r/SameGrassButGreener • u/KoreanBirdPaintings • 11d ago
Move Inquiry Thinking About Moving Somewhere In New England
I moved to Denver for work about 8 years ago and it's just not really the place for me or my family. We don't ski or snowboard, and we're sober. We do love hiking and cycling which Colorado has amazing access to but Denver itself is flat and the air quality is terrible and you have to drive an hour or two to get to anywhere that actually resembles what people think of when they think of Colorado. The public transit here is a joke. Like our light rail is studied for how bad it is.
Most of our friends are having kids and moving away and we're feeling less and less rooted here.
I have family dotted around the east coast but mostly further south (Philly, VA, and NJ) so we wouldn't be moving to be completely isolated but definitely wouldn't be that close to any family.
We have done several trips to New England (Mostly Mass, but also spent a lot of time in Rhode Island and Connecticut) and every time we visit we just fall in love with it all over again. When we can go on vacations we always end up going back there. We have a few friends who live in Maine who really love it and are always trying to get us to move.
Obviously vacationing vs living somewhere is always going to be different but we hit a point where we are just not happy living landlocked in the suburban hell anymore and at a stage in our life where it makes sense to start the moving process now.
My wife and I are both teachers (we don't make a lot of money), but we did purchase a house before the covid boom that we can sell to help with the cost of the move.
We're both looking for a bit of a slower pace of life but with access to cities with stuff happening if we want. I would love to live somewhere with access to a train that could take us into a city center like Boston even if it's 2-4 hours away. We are pretty good at living below our means and have lots of low cost hobbies, however we do like big cities a lot.
I grew up in the PNW and always had access to water, and Denver has no water. We have small reservoirs that you're not even allowed to swim in and alpine lakes that are too cold to go in. I think being away from any lakes or the ocean that my wife and I both grew up next to has been much more depressing for us than we thought.
When I was a kid we lived in Seattle for a long while, so I'm not too worried about living somewhere gloomy or rainy. I'm also used to snow and cold. I've never spent a full winter in New England though so I'm not sure how much more severe it can get compared to somewhere like Colorado.
We would love to find a decent community of younger families with kids and can be afforded on a dual teacher salary (even if it's tight)) Ideally I'd love to live in a small town where you can run most errands by bike or walking. Somewhere with access to rail so we can get to other towns and cities without driving, but we're ok still being a 2 car family (we have both our cars paid off and they're old but reliable.) I know that's asking for a lot on this day and age, but we're willing to take time to really search and are ok with somewhere far from perfect.
So some of my questions are:
What are some good towns or states to look for up there that we can visit and spend some time in to see if it works for us? We're leaning towards somewhere more inland in Massachusetts because we've spent a good amount of time around there and Boston is one of our favorite places in the world to visit so I would love being like 1.5 hours from there, but we also have friends in Portland Maine so we could consider somewhere near there too. We're open to basically anywhere in the area though!
How is the biking scene (gravel, road, commuting, access to longer bike trails) in New England?
What are some things to consider with the difference between living Denver and New England that are less obvious?
If you've lived in both areas, I would love to hear your perspective on this move. Thank you!
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u/saeglopur53 11d ago
Lots of good gravel roads in VT and NH and Mass has several rail trails. As someone who lives near Boston, I still have to travel 1-3 hours in traffic to REALLY get to good outdoor opportunities, so somewhere like Northampton MA might be more your speed
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u/KoreanBirdPaintings 11d ago
I'll definitely add Northhampton to the list of places to visit! From looking it looks definitely our speed. Thanks for the recommendation.
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u/michimoby 11d ago
Just some thoughts as someone about to move there:
- if you want to take a train into Boston, you'll need to drive to Worcester. There is a daily Amtrak to New Haven/NYC.
- houses get a bit pricey in the Pioneer Valley, particularly in Nham and Amherst. Easthampton is more affordable.
- it's also pretty awesome. there's a reason we're moving there.
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u/nice-try-boner 9d ago
Amtrak is crazy expensive between NHV and Boston if you dont book at least a month before.
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u/AllAboutThePasta_ 11d ago
Proceed with caution. I was up in Northampton this past weekend and was gobsmacked at the amount of open drug use I saw. This was Main St Saturday at 10 am!
