Foo - What are some nice towns in New England?

My brother and I desperately want to leave this awful state, and we've had our eyes on New England for some time. Our requirements for a new home:

1. Mild summers. We don't mind cold weather, but this wretched heat is too much. I'm not going to go to the trouble of moving if the summers aren't more bearable. I'm thinking no more than mid 80s on average at the hottest, and that's too much! This rules out the entire Southeast, Texas, much of the Midwest, and the Southwest.

2. Bike and Pedestrian friendly. This is very important. We do not own cars and have no intention to, so wherever we move will have to be bike-able and/or walkable, and have at least decent public transportation (unlike our town, which has 7 vans that operate only while I'm already at work and go to places that are bike-able anyway). We would like to be able to take a train to nearby larger cities, which is practically unheard of around here, but apparently just such a thing exists in some places. It's a foreign concept to me, and I like the idea. This rules out the entire Southeast!, at least what I've seen of it.
3. At least reasonably affordable. I basically have no white-collar-ish skills at all, so even $1000 a month for a two bedroom apartment is way more than I'll be able to afford. My brother is in school and can only work part time. I could probably afford a small house and would prefer that, but it would have to be in the middle of town and likely need to be under $130,000. This probably rules out the entire West Coast, and some of New England, I'm afraid.

4. Not too small, not too large. I like visiting small towns, but I don't want to live in one. They generally seem to be fairly limited in a lot of ways, and we don't want that. Heck, my town of 100,000 is severely limited in a lot of ways, but that also has to do with the region as much as the size of the town. On the other hand, I'm not sure either of us would be ready to live in a major city. NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, etc. I'd love to be able to visit them occasionally but I feel that such a move may be overwhelming to a couple of guys who have lived in medium sized town all their lives. Still, we'll at least consider just about anything.

Some cities we've considered:

1. Portland, ME. From what I've read this appears to be a decent choice which meets our needs pretty well.
2. Burlington, VT. Would probably be nearly perfect, but real estate seems to be rather high compared to Portland and others.
3. Plattsburgh, NY. Across the lake from Burlington, a little smaller than the other two, but also seems to be more limited in some ways.

We've looked at others but these three are the favorites so far, Portland in particular. But we also know very little about the entire area in general, so I'm sure there are many other towns that would be great that we wouldn't even know about. And so I'm asking for some advice from you good Foosters. Any suggestions or ideas you may have, please let me know. I've lived in this same town all my life, so this move will be a huge deal for me, as well as my brother. Thanks!

As far as weather, you may not want to be so quick to dismiss places that get hot. You're in the deep south somewhere, right? Where 90 degrees with high humidity may be completely unbearable, 90 degrees with very low humidity isn't so bad.

I'll go on a ride when it's 90-100+ degrees in Northern California. You can feel the heat, no doubt, but so long as you stay hydrated, it's bearable. Sweating is actually functional when the air isn't already completely saturated. :)

As far as weather, you may not want to be so quick to dismiss places that get hot. You're in the deep south somewhere, right? Where 90 degrees with high humidity may be completely unbearable, 90 degrees with very low humidity isn't so bad.

I'll go on a ride when it's 90-100+ degrees in Northern California. You can feel the heat, no doubt, but so long as you stay hydrated, it's bearable. Sweating is actually functional when the air isn't already completely saturated. :)


I've heard that, but you have to understand that if I had my way, it would never break 60 in the summer. :o The problem is, places like that are basically in the Arctic. And yes, I'm in TN. The lowest humidity I've experienced with significant heat was August 2007 when we hit 111 with about 20% humidity (which is extremely low for this area). It was awful.

I've heard that, but you have to understand that if I had my way, it would never break 60 in the summer. : o The problem is, places like that are basically in the Arctic. And yes, I'm in TN. The lowest humidity I've experienced with significant heat was August 2007 when we hit 111 with about 20% humidity. It was awful.

have you considered moving to scotland, ireland, the netherlands?

have you considered moving to scotland, ireland, the netherlands?

I guess you could say I've "dreamed" of it, but never seriously considered doing it. I've never even been out of this country! That's always been something I've just assumed I couldn't do, but perhaps I should give it serious thought.

I was going to say Ithaca, NY, but it's not technically New England.

Eureka or Arcada California.

I've heard that, but you have to understand that if I had my way, it would never break 60 in the summer. :oSure, I understand. I'm not a particular fan of heat, but as far as heat is concerned, the low-humidity kind is vastly preferable. :)

have you considered moving to scotland, ireland, the netherlands?

:thumb:

I was going to say Ithaca, NY, but it's not technically New England.

Ithaca is another one I have considered. It seems the housing is a tad expensive, though not too bad. I would be concerned that it might still get pretty warm in the summer, though I can't imagine it would be as hot as it is here.

Eureka or Arcada California.
Unfortunately housing appears to be quite expensive in either of those.

Sure, I understand. I'm not a particular fan of heat, but as far as heat is concerned, the low-humidity kind is vastly preferable. :)

Oh I agree, and low-humidty heat is something I've never even experienced. But I'm having trouble finding a large-enough town on the West Coast that I could actually afford. :o

Another requirement I just thought of: Trees! I don't think I could take living in the desert, heat or not.

Ithaca is another one I have considered. It seems the housing is a tad expensive, though not too bad. I would be concerned that it might still get pretty warm in the summer, though I can't imagine it would be as hot as it is here.

You might find a house in your price range, but it would need to be small.

Well,
I live just outside Portland Maine. Cycling here has improved a lot in recent years in terms of the cars being nice. The roads, however, are not as good.
Maine weather is unpredictable. You can go an entire summer without a single really hot day. And then there was a day about 15 years ago when it went up around 108.

We have a saying in Maine, if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes.
Went on a Spring ride back in the 80's, it was sunny and in the 60s and sunny, perfect weather, with a prediction of a nice day. It snowed on the way back and my right leg went numb.

Just so you know.

The good side is that we have a zillion miles of rural roads that make for nice riding, and plenty not far from here. I have toured up and down the coast, done week long loops into NH and back, thru the lake country. We drove up to Burlington once and rode around the lower half of Lake Champlain. Nice ride.

It's a good place to live.

One other thing, while houses are cheap here, renting is expensive (relatively speaking). Most people (like me) live outside Portland where the housing prices are lower. But if you don't have a car, it can be an issue.

The job market is definitely an issue. The Maine economy was bad before the
national economy tanked. People live here because they like it here. It can take a long time to get yourself established.

Funny you ask, I'm moving to Northampton, MA tomorrow. It's very walkable, has a really nice downtown with tons of restaurants, odd stores and live music. As far as I've seen the outskirts are sprawl free and gorgeous roads surround the town, occupied by friendly drivers. There's tons of places to go mountain biking and hiking as well. Not sure about the summer, but fall was cool and beautiful.

We have a saying in Maine, if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes.
Went on a Spring ride back in the 80's, it was sunny and in the 60s and sunny, perfect weather, with a prediction of a nice day. It snowed on the way back and my right leg went numb.

Eh, that's not much different than TN, though it sounds like a quicker switch. Normal winter weather here is 70+ one day, then a high of 25 the next. This pretty much goes on all winter, and many people around here are constantly sick because of it.

Salem might be nice - if you're not a witch.

burlington/ithaca- good luck with any sort of local transportation and a big city is not nearby. It is not to bad otherwise. If I had my choice of places to live, both of these would be in my top three.

Portland...already mentioned

Plattsburgh- well not the nicest of places, there is a train but your looking at a couple hours just to get to albany. There is a ferry that runs to burlington although it is seasonal (unless you take the southern crossing, which you will need a car to get too).

My suggestion would be somewhere in MA. Salem wouldnt be bad. You are going to be north of boston, near awesome biking in NH/ME however will still have train access into Boston. However Salem can be a tad pricey (mass taxes suck) but nothing nearly as bad as other cities mentioned.

why no car?

I would like Salem if I didn't grow up there. Ithaca was something else, a good 8 yrs there. Definitely isolated though. I would try to move to Ottawa before there. Bangor... really that whole NE is just a summer bug hell, maybe not as much as the deep south though.

why no car?

I hate driving and everything associated with owning a car.


... really that whole NE is just a summer bug hell, maybe not as much as the deep south though.

I always joke that our summers here are like that of a rainforest, but with more bugs. :lol:

It's not bug hell here. Not at all.

hrmmm Grumpy has a point...actually anything south of Albany might be your best shot. Something like Poughkeepsie. There is a train that runs to Albany and NYC, small town, pretty bike friendly from what I have experienced. I have trained a bit in Poughkeepsie. My buddy lives down there and loves it.

What are you and your brother thinking about for work?

Northampton ain't bad. Burlington and Portland are kinda far. I hate to change your state preference but you have to give boulder, berkeley and Austin a shot. Well Austin is hot.

Bridgeport CT is lovely. Bring a firearm.

I loved my little town in Vermont, Proctor, which was near Killington and
close to Rutland. Rutland was a dump, however, proving just cuz its in NE
doesnt make it quant and postcardish. The thing that wore on me about VT
was the neverending winter - darkness. After 5 months you were nuts, by 6
you were looking for a passing train to jump in front of. Plusses are, spectacular
scenery. Nice people for the most part, I never even took the keys out of my car
or locked our house, and if you like long distance riding, you can find roads
that can keep you in awe for miles and miles...the two cars that pass you will also
be very friendly about it. If you do VT, Id suggest renting in Burlington to
see if you can do a job and a winter. If you can do both, you will like it a lot. :)

It's not Northeast but try the Delaware and Mountgomery counties near Philadelphia. The hottest summer days are around 105F. Delaware county is all pre-sprawl suburb so everything is walkable with no cul-de-sacs or generihomes. Montco is perhaps a little less walkable in that it is more rural with small main streets, and offlying streets with every store you'd need. Delaware County is close enough to cyclocommute to the city in a reasonable time (40 mins - 1 hour). You can get a nice brick home in the nicer, solidly blue collar areas of Delco for $115k easily.

Bar Harbor Maine is very nice. You'd prolly need a car there. but nice little town, if a bit touristy.

There's also Ithaca and Woodstock/Saugerties NY. Ditto on the car.

Greenwich CT an Newport, RI are nice if you win lotto.:D

Ithica is the SanFran of the east - sleep on your back if you move there.

You most definitely do NOT need a car in Ithaca. There are two colleges there and quite a few people don't have cars. You might need serious climbing gears though.

You most definitely do NOT need a car in Ithaca. There are two colleges there and quite a few people don't have cars. You might need serious climbing gears though.

Yeah - cute town around Cornell, etc. I meant if he wanted to go down to Manhattan, etc, but yeah you're right it's doable sans car. I could definitely live there....tho not sure why I couldn't sleep on my side???

^^^ I would assume Redneckbonix for hi-Gay population :rolleyes:

Dont forget New Hampshire either ! I dont think it has the cache that
Vermont or Maine has being thought of as a 'New England' type place,
but it is similarly beautiful but with the bonus of having -JOBS-
This cannot be stressed enuff ! Jobs are very scarce up there !!!
You have to go knowing you might have to accept undesirable work
situations as a tradeoff to live in a friendly, civilized place. COL
can be high if you are going into an oil heated building, too....
But, if quality of life is a priority, you will definitely get it up north.
Id go back in a second if my Wife would agree to it.

Not to go too far off-topic or dilute Lamplights thread,
It appears Im heading to the Louisville area shortly, any
thoughts, opinions, ideas from those familiar with
that area (or Jeffersonville, IN) Id like to hear ! :)

PM if you want :) :)

^^^ I would assume Redneckbonix for hi-Gay population :rolleyes:


huh...thats what I thought at first but makes no sense. :rolleyes:

Funny you ask, I'm moving to Northampton, MA tomorrow. It's very walkable, has a really nice downtown with tons of restaurants, odd stores and live music. As far as I've seen the outskirts are sprawl free and gorgeous roads surround the town, occupied by friendly drivers. There's tons of places to go mountain biking and hiking as well. Not sure about the summer, but fall was cool and beautiful.

I go to school in Amherst which is right by Northampton. That town is great! One I would definitely look into for a bicycle-friendly place.

Thanks for all the additional suggestions, guys. I have plenty of research to do now. :) I'm not terribly worried about a town being bike-able, because if I can go car free in this town then most others would likely be only easier. Of course this generally means the town will need to have mostly older neighborhoods; ones that were around before everyone had 2.4 cars. I would prefer a place that's more walkable than my current location, though.

I currently am a warehouse manager for a small electrical supply house, and I can do pretty much any warehouse work with no problems. I've also worked in a plumbing and HVAC warehouse, so I am at least somewhat knowledgeable of those products as well. I've also done a little drafting, but I hate being in an office all day and it's been so long since I've done it that I imagine lots of things have changed in the industry. My brother is basically a part time janitor at an assisted living home for the elderly, though he could probably do whatever job he had to. Neither of us are afraid of taking an undesirable job if it means getting out of here. Eventually he wants to be an English or History professor at a university, and I would like to do something with bikes, preferably frame and/or rack building.

Yeah - cute town around Cornell, etc. I meant if he wanted to go down to Manhattan, etc, but yeah you're right it's doable sans car. I could definitely live there....tho not sure why I couldn't sleep on my side???

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3219/2443305998_61a0561cfc.jpg

I've heard that, but you have to understand that if I had my way, it would never break 60 in the summer. :o

I'm with you... 72 being my number.

Anyway, as much as I love New England, you might want to consider the northern Puget Sound area (Whidbey Island, Anacortes, Bellingham, MT Vernon etc). Right along the water, it stays cool where 80 is VERY warm in the summer. Of course, the price is dreary, but temperate, winters. You can ride year round and, despite recent news, it doesn't snow much there.

New England!!!??? Ha! You can keep it! And if you're looking for somewhere that never gets much above 60 in the summer...New England is not the place. I lived there all my life in a few different parts.... I was never happier than to see it in my rear view mirror. Although... I will say that I loved the Fall Foliage in New England. But the winters totally sucked *ss!!

New England!!!??? Ha! You can keep it! And if you're looking for somewhere that never gets much above 60 in the summer...New England is not the place. I lived there all my life in a few different parts.... I was never happier than to see it in my rear view mirror. Although... I will say that I loved the Fall Foliage in New England. But the winters totally sucked *ss!!

Yeah, I realize it still gets plenty warm in much of New England, but I doubt summer lasts 7 months there like it does here. Cold weather doesn't bother me, but heat does. It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about summer here. By the end of April it's often so warm that it's no longer comfortable to be outside, and it's like that until at least mid October, sometimes even into November. Today I went for a ride in jeans and a T Shirt, and when I got home I was covered in sweat. It's January. January is supposed to be cold. When it's cold I can be comfortable; I can add layers. Outside the air is clear and clean. When it's hot, there's no escaping it unless I could afford to keep the AC running at 65 degrees all the time and actually stayed indoors, which my job prevents. If I'm outside I try to find shade but that doesn't help, because there's no breeze and the humidity is unholy. Sweating does nothing but make me miserable, because it's so humid here that sweating doesn't help. In the past, during winter, I would forget how much summer sucked, but I no longer forget about it. I have a grudge against summer. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to actually look forward to summer like people in other places seem to do, because I've never experienced that. At least half of every year I spend in misery, constantly uncomfortable. It's like "Room 101" in the novel Nineteen Eighty Four. Just the mention of it makes me cringe.

Yeah it gets quite hot up in NE too. And if money is an issue it's hard to find a cheap place to live and jobs are scarce in the smaller town areas. You might want to look into Providence too. It's a bigger city perhaps then you want but if you don't have a car that could be a plus.

Why not Minneapolis? ;)

I honestly can't think of any towns up here that meet all of your criteria. I live in NH and find it an excellent state to reside in. The only thing is that I don't see how you'll manage without a car up here because of winters. That is, unless you decide to move much closer to a city, such as Manchester or Nashua or even Portsmouth (which is a beautiful place, by the way). However then you'll be hard pressed to find a house in the 130k range, even with this housing market. From where I am in Dover, and all of the towns up along seacoast NH up to Portland ME, one can take the Amtrak to Boston; the station is 3 miles from my house.

The only thing is that I don't see how you'll manage without a car up here because of winters.

Do they not clear the roads when it snows? That's one thing I've worried about a little bit, and another reason I'd like to be able to walk to work if I had to.

It's not Northeast but try the Delaware and Mountgomery counties near Philadelphia. The hottest summer days are around 105F. Delaware county is all pre-sprawl suburb so everything is walkable with no cul-de-sacs or generihomes. Montco is perhaps a little less walkable in that it is more rural with small main streets, and offlying streets with every store you'd need. Delaware County is close enough to cyclocommute to the city in a reasonable time (40 mins - 1 hour). You can get a nice brick home in the nicer, solidly blue collar areas of Delco for $115k easily.

Sorry, I live in the same latitude, and it flat-out gets "too hot" here.


Bar Harbor Maine is very nice. You'd prolly need a car there. but nice little town, if a bit touristy.

There's also Ithaca and Woodstock/Saugerties NY. Ditto on the car.

Greenwich CT an Newport, RI are nice if you win lotto.:D


Bar Harbor? Nice town. Bring a wheelbarrow full of cash though. No cheaper there than Greenwich or Newport for a small place.



Do they not clear the roads when it snows? That's one thing I've worried about a little bit, and another reason I'd like to be able to walk to work if I had to.

There are times in the winter when there is simply so much snow, and the temperature is so low, and it is rather windy, that walking becomes quite a bit less than comfortable. If you have a job lined up nearby, I would suggest Potsdam, NY or Bennington, VT as towns that have great climates and a good small-town vibe with amenities. Potsdam isn't expensive, and there is quite a variety of riding to be found. Bennington is a bit more expensive, and hillier.

NY has a very large tax base so the roads get cleared rather well. I don't know about the other states except PA has comparatively poor snow removal. You do need to have a winter beater bike though. the salt kills everything.

NY has a very large budget deficit so there's no telling when the roads will get cleared. ...

fify :p

meh. what would I know. I only live five miles from the border. :P

meh. what would I know. I only live five miles from the border. :P

It's really more of a county by county, or community by community thing once you're off the main routes. Pennsylvania doesn't get as much snow, so we don't spend as much on it.

I would put in a plug for Scituate Mass.
it's the archtypical New England seaside community, nice little harbour and it was last time
I was there a pretty idyllic pastoral village.
You'd be about 25 miles from Boston if you want big city etc.

Marty