Market Days program and Bitcoin are a win-win partnership."

The most Bitcoin-friendly community in the world

In New Hampshire, it’s entirely possible to live off of Bitcoin, and Whitlock is one of those people who does just that.

“I was influenced by Erik Vorhees and took out my cash earlier and converted it all into Bitcoin. This way, I only have enough cash to cover my monthly expenses.”

Harvey, who travels the world for business, still finds New Hampshire to be the most Bitcoin-friendly.

“You can’t find a more Bitcoin-friendly place than New Hampshire, especially the Free State Plan community. People are always talking about it at local businesses, and now you can buy boutique chocolate, pizza and beer in Manchester. When Overstock started accepting Bitcoin, half the community bought something to show their support, and I bought a set of towels.”

When asked how friendly New Hampshire is compared to other places in the world, Whitlock didn't hesitate:

“That’s a ridiculous question, there’s no comparison. Everyone in this community either has Bitcoin or wants to learn more about it and has one eye on buying some. Outside of this community, people think it’s something they’ve seen on a TV show before.”

Article source: http://cointelegraph.com/news/new-hampshire-the-worlds-most-bitcoin-friendly-community
Translator: UncleDoge
Editor: Meng Dada
Source: Babbitt Information (http://www.8btc.com/new-hampshire-bitcoin)