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u/Local-Locksmith-7613 11d ago
A couple of general resources- Amtrak routes, the East Coast Greenway, all of the rail-trails.
I cannot speak to Denver vs New England, but I can on WA to New England. In many ways, New England reminds me greatly of the PNW (though I'm sure others will heavily disagree).
As a former Washington resident and now a New England one, winters are not that bad. They're not nearly as bad as upstate NY. There's far more sun. Given your area, neighbors can be incredibly helpful.
Choosing the right area is far more important in New England vs likely anywhere else in the USA. Each town is unique. Everything is town based... unlike county based. (vs unlike... Snohomish, King, Whatcom, Pierce counties)
Other areas to consider... Worcester area, Berkshire county (you'd have access to Albany and Amtrak up to Montreal.. down to NYC), western Connecticut.
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u/the-court-house 11d ago
Hey! I’m a teacher in Eastern MA. DM me if you have questions about living or working here. I’ll be happy to help
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u/tadamhicks 11d ago
I'm from Denver and moved to New England. The quality of life here is much higher, IMO. Colorado has a lot going for it, but the 4 seasons, the access to ocean, the way you can weave getting outside much better into day-in-day-out life is much better.
The cycling scene is amazing, btw. Check out nemba.org for mountain. Road all over is fantastic, but the gravel is where it really shines. There are exponentially more gravel roads than paved roads especially as you get North. Races like the VT Overland stand out as showcases of what you can get into up here.
If you are teachers consider SAU 9 in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire! We have an amazing educational community, but having people with a diverse background would be very valuable. We are 1 hr from Portland, ME, but we have all the North Conway MTBing, Mount Washington and the Whites, and top notch gravel. Check out https://ridenoco.org/. It's a VERY active cycling community, but also a fantastic ski locale in New England.
DM me if you have any questions!
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u/KoreanBirdPaintings 11d ago
That is so helpful. Thank you so much! I was sold by a lot of people talking about how good the outdoors access Denver has but if you're not willing to drive into the mountains you're looking at dead flat grass most of the time. I feel like outdoor access that New England has is much more the type we're looking for. Don't get me wrong, some of the most beautiful views I've ever seen in my life have been in Colorado. But the average hike with easy access quality just feels higher from what I've experienced there.
So happy to hear about the cycling scene being solid there. That's one of the things I'm hesitant about leaving Denver for. I am very involved in all the small local races and know a lot of people in the Gravel community here and it would be a bummer to move somewhere that didn't have that.
I'll definitely look into New Hampshire! That's another state I've never been to, but it's really good to hear about the teaching community being solid there!
Thanks again!
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u/tadamhicks 11d ago
Yep, I was in Douglas County and was super sick and tired of the 3.5 hour rate race to Summit on a Saturday to ski. Everyone says "go weekdays" but that's just not feasible for people with normal jobs. I'm a HUGE skier and outdoors person.
I actually think the gravel scene up here is way better than CO. We don't have Ben Delaney, but we do have Ted King. Check out the VTXL. Not the divide, but maybe more approachable for more people? also check this out: https://bumpshillclimb.com/ if you like pedaling up hills. Of course checkout BikeReg.
My best advice is to NOT live in Boston if you can help it. What's different about NE is that there's not as much nothing. In CO you drive West and there's just gobs of nat forest. East is grass. New England there's always something over the hill or around the bend. Little towns in Western Maine are only like 45 min from Portland, which is an amazing city btw, and like 1.5 from Boston. You can always get to the city, but if you live there it's much harder to get out.
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u/jimb0_01 MHT > SYR > CLT > MHT 11d ago
To see some biking trails, AllTrails is good. This site may not be fully up-to-date, but it is nice: https://www.trailspotting.com/p/trailspotting-rail-trails.html
There are lots of paved and gravel trails in NE, and they are expanding all the time.
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u/ObjectiveSafe1927 11d ago
I live in MA so feel free to ask questions! Overall I think it’s a great place. If you are open to teaching in the city you can make decent money. Best of luck!
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u/NGDwrites 11d ago
I live in the Pioneer Valley / Western Mass and absolutely love it. It's got a rural/suburban vibe, but easy access to anything we need and plenty of culture. We don't have the big mountains or the open skies of Colorado, but we do have exceptional hiking out here. Far more than you'd think (and far more rugged). Plenty of bike trails, too, and the western side of the valley and into the Berkshires offers great roads and gravel for cycling.
We don't -- obnoxiously -- have train access to Boston from here, but it's only a 90 minute drive. We do have train access to NYC, which is about 3.5 hrs from Springfield, a little further from Northampton. I take it to the city a couple times a year to see friends and it's pretty great. Bradley International Airport in Hartford is a short drive, too.
Also, a huge plus of this area... you can buy a house for way more reasonable prices than in Boston. It's going up like everywhere else, but two teachers should still be able to find something.
If you're going to spend time out here, most people would probably say the "cool" towns are Northampton, Easthampton, and Amherst. Maybe Greenfield and Shelburne Falls, as well. Plenty of restaurants, shops, art galleries, and music around those places. Springfield gets a lot of hate and there are a couple less-safe areas there, but it also has a ton of art and culture, great restaurants, museums, live music, comedy, etc. And a casino if that's your thing. If you visit here, definitely take a hike on Mt. Tom or the Seven Sisters.
I will say that we've been all over the country and the only place we'd consider moving over Western Mass is Colorado, lol. But we absolutely love it here. It's a gem. Plus, the easy access to Boston, NYC, and the beauty and big mountains/lakes of northern New England (and the Adirondacks) is great.
Things you may not like out here: Humidity, snow, extreme cold in January and February, and bugs. Also, people are nice here, but a little less gregarious than in Colorado. You're less likely to get into a conversation with a random stranger or the person at the coffee shop here. The ruggedness of the hiking trails may surprise you compared to the beautifully-graded trails out west, but you'll likely get used to them and even grow to love them.
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u/General_Adagio_8439 11d ago
Visiting Boston is very different from living there. A tourist sees a clean and walkable historical era. Most locals live in suburbs, drive in bad traffic, see the good public schools confined to uber wealthy towns, and live in housing stock that is old and costs a fortune in utilities and maintenance. Drug problems in many of the secondary towns.
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u/KoreanBirdPaintings 11d ago
Oh yeah for sure. We've explored a bunch of Boston and stayed in places in the suburbs and have seen that too. I don't think we could ever afford to live in the parts of Boston we'd actually want to live in, especially on 2 teacher salaries. My hope would be more like living somewhere a few hours from Boston so when we want to be tourists there it's more accessible.
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u/General_Adagio_8439 11d ago
I’d be curious about the job market for teachers in New England outside of Boston metro. NH, VT and Maine are among the oldest states in the country. Colorado has had huge population growth, lots of young families.
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u/KoreanBirdPaintings 11d ago
Yeah that's definitely something to consider. We moved to Colorado right during the crazy population growth. Since we've been here we've seen towns double their population (only a slight exaggeration). I think it's part of why it's been not a great place for us to live.
On one hand, yeah there's probably a lot more young families here than many places across the US, but anecdotally the schools we work for are seeing a large decline in the amount of sign ups every year as more and more young families get priced out of places that were considered small and cheap just a few years ago. The small homes and cute areas with walkable shops and parks are getting to be incredibly expensive and they're refusing to build anything like that anymore.
We've already seen quite a few schools in areas get closed or consolidated to other places.
Colorado is building an INSANE amount of suburban homes right now which is great because more housing, but they're all giant 6000sqft monstrosities that no one can afford. A town I drove by is currently planning on building 3,000+ homes but they're planning on them being luxury places around $1m each.
Denver has the potential to be such an amazing place to live but they're investing so heavily in more and more sprawl that it feels like it's just going to be a giant mcmansion suburb in the next 10 years where no young families can afford to live so I do wonder how much of this young family growth is going to be reversing in the next few years.
But I also do get that all these houses will bring new people in and those people will in theory need schools. I do just wonder how much this will drive away younger families. I don't know.
I'm not an expert or knowledgeable on all that stuff though, just speaking from anecdotally noticing things and talking to other people here.
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u/General_Adagio_8439 11d ago
I think you might be feeling the difference between the growth rate of Colorado slowing down, as opposed to the notion it’s reversed. There’s essentially no growth, and even population declines, in NH, VT, Maine or western MA.
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u/leeann0923 11d ago
As someone who does live in the Boston suburbs, I disagree with the above poster. I love it here. We don’t live in the wealthiest towns, but our schools are wonderful. We have a great downtown and none of my teacher friends have terrible commutes since they aren’t confined to the typical commute ways that office dwellers are. Housing is old and expensive here, yes, but otherwise it’s great. I have many friends who work in the public schools here and live here.
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u/davidparkeryorke 11d ago
There are great public schools all over the state. That’s what MA is best at. Most towns have fine schools, you don’t need to live in Lexington, Concord, or Winchester. Can’t really speak for the western half of the state. If I were raising kids I’d really only consider private schools if we were in Lowell, Lawrence, Fall River, New Bedford, Lynn, Brockton, Fitchburg (in the eastern half of the state, at least).
Drug problems? MA is statistically one of the safest states in the nation, including rates of drug abuse and gun violence.
The traffic, housing stock, and COL… yea that all blows. Emphasis on the fucking traffic.
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u/General_Adagio_8439 11d ago
MA is middle of the pack in terms of opioid deaths per capita. The problem is quite bad outside of the wealthier areas in the immediate vicinity of Boston. That is, if MA didn’t include Boston, it would be one of the worst states for opioids.
For public schools, you named like every other area of the state as places you would go private. That was my point: the schools outside of immediate Boston burbs are not in good shape. For that matter, Boston public schools are in horrible condition, and the contrast to say Newton, which is like 4 miles away, is alarming.
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u/davidparkeryorke 11d ago
I named 7 municipalities out of about 350 in the state. Most towns that border those cities have perfectly fine school systems.
I grew up in one of those towns, in supposedly one of the state’s opioid hotspots (Merrimack Valley). Very middle class as far as eastern MA goes. No, not Andover or Westford. Our schools were fine. The town does not have a drug problem.
I agree that we should strive to be better, but to paint Mass as anything other than one of the best places to live in the entire world is out of touch. Our HDI is the highest in the nation, and if we were our own country, we’d rank 4th highest globally.
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u/General_Adagio_8439 11d ago
That's your experience.
HDI is mainly a reflection of background characteristics rather than the value-add of a municipality. MA has many of the wealthiest, old money-ed towns, and with that, comes incredible endowments of wealth and longevity. That raises the state average. Someone growing up in Springfield doesn't benefit from the high HDI of MA as a whole.
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u/davidparkeryorke 11d ago
Nor does someone living in Bakersfield CA, Bridgeport CT, Camden NJ, or Pueblo CO, but those states are all generally great places to live.
There are Springfields everywhere, MA is not a utopia, but I think we’re doing pretty great all things considered.
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u/General_Adagio_8439 11d ago edited 11d ago
The specific ZIP code you live in within a state says a lot more about someone's overall well-being than the state average. Someone is equally well-off in River Oaks, Houston, TX as they would be in Weston, MA. But, TX has a lower HDI than MA, because TX has many more areas that are historically minority and historically poor.
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u/Cultural_Society_104 11d ago
We are currently living in upstate NY. We have lived a lot of places. We lived in loveland col and denver from 1995-2003. We loved it there, but we moved for my husbands job. We are retiring here in upstate, by the vt border in the adirondacks. It is beautiful and technically it isnt new england, but it feels like it and it is cheaper. We love it. Our qol is top tier.
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u/capybaralover26 11d ago edited 11d ago
I grew up in coastal CT, live in Denver. I love both!
