These 10 Smells Remind People of New Hampshire

Whether you were born and raised in the Granite State or you have taken tons of family vacations in the Lakes Region or White Mountains, there are certain smells that just scream "New Hampshire". From the tang of ocean salt carried on a Portsmouth breeze to the earthy pine of the North Country, these aromas tell a story all their own.

Why do some smells feel nostalgic?

• Scent memory is deep-rooted. Since olfaction (that is the fancy, scientific term for the sense of smell) connects so directly to emotional memory, a smell can bring back a vivid, emotionally-charged memory—even from childhood.

• We don’t smell things analytically. Unlike sights or sounds, smells hit us in the feels before we even identify them.

• Fewer words, more feeling. People often struggle to describe smells accurately, which gives them a kind of mysterious power over our memory.

What is an example of this?

Smelling freshly baked bread might instantly remind you of your grandmother’s kitchen, even if you haven’t thought about it in years. Your brain tied that smell to a specific time, place, and emotion, and now it’s acting like a time machine.

Since nature is kind of our thing in New Hampshire, most smells that people identify with our state can be found in our great outdoors. We take great pride in our seaside towns and our mountains majesty and really wouldn't have it any other way!

Let's see what smells people associate most often with the state of New Hampshire: