New Hampshire is a small state in the Northeast United States. If you haven't heard of it, no, it is not just part of the state of New England. New England is not a state, it is a region. It's made up of six individual states, New Hampshire being one of them. New Hampshire is a little place known for the beautiful scenery and small town feels. Here are some important aspects of New Hampshire you should know about.

1. Mt. Washington

New Hampshire is the home of the most notorious mountain in the East. It's famous for the drastic weather changes. It could be snowing in summer on the summit. Winds have reached up to 200 miles per hour at the summit. There is a permanent observatory on the summit that is more often covered in snow than anything else. It's a popular tourist site as well. Many people come to New Hampshire to either climb the mountain, drive up it, or take the train up it. Because of this, there's a hotel in honor of the mountain.

2. Leaf Peeping

Leaf peeping is when you go to look at and take pictures of the leaves changing colors in the fall. If you don't know what it is, you're missing out. One of the most disappointing parts of being away at college is missing leaf peeping season. People travel all the way to New Hampshire to see the leaves there because there are so many forests. The scenic routes in New Hampshire give you a close up look at all the leaves changing colors. The leaves change colors constantly throughout the fall season, and it's truly amazing to watch.

3. Small Towns

One very important aspect about New Hampshire that most people know about is the small towns. The largest city in New Hampshire is Manchester, hosting an estimated 110,000 people. Compared to other states, this isn't that large. I personally come from a town that has just under 3,000 people. New Hampshire is filled with small towns that most tourists would find cute, but boring. Yes, they can get boring at times, but they also hold the greatest riches. You can find little shops that are locally owned and will sell things you'd never find in big cities. These towns are, more often than not, filled with rich history as well. Don't mock small towns until you spend a larger amount of time in them.

4. Lakes Region

New Hampshire has a unique area called the Lakes Region that consists of six large lakes. These lakes are rampant with houses owned by out-of-staters who vacation in New Hampshire when they can. The lakes are large enough that hundreds of boats could be out at the same time. There will be people wakeboarding, water skiing, or tubing almost every day. But the Lakes Region isn't the only place with lakes in New Hampshire. There are many other smaller lakes that you can take a quiet vacation or day trip to.

5. Portsmouth

Portsmouth is a huge tourist destination in New Hampshire. Right by the water, it is the typical waterfront city. It has little shops, restaurants, and activities year round. It houses the Strawbery Banke Museum, which is an outdoor museum celebrating the history behind colonial Portsmouth. Most New Hampshire schools will take field trips here at least once, and it's an amazing spot. Portsmouth has a lot to offer in the summer (yoga in the park and garden tours) and the winter (plays and Christmas parade). You'll always find something to do in Portsmouth.

6. Proximity

If you're not satisfied with what New Hampshire has to offer, it's in the heart of New England, and it's easy to get anywhere else. It's about an hour from Concord to Boston or the Maine beaches. It's around five hours to New York City or Quebec. There are easy day trips that you can make anywhere from New Hampshire that only add to what New Hampshire has to offer.

I hope that I have opened your eyes to all that New Hampshire has to offer. It is not just a small state filled with rednecks or rich kids (as some people would like to believe). New Hampshire has a distinct feel to it and a way of life that keeps people from moving away. Visit New Hampshire to see all that it has to offer.