Grafton nh free staters The Free State Project began as a mass migration of more than 20,000 liberty-loving people pledging to move to New Hampshire, joining native Granite Staters who uphold the local “Live Free or Die” ethic. The Grafton locals resisted, but the Free Towners were able to get enough legislation through to gut many of the town's most basic public programs. -free zone. 101K subscribers in the newhampshire community. Residents of Grafton, NH speak: no to wind farms and no to free staters Mar 7, 2025 · A common accusation is that we transplants from Massachusetts moved to New Hampshire intending to impose high-tax policies. org - Liberty activists in a Grafton farmhouse take on an agile intruder, with the dubious aid of their furry friend Maia. Already, there are thousands of individuals just like you right here in New Hampshire. Sep 15, 2020 · Once upon a time, a group of libertarians got together and hatched the Free Town Project, a plan to take over an American town and completely eliminate its government. New Hampshire was selected in 2003 for this purpose. net - Free Staters continue prepping for Burning Porcupine and one of its planned activities: The Pitchfork Throwing Constest May 24, 2016 · The town of Grafton is ground zero in the Free Stater effort to move in and dismantle government. I live in NH and the "free staters" are one of the worst things to happen to the state. The Free State Project (FSP) is an American political migration movement founded in 2001 to recruit at least 20,000 libertarians to move to a single low-population state to make the state a stronghold for libertarian ideas. For Granite Staters and all things New Hampshire Oct 17, 2025 · Our courthouse in North Haverhill needs significant improvements to its mechanical, electrical, fire alarm and security systems. Tons of One of the early experiments of the Free State project was the Free Town Project, a libertarian migration to the small community of Grafton, NH. Free Staters pledge to exert their fullest practical efforts to expand personal and economic freedom through activism, entrepreneurship, and mutual support. Together, Free Staters have built an incredible, real-life community full of people who value liberty and responsibility. Firescrew and Mt. , is so tiny, it doesn't even have a stop light, but a group of Libertarians have moved there with an eye to slashing spending. Nov 12, 2025 · A Grafton man who investigators say calls himself a sovereign citizen was arrested Friday following a major fugitive operation involving state and federal officials. People who think that way have it absolutely backwards. Aug 30, 2020 · The project’s political successes peaked in 2018, when 17 of the 400 members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives identified as Free Staters—although all but two were registered New Hampshire was chosen because the perceived individualist culture of the state was thought to resonate well with libertarian ideals. It is not surprising that so many Free Staters run for office. So An effort at damage control is playing out in the Free Staters’ internet pummeling of this author and a reporter at the Keene Sentinel newspaper in southern New Hampshire, Phillip Bantz, who made reference to the revelations in the CounterPunch piece along with an eyebrow raising quote from a Free Stater on legalizing cannibalism, a demand of some fringe Free Staters. Jan 26, 2015 · Last year, Grafton residents organized and turned out to defeat the Free Stater initiatives. Free State Project members uproot their families and move to New Hampshire purely to enact a political agenda; running for office only further helps them reach that goal. Jan 3, 2022 · Two decades ago, Jason Sorens challenged "free staters" to move to New Hampshire, run for office and secede from the union to form a Libertarian Utopia. It didn't have more bears, or more incidents involving bears, than any other place in New Hampshire. Nov 19, 2020 · All one has to do is to drive on Grafton’s roads to know this is not the best place for commerce. May 11, 2016 · Recently, this movement announced success in its plan to encourage twenty-thousand libertarian-minded people from around the country to move to New Hampshire. The book is called A Libertarian Walks Into A Bear. Free staters have won 100 elections. [25] In 2004, following the selection of New Hampshire, a splinter group [citation needed] called the Free Town Project formed to move to the small town of Grafton and advocate for legal changes there. Sep 30, 2009 · Sponsor: http://NHLiberty. Fall Fest is a collection of family-friendly events, organized by Free Staters across the Granite State over the long Columbus Day Weekend. NH HB1665 | 2024 sponsored by free-stater Alicia Lekas, Glenn Cordelli is so close to the free-state he wrote an op-ed about it, free-stater Kevin Verville, free-stater Keith Murphy would qualify more students for EFAs. 94K subscribers in the newhampshire community. As hilariously detailed in Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling's book, A Aug 24, 2022 · He then combines these bear yarns with stories of the Free Staters of Grafton, NH, which seem to be a splinter group from the main Free State Project types to begin with – at the time of this writing the weekend after Easter 2020, I’ve reached out to my one remaining contact from the FSP from those days but have yet heard back from him. We trekked 5 miles — There were at least five Free State Project participants in the room. Grafton had bears because New Hampshire has bears. /mmscp5/the_free_ at Other bear attacks have happened in NH in recent years, there are many places where there is no municipal garbage collection, etc. Each event is designed to build community and showcase the unique beauty and offerings of New Hampshire. Voters also resoundingly rejected a proposed wind farm in town. What is Granite State Progress doing? May 17, 2022 · Free Staters oppose most taxation. The Free State Project even threatens to secede from the rest of the country once it meets its initial goals. Jul 15, 2022 · Free Staters have, according to New Hampshire Public Radio, “led the charge in creating lower-fee nano-brewery laws, repealed the state’s knife codes, and passed a bill that grants immunity to Feb 1, 2023 · Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of New Hampshire follows a libertarian political migration known as the Free State Project. BILLIONAIRES PAY FREE STATERS TO MOVE TO NH. And to top it off Grafton just elected a free stater to the state house last year. And, if Grafton is any indication, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Once there, I will exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of government is the protection of individuals’ rights to life, liberty, and property. Our participants include natives and newcomers to New Hampshire The Free State Project is a movement of thousands of freedom-loving people to New Hampshire. [1] [2] The Free State Project is not a political party but a nonprofit organization. NH HB1634 | 2024 sponsored by free-stater Alicia Lekas would remove any income cap from the EFA program. Craig Benson. " Town of Grafton, New Hampshire Office of the Select Board Minutes of August 6, 2024 Present: Leif Hogue, Chair; Steve Darrow, Ed Grinley, Sandi Pierson (recording minutes) Sponsor: GRAFTON WELCOME WAGON - This vid first produced in early 2009. May 11, 2016 · Grafton, N. Jul 30, 2012 · As someone who recently moved to Manchester, New Hampshire and knows a hundred or so Free Staters personally (including the current President of the organization) I'd like to offer a little clarification. Hull signed the early mover pledge, which was aimed at getting 1,000 Free Staters to move to New Hampshire early to establish a network for other Free Staters to follow in later years. Sponsored Town of Grafton PO Box 299, Grafton, NH 03240 Ph: (603) 523-7700 Fax: (603) 523-4026 Directory Website Disclaimer Government Websites by CivicPlus® Login Sep 9, 2012 · But that hippie Burning Man thing sure was cool amirite? Anyway, as the video shows some people trying and failing miserably to figure out how to make and use a Slip N’Slide, the speaker then goes into talking about the lovely Free Stater utopia called Grafton. When Graftonites sought help from New Hampshire Fish and Game officials, they received little more than reminders that killing bears without a license is illegal So the obvious solution was illegal and forbidden by the State That seems to put an odd kink in the whole structure of the article. Free Staters say Grafton should withdraw from the school district, cut the $1 million budget by 30 percent over three years, and carve Grafton out as a "U. Despite several promising efforts, a robust Randian private sector failed to emerge to The Free State Project is a mass migration of more than 20,000 people who have pledged to move to New Hampshire for liberty. To date, somewhere between 7,000 and 9,000 Free Staters have moved to New Hampshire. Sep 21, 2025 · Liberty lovers from Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York joined NH Free Staters today for the 1st annual Granite Freedom Trek. Dec 10, 2020 · The experiment was called the “Free Town Project” (it later became the “Free State Project”), and the goal was simple: take over Grafton’s local government and turn it into a libertarian Oct 13, 2020 · This is the so-called Free Town Project, a venture wherein a group of libertarian activists attempted to take over a tiny New Hampshire town, Grafton, and transform it into a haven for libertarian Jun 30, 2025 · Last night on June 29th, the Hillsborough County Democrats hosted a webinar where former State Senator Jeanne Dietsch spoke about the Free Staters and Liberty Alliance members who have infiltrated New Hampshire’s government. For Granite Staters and all things New Hampshire There has not been a single attempt that I know of to lower the age of consent in new hampshire, by Free staters or anybody else, but thanks for being the liar we all expect bootlickers to be. Dec 4, 2020 · A new book by Longtime Upper Valley reporter Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling examines the story of the Free Town Project in Grafton, NH. [3] Participants of the FSP signed a Jul 3, 2014 · There are around 1,500 Free Staters in New Hampshire now, and most of them congregate every year at the Porcupine Freedom Festival, a weeklong party where just about anything goes. When freedom-focused libertarians across the US—from as far as California to as near as Massachusetts—descended on Grafton, state and federal laws became meek suggestions. Sponsor: http://NHLiberty. to urge more libertarians to move here. May 12, 2022 · In 2004 a group of libertarians founded the Free Town Project, a movement to take over a town and turn it into a libertarian utopia. [1][2] The New Hampshire Union Leader reports that the Free State Project is not a political party, but a nonprofit As for some of the recent changes in NH, I think everyone here is well aware of some of them. The real problem is what is left behind. Mar 9, 2014 · How did Grafton come to this? About 15 years ago, a prominent Libertarian hatched the idea of moving Libertarians to New Hampshire, with the hope of having a big impact in a small state. Valley News reported voters rejected drastic budget cuts and a tax cap proposal. We trekked 5 miles — climbing Mt. Mar 23, 2022 · While not all free staters are pro-secession, Gericke sees an independent New Hampshire as a viable and desirable goal. org - I'm sure however there were other folks involved besides just Free Staters. Free Stat Sponsor: http://LibertyBooksNH. 67 votes, 66 comments. e. Dec 1, 2004 · The Free Staters I visited in New Hampshire assure me that if and when the exodus begins, the traveling Porcupines will find many great things already awaiting them. The group selected New Hampshire in 2003 at the urging of then-Gov. The small town of Grafton, just up the road from Croydon, has cut spending in the town dramatically (read Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling’s A Libertarian Walks Into A He is a local investigative journalist who temporarily relocated to Grafton, NH and built relationships with the free-staters to get a holistic view of the movement in the town of Grafton. Based on NH Liberty Alliance's candidate endorsements, 72% of House Republicans are aligned with Free Staters or their Libertarian allies - with 25 Free Staters in elected office at the State House right now. We applaud Amanda Boudin, Manchester a self identified Free Stater (who ran deceptively as a Democrat) who is part of an extremist Libertarian group that is attempting to colonize New Hampshire. Free Staters are neighborly, productive folks from all walks of life, of all ages, creeds, and colors, who are on a mission May 10, 2025 · The Free State Project is a political migration movement founded in 2001 to recruit 20,000 libertarians to move to a low-population state to become a stronghold of libertarian ideas. No cable box or long-term contract required. Once a small town in New Hampshire populated by cranky old dairy farmers, now home to what appears to be people who like to chop Mar 14, 2013 · The Free Staters no doubt are running for the proverbial Tylenol as they suffer their after-party hangover. Cardigan — just to BILLIONAIRES PAY FREE STATERS TO MOVE TO NH. Libertarian is not a recognized party in New Hampshire, so many of these Free Staters ran as candidates in the mainstream parties. John Sellers, D10 (Bristol - In September 2023 Free Stater Jason Gerhard [R, Merrimack-25] submitted a bill request to terminate all NH laws. , either leasing or privatizing the ski area. “That is the million-dollar question,” says Carla Gericke. If you want to commission an ad like Ryan HuffBoard Memberships Dec 25, 2024 · There’s a bit of a parlor game in parts of New Hampshire focused on outing Free Staters. The vast We reimagined cable. “If it was an independent country, it would be four times the size of Iceland by population,” Gericke said. Cancel anytime. “This year’s meeting should be even more interesting,” brags Free libertarian in an Join the Free State Project! I hereby state my solemn intent to move to New Hampshire with the Free State Project. A number of Free Staters are involved with the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA), a non-partisan coalition working to increase personal freedom through education, political action, and charity. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Town of Grafton PO Box 299, Grafton, NH 03240 Ph: (603) 523-7700 Fax: (603) 523-4026 Directory Website Disclaimer Government Websites by CivicPlus® Login Jan 31, 2015 · The town of Grafton is ground zero in the Free Stater effort to move in and dismantle government. Disclosure: Most Ridley Report advertisers are liberty activists and so is Ridley. Twenty years ago, one man penned a manifesto encouraging 20,000 libertarians to sign a pledge and move to the Granite State for more freedom. H. Then the bears came. Also known as "Porcupines," Free Staters move to Jan 14, 2016 · GRAFTON — The man who died in a fire at the Peaceful Assembly Church was identified Wednesday by state investigators as the pastor of the church, John Connell — hailed by the website freekeene The Free State Project (FSP) is an American political migration movement founded in 2001 to recruit at least 20,000 libertarians to move to a single low-population state (New Hampshire was selected in 2003) in order to make the state a stronghold for libertarian ideas. While things don’t go well in Grafton over ideology, there is a larger point here. 6 "The Free State Party has completely taken over the Republican Party in NH", r/newhampshire, Reddit, 2021. The Free State Project/Liberty Alliance are hosting a forum at the Grappone Center in Concord Fri & Sat. * Live TV from 100+ channels. Now “The Free State Project” is shaking up politics and communities in New Hampshire and growing in strength… Feb 1, 2016 · Organizers admit they don’t know how many would-be Free Staters will actually come to New Hampshire. 19 free staters elected to the New Hampshire House. The group’s antics during last year’s town meeting — which began with an argument over the “Rules of Decorum” that prohibited cursing, name calling and personal attacks — made national headlines. How would you think they could better bring about their freer society than through town hall meetings? The Liberty Alliance goals are to: decrease state funding for public education, increasing property taxes defund public libraries, nursing homes, and recreation centers end local control of town regulations and district budgets An Example of an Extreme Free-Stater Legislator in Grafton County is Representative John Sellers, Representing Bristol and Bridgewater Rep. And already, Free Staters have had an Feb 20, 2023 · Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of New Hampshire follows a libertarian political migration known as the Free State Project. Tunnel Rd update – Geoff stated that it is complete Paving –waiting on a quote to get Pine Grove paved. O’Reilly was surprised by how quickly Free Staters started pushing their agenda. Try it free. The NBC documentary on the Free State Project has a bear expert from New Hampshire who confirmed that Grafton never really had a bear problem. May 18, 2025 · According to the blurb for the “digital dialogue,” 7,000 of the Free Staters who moved here remain in New Hampshire, far short of the 28,000 or 2 percent Sorens touted would be needed to affect change and turn the state libertarian. The Grafton County Democrats have been hard at work to find a Mar 9, 2014 · About 15 years ago, a prominent Libertarian hatched the idea of moving Libertarians to New Hampshire, with the hope of having a big impact in a small state. Mar 12, 2015 · Not far from Bardo Farm, in rural northern New Hampshire, the small town of Grafton has become a haven for Free Staters, to the consternation of local residents frustrated by the libertarian zeal He then combines these bear yarns with stories of the Free Staters of Grafton, NH, which seem to be a splinter group from the main Free State Project types to begin with – at the time of this writing the weekend after Easter 2020, I’ve reached out to my one remaining contact from the FSP from those days but have yet heard back from him. Sponsored Mar 13, 2013 · Grafton – Attempts by Free Staters and their allies to cut spending in Grafton failed yesterday, as voters rejected a budget that had been drastically slashed at last month’s deliberative session and approved other spending articles. After some research, the Free Towners decided that Grafton, New Hampshire, a town with a history of resistance to taxation that goes back to the American Revolution, seemed like the perfect place for their experiment. Whatever the outcome, more Free Staters are coming to New Hampshire. Mar 9, 2014 · Grafton holds elections this week. Winter sand –there is $25000 left for sand or gravel. Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling’s book, A Libertarian Walks into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (And Some Bears), provides a very readable description of a predecessor experiment called the “Free Town Movement” that failed. It's made some residents angry. Enter investigative reporter Matthew Hongoltz Information about Grafton, a town in New Hampshire. The NH Freedom blog has the full story, “Have Keene Free Staters finally started to free Keene?”. Voters in Grafton sent a clear message to the Free Staters that their anti-government ana… The libertarians in Grafton are a small minority of the Free Staters. . The Highway budget is 50% spent. Unfortunately, our participation in politics, while better than ever, is still low. They authorized additional spending to buy a new police vehicle and tow truck, pave roads and make improvements to the town’s fire and ambulance building. Sep 4, 2012 · Free Staters' Impact on the New Hampshire Primary: A Statistical Analysis - Liberty in Our Lifetime 500 Ron Paul supporters have moved to Grafton, Wentworth and Richmond in a period of two years. They showed up from all over the place (seems like a lot from the midwest), tried to take over local and state government, didn't really succeed, and now many of them have left, usually moving to more conservative parts of the country with nicer weather. Dec 31, 2024 · You are hereby notified to meet at the Grafton Fire/Ambulance Station, Grafton, New Hampshire, on Saturday the 8th of February, 2025, at 10:00 AM for the first session of the Annual Town Meeting to discuss, debate, and amend the town budget and all warrant articles listed below, except Article #1 (election of officers). Dec 19, 2020 · VOX • December 10, 2020 In the mid-2000s, in a small New Hampshire town called Grafton, there was a strange social experiment called the “Free Town Project” and the goal was simple: take over Grafton’s local government and turn it into a libertarian utopia. Jul 26, 2025 · Celebrate the arrival of autumn in New Hampshire with Free State Fall Fest 2025. Geoff comes in early to do paperwork. And with the Mar 9, 2014 · Free Staters say Grafton should withdraw from the school district, cut the $1 million budget by 30 percent over three years, and carve Grafton out as a "U. Sep 6, 2022 · The Free Staters on the Belknap Delegation subverted others with conservative leanings on the all-GOP delegation to follow their lead in slashing the County nursing home budget and stacking the Gunstock Area Commission with fellow travelers sympathetic to their agenda, i. [1][2] The New Hampshire Union Leader reports that the Free State Project is not a political party but a nonprofit e was because they came in early to w on Grafton Pond. [26] Grafton, New Hampshire is the freest town in the Free State, where the highest proportion of freestaters and other liberty folk have made the move. In 2004, they set their sights on Grafton, NH, a barely populated settlement with one paved road. Dec 23, 2020 · Contrary to the libertarians’ expectations, however, real life in the Free Town seemed to be almost the reverse of Rand’s fictional vision – by 2011, while the rest of America was chugging along unperturbed, the holes in Grafton’s public services gaped stubbornly, creating a spreading malaise. By concentrating our numbers in a single state, we are maximizing our impact as activists, entrepreneurs, community builders, and thought leaders. The question of this post applies more to the town project itself than the main focus of the "bear problem" of the linked article. com - Quick look at the "Grafton Gazette," a new paper put out by New Hampshire Free Staters. Liberty lovers from Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York joined NH Free Staters today for the 1st annual Granite Freedom Trek. Sep 14, 2022 · The Free State Project works to flood New Hampshire with like-minded libertarians to establish a haven of limited government. They called it the Free State Project, and a handful of Free Staters settled in Grafton. The “Free Town Project” (it later became the “Free State Project”), was a venture wherein a group of libertarian activists attempted to take the tiny New Hampshire town, Grafton, and transform it into a haven for libertarian ideals—part social experiment, part beacon to the faithful. The Free State Project is building the world’s most effective movement for liberty by concentrating liberty-minded people in New Hampshire, the “Live Free or Die” state. N. Oct 21, 2020 · Both the Grafton project and the book itself peter out to their endings when the Free State Project pulls the “trigger” on the libertarian plan to host a statewide takeover of New Hampshire. All in the pursuit of creating a tax-free utopia in its hinterlands, a place with no gods or kings, only bears. Free Staters are neighborly, productive folks from all walks of life, of all ages, creeds, and colors. " The linking of the article is more a jumping-off point of reference regarding the Free Town Project in Grafton, NH. Oct 18, 2020 · The sleepy town of Grafton, smack dab in the middle of the Live Free or Die state, has been overrun not once but twice. Sep 20, 2022 · Hundreds of like-minded libertarians flocked to the tiny town of Grafton, New Hampshire in hopes of building a society that valued personal freedom above all else. Sponsor: http://FreeKeene. The $825,956 budget lost, with 270 voting against to 256 in favor, forcing Grafton to move Mar 1, 2021 · In 2004, they set their sights on Grafton, NH, a flyspeck town with only one paved road, buried in the woods of New Hampshire’s western fringe. May 17, 2025 · The push to decide zoning and land use at the state level and tell towns too bad for all that work you did, has snared more than the Free Staters and libertarians in the New Hampshire legislature, it has also been touted by the majority of Democrats in the legislature in the guise of affordable housing. pmr bxdy xjueev kksa mfoag xfwrr mukuj tayrtd qrfm xzeojkb ezc lyfckr nfqqzpj hrlsi mrh