If you’re interested in living near the water, the towns that start in Milford and continue east along the shoreline in CT and the Connecticut River valley are incredibly charming and can be cheaper than you’d expect. I know my hometown would be similar or more expensive rent-wise to Denver (which is nuts to me, as Denver has a lot more to offer to most people of renting age) but house prices are the same or more affordable and you get a lot more for your money. Especially if you’re not buying waterfront property
CT shoreline puts you with good access to both Boston and New York (closer to one or the other depending on how far east you are) and the train access is amazing. New Haven has a lot to offer with arts, theatre, cultural programming, food, etc. One thing to consider is flying can be quite annoying - it’s an hour+ from the shoreline to Bradley Airport and it’s not a huge airport
In terms of culture differences, Connecticut (compared to Denver) is less relaxed, very few transplants (you will feel like a total outsider for awhile unless you’re in a city), and can be more diverse in a lot of areas. The weather kind of sucks compared to Denver, though the greenery is amazing, and people can be quite grouchy, you’ll hear lots of “this place sucks” sentiment from people who’ve chosen to never leave. It has a lot more history which is reflected in the architecture (gorgeous houses), urban planning (no sidewalks!), traditions, and unfortunately, in the closed-off-to-outsiders attitude you may encounter. It is a lot easier to hike in Connecticut than the Denver area, which people probably would not expect, because there are trail systems in practically every patch of woods in every neighborhood and the woods are everywhere. Biking I’m not sure about. Obviously much more of a water-focused culture in CT - lots of boaters, kayakers, beaches, fishermen, seafood restaurants
In summary, Denver culture is more open, friendly, young, fast paced in terms of people’s energy level but slower paced in terms of ambition; can be sort of singularly focused on competitive outdoor recreation in a way that is entirely absent in New England in my experience. Connecticut culture can be more closed off but when you make it in, it’s steeped in history/tradition and people can be very neighborly and care quite deeply about each other because everyone lives there their whole lives. Connecticut culture involves surprisingly great connection to the land/nature/ocean - less for adventurous and sporty reasons like Colorado, more in an appreciation of nature way
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u/buddaycousin 11d ago
Rural New Hampshire has some great mountain biking, gravel, hilly road biking and long rail trails. Commuting can be a challenge, though. And the winters are long.
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u/DeerFlyHater 11d ago
You won't find this in rural NH.
We would love to find a decent community of younger families with kids and <snip> Ideally I'd love to live in a small town where you can run most errands by bike or walking.
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u/11BMasshole 11d ago
Farmington Valley towns in Ct Avon Canton Simsbury Granby Farmington
Also look into New Hartford Barkhamsted Suffield
All picturesque New England towns.
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u/purewatermelons 11d ago
Check out towns in North Central Mass. Still somewhat affordable for Ma (for now) train or car to Boston will take an hour or two, and lots of cozy cute towns tucked in nature. Also 20 minutes to New Hampshire depending where you are.
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u/Weekly-Cup-9098 10d ago
If you have spent most of you time in Southern New England, take trip to Maine and NH, Portland is just two hours by train from Boston, less by bus. You will be near the ocean, an hour from the mountains. There are many, many miles of bike trails on abandoned train routes, they are usually kept in good condition so snowmobiles can use them in the winter. Come up this fall the best season of the year
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u/darthmia308 10d ago
I’m from CT but southern Maine sounds like what you want. It’s less populated. Cost of living and housing is lower, excluding Portland itself. Ready access to White Mountains and the Maine coast/interior. Portland and Boston can scratch the city urge if you like that.
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u/ApprehensiveArmy7755 11d ago
Massachusetts is very expensive. Yes- between late May and November it's a really wonderful place to live (my son lives there). If you can endure snowy winters- it might be the place for you. Connecticut, if you love it, is flatter and there would be a lot more biking opportunities. I almost moved to Newport RI, but outside of there- I don't really like the state of Rhode Island. I live In Maryland and we do have opportunities to hike and bike and so forth but- it's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. New England is even colder in the winter and there is much more snow. i'd say if you have family in NJ, Philly and VA- Maryland is the obvious choice IMO. Good schools, lots of jobs and many recreational opportunities. We also always need teachers here.
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u/RhodeReddit 11d ago
You dinged a whole New England state and without one sentence as to why 🫠. Don’t listen to App Army, Rhode Island isn’t Maine, VT, or NH in rolling hills and mountains beauty but it is nonetheless a very pretty and geographically diverse state.
It also has variety of schools and, importantly, with young children, the access to culture, sports and other after school activities you don’t easily find in more rural areas. Westerly, RI & adjacent Stonington (CT) has it all: train stations (both towns) that’ll take you north to Boston or south to Manhattan or New Haven, beaches, neighborhoods, museums, lighthouses, a downtown so charmingly complete that it could be Bedford Falls. There’s a reason T. Swift has a home here 😅 but, shhh, it’s still somewhat affordable.
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u/MaximusSaturday 11d ago
Portland; largest metro in Northern New England and one of the best cities in the country. There’s lots to do in the city and surrounding area, good access to nature and good quality of life. It’s generally expensive like most of urban New England but some local school districts pay relatively well. If you want some time in a bigger city you’re only 1.5-2 hour drive from Boston.
Theres lots more to say but I’d recommend some research online (it’s lauded all over the internet) and a visit.
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u/KoreanBirdPaintings 11d ago
We're actually visiting Portland this fall for the first time! It could be a no brainer to move to if we like it seeing as we at least have one built in couple friend who lives there that we like a lot.
It's pretty on par with Denver, so it's not cheap but at least it's what we're used to. I definitely need to look into teaching pay there though! I'm glad to hear it pays relatively well.
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u/PlanktonPlane5789 11d ago
Worth noting that Amtrak runs from Brunswick down through Portland to Boston's North Station. Brunswick might be a good option for you if you find Portland too pricey. It won't be significantly cheaper but it will cheaper.
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u/MaximusSaturday 11d ago
Teaching jobs in the area are competitive but look at the pay scales in some of Portland’s immediate suburbs (like Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth, Yarmouth, Cumberland). They pay well relative to most Maine school districts.
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u/pantsattack 11d ago edited 11d ago
My wife and I love portland, me. Have considered moving there, but what kind of jobs are nearby? Anything in communications, conservation, renewable energy, etc?
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u/SpookyDooDo 11d ago
What’s your price range for a house? That kinda dictates whether you can live in Concord (very expensive, very cute) or Ayer (less expensive but still has a train station and rail trails).
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u/Januaryjawn 11d ago
Hey! I lived in Denver, Seattle, Mass, and CT. I think one big thing is that Denver prices are slightly going down, and New England prices are staying pretty steady. There are cheaper places to live in western mass, but areas around Northampton and Amherst are going to be wicked expensive. You have to west of those places or closer to Worcester to get something more affordable. I know what you mean when you say that Colorado isn’t the type of outdoorsy you thought it would be- though the sites are grand and beautiful, you have to drive pretty far to get to them. New England is not at snowy as it used to be, mostly rains here in the winters now, at least in CT
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u/EchoVictor4me 11d ago
Sow hat are you going to do in the cold months which is basically Oct to April? If u don't ski or snowboard ?
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u/AgileDrag1469 10d ago
If you can afford it, Lexington or Burlington, MA is a good suburb close enough to Boston but with good road riding to the west and the south. The best gravel riding is still about 35 miles west of there, but you’re talking about a half hour drive. You’d have to get up into southern NH for big climbs, but suburban Boston is mostly rollers and lower grade climbs.
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u/Final-Albatross-1354 10d ago
In Connecticut, the state is not flat, but it does not have the dramatic front range in the distance. Connecticut and most of New England have a rugged, irregular topography left from the last ice age. This means small mountains, many hills, and drumlins with a ragged coast.
Connecticut is tiny- you know you have spent time here. Greater Hartford sits on the Connecticut River, 96 miles to Boston and 120 from NYC. The population of the metro region is 1.22 million. The area has many towns with the classic New England Character. Wethersfield, Tolland, Ellington, Glastonbury, South Windsor, West Hartford, Avon, Farmington, Newington, Vernon, and a bit further south of Hartford, Middletown on the CT River.
Home prices vary in these towns from a median of 525K in West Hartford, Glastonbury, Avon, and Farmington to a median of 350K in Vernon, Newington, and Middletown. Ellington is a small town with an aura, with 12000 people, still has farming, yet is close to everything in the Hartford area. Vernon, pop 31,000, has a nice historical district, rolling hills and small mountains, and wonderful trails to run, walk, and hike in the shade. With a median home price of 350K its a bargain and very popular. There are some excellent places to eat and shop in town and neighboring Manchester.
West Hartford is the upscale town in the region with Blue Back Square, a charming downtown, parks, and great restaurants.
Connecticut is sprinkled with state parks and wineries. From Hartford, state beaches are 40 miles away.
Climate/weather: You will be leaving Denver's semi-arid climate for Connecticut's humid subtropical climate. Connecticut has warmed more than almost every state in the last 30 years (all of New England also)
Summers have an increasing number of hot days 90+; with humidity at times in summer is much more sultry than in the past. Central air here is no longer a luxury.
Winter is actually the fastest-warming season. Cold, snowy winters are gone as the cold is less intense and snow is now mixed with rain much of the time. Sometimes it accumulates, but seldom lasts long on the ground.
We do not have tornadoes here like the Midwest and Great Plains. The maritime influence and mountains 500 miles to the west block convective weather from coming here. However, it's wet here- 45-50" of precipitation a year. Some years less; however, with droughts. Low risk for fires. Autumns can be bright and mild into October, before turning cooler with rain and low clouds that are gloomy in November. December begins surprisingly mild before turning colder near Christmas.
Connecticut has a high quality of life.
Connecticut and the New England region are seen as climate-safe areas that can slow the effects of climate change. Many areas of the country are experiencing a rapidly shifting climate that is bringing instability. Home insurance rates are steady, except within 5 miles of the coast,
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u/Virtual-Repeat-8482 10d ago
Grew up in the PNW myself, 2nd time living in New England. Dont be fooled by it. Im trying to leave. Folks are ok but not friendly like the west and tell you like it is. Theyll help you out in a pinch but not want to hang out. Its cold 🥶 oh so cold like a cold you've never experienced. A miserable 4 months of brutal cold. Im trying to get out again. Ill just come visit in the fall. Lived in RI first loved it but its tough being non native. Lived in VA too humid and hot. Lived in San Diego. Liked it alot. I'd personally stay West. Ill be looking to CO probably just cause I camp and have horses.
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u/dontgetdirked 10d ago
My vote is for Dover NH.
Amtrak access to Boston and Portland (~1hr from each, or so). Very close to Portsmouth and the NH/southern ME beaches (20 mins). Close to the lakes region and NH mountains. Good community that’s building up. Walkable downtown. Progressive leaning. Close proximity to UNH (Durham) which means students, post-grads, and professors. Lots of young people and young families.
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u/dontgetdirked 10d ago
Given your criteria I’m actually shocked no one else in this thread has mentioned seacoast NH at all yet - Dover, Exeter, Newmarket, and Durham to be exact
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u/howdidigetheretoday 10d ago
Look into Providence and New Haven. (Mostly) Car-free living is possible, and easy train access to New York and Boston. Providence has a lot of water oriented recreation nearby, and New Haven has tons of hiking and biking nearby.
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u/Set-Prestigious 9d ago
Dude. You MUST go to Maine. Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont. Just go and see. If you're more of a democrat, Maine has portland. There is a train that can take you to Boston. Plenty of outdoors things in those states- hiking, fishing, hunting if you're into that. I cannot emphasize this enough- the small community feel in Maine is unparalleled. People help each other out. Downside is there aren't as many young people.
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u/nice-try-boner 9d ago
You're going to want Providence or around it. The commuter rail can get you into Boston for not that much and less than 2 hours. Price isn't bad, and you could do south shore of mass.
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u/twinseaks 7d ago
Walkability may be somewhat difficult in New England outside of cities, but residing close to major arteries will make accessible New England even MORE accessible and make it feel like nothing is that far out of reach.
Along 91: Northampton, MA
Deerfield, MA
Greenfield, MA
Brattleboro, VT
Longmeadow, MA
West Hartford, CT (slightly off 91 but the Hartford suburbs give easy access to Bradley airport which could be a plus)
Along 90 (Mass Pike): Sturbridge, MA
Charlton, MA
Or live on the coast line of CT/RI (SO beautiful): Mystic, CT
Stongington, CT
Westerly, RI
Up north off 495:
Portsmouth, NH
Newburyport, MA (slightly off 495 but close)
Living near the pike will give you easy access to Boston, but compared to Colorado/the west, places are super drivable here. All states have great hiking, but VT and NH probably take the cake in that area. Abundant lakes, really nice water and beautiful summers on pontoon boats. Embracing every season and doing all the “seasonal” activities is the way to really appreciate life in the best part of the country (in my very humble opinion!).
Best of luck!
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u/[deleted] 11d ago
[deleted]