Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So I'm looking to make a location change and I'm looking for a place where history is part of everyday life. Somewhere where it's all around you, from the buildings, to the natural environment, you name it. I remember going to a friend's place on the James River in Virginia when I was a teenager and being dumbstruck by not only how beautiful it was (gorgeous) but also all the history that had taken place there, it just blew me away and I've always thought I would live in a place somewhere like that. I know that sounds like an odd request, especially when considering a place to live, but I work freelance from home and therefore am able to move to pretty much anyplace within the continental US and I thought I might as well take this rare opportunity to go someplace that might be considered slightly impractical. I'd prefer somewhere on the east coast, I've lived in the west for the last few years and would like to head back east. I do have a little girl, who will eventually need to go to school, so I also need to have good school options nearby. I believe in the school of thought that parent-involvement and participation makes a school experience complete, but having a decent school to begin with really helps the process.
I've already considered the Jamestown/Williamsburg/Yorktown area of Virginia and plan on taking a trip there to look at my options as far as housing is concerned, but I was hoping I could get some other options as well. They don't all need to be in Virginia, not at all, that's just the only one I've personally had experience with!
Downtown Charleston and Savannah fit the bill as well. New Bern, NC and Annapolis, MD are other candidates. Perhaps some small New England towns; can't really recommend any since I'm not that familiar with that part of the country.
I heard or read somewhere that Natchez, Mississippi has like the highest percentage of "antebellum" homes in the South. Savannah and Charleston, mentioned above, sound like logical choices.
Goofing around on a mix of Wikipedia and my own knowledge... Danville, Kentucky received some award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and dates from the eighteenth century. Franklin, Tennessee also won that award. Acoma Pueblo and Espanola, both in New Mexico, are two of the oldest towns in America. Acoma is a claimant for the oldest town of any kind to be located in the US as it's an American Indian settlement from like the 12th century. (I think it's still largely Acoma Indians so may not be a place you just move into) St. Augustine, Florida is, I believe, the oldest European settled city in America. Charlottesville, Virginia looks fairly historic going by the landmarks list. The houses in Princeton, New Jersey seