A move cross country to New England!!! (cheap apartments, rentals)
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I'd say that Portland is the winner here. Worcester offers quite a bit more than Manchester, which offers virtually nothing other than reasonable ( 1 hr) proximity to Boston. Worcester also is only an hour from Boston, has commuter rail service to Boston, and has more reasonable housing prices than Boston, but isn't a terribly attractive city.
Just curious what you mean by Worcester has "quite a bit more" then Manchester does? all you listed was commuter rail service to Boston?
Manchester is 45 minutes to the ocean, 45 minutes to the lakes region, an hour to the white mountains, an hour to Boston, has the advantage of being in NH (if you enjoy lower taxes and more freedoms), even the city of Manchester isn't half bad, has a lot of dining options, a decent main street, minor league baseball/hockey venues easy access to Manchester airport. I am not the biggest fan of Manchester but I think it actually has quite a bit to offer.
Manchester and Worcester aren't really anywhere near a beach - you'd need to drive for close to an hour to get to the coast in Manchester, and over an hour to get to the coast in Worcester. Portland is on the water and does have a small beach, but given the water temperature you probably wouldn't want to swim there except in the summer (and even then it's going to be cool).
Springfield is a pit of a city, and nowhere near the water - it wouldn't have anything you are interested in. Lowell has improved dramatically over the past decade, and is quite livable if you want to be "in the city" but it's also not coastal.
Given your interests, I would strongly suggest you look more closely at New Haven. I lived in New Haven around ten years ago, and while it's on the pricey side, it has everything you're looking for. You don't need a car if you live close to Downtown - there is a robust bus service and two different grocery stores in walking distance. It has the best dining scene in New England of anywhere save Boston. You can take the train into NYC if you want for a day trip. There's a decent beach at Morris Cove you can get to by bicycle. There's some sketch and crime, particularly if you live too far south or west of Downtown, but as long as you live in Downtown or East Rock/Wooster Square you're fine.
I'd also consider New Bedford, due to your desire for a seaside location. It has a nice walkable downtown, and is pretty affordable since it's far away from most of the major job centers in Massachusetts. It's a pretty diverse area, although not in the typical manner of a major U.S. city. It long had a Portuguese community, and in recent years has attracted a lot of other Portuguese-speaking groups, like Cape Verdeans and Brazilians, with substantial Puerto Rican and black communities as well.
I lived in New Haven for a year, and it was totally fine, IMHO. The crime tends to be very much concentrated in low-income areas like The Hill, Fair Haven, Dixwell, and Dwight. Downtown is a bit sketchy at times, but the same is true for most CBDs in the country. East Rock and Wooster Square are right next to Downtown, walkable, and safe places to live. Some of the "suburban" parts of the city, like Morris Cove and Westville, are very low crime as well.
Edit: This map shows the high-risk parts of the city in red. Except for that bit of the CBD, there would be no reason to go to any of those zones unless you lived there.
I lived in New Haven for a year, and it was totally fine, IMHO. The crime tends to be very much concentrated in low-income areas like The Hill, Fair Haven, Dixwell, and Dwight. Downtown is a bit sketchy at times, but the same is true for most CBDs in the country. East Rock and Wooster Square are right next to Downtown, walkable, and safe places to live. Some of the "suburban" parts of the city, like Morris Cove and Westville, are very low crime as well.
Edit: This map shows the high-risk parts of the city in red. Except for that bit of the CBD, there would be no reason to go to any of those zones unless you lived there.
I know many young people who live in the downtown New Haven area or other parts of New Haven and really enjoy it. The city is spotty, so you have to be careful, of course.
I actually moved to New York City but I'm still considering moving to new England. I haven't made a decision yet but I'm closer to those areas now where I can explore them more which is good. New York is CRAZY expensive! I feel confident I can live and start a new life anywhere now that I've been here for 3 weeks.
Of the 3 you listed though, I'd say Portland easily.
You could always live in coastal NH too. Seabrook and Hampton are about 45 minutes from Boston and they're both on the ocean. Portsmouth has a nice little downtown and it's about an hour from Boston w/o traffic. You may get bored though. They're pretty much bedroom communities of Boston. Or you could just live in the suburbs of Boston such as Salem, Beverly or Lynn. I'd move close to Boston if you get bored easily. If you can afford living in NYC and California, Boston won't be that bad.
I actually moved to New York City but I'm still considering moving to new England. I haven't made a decision yet but I'm closer to those areas now where I can explore them more which is good. New York is CRAZY expensive! I feel confident I can live and start a new life anywhere now that I've been here for 3 weeks.
A smaller city with job opportunities and less expensive. NYC was great for a season but not to go to college and start a family or even date. I'm hoping to have made a decision by February 2016...so very soon.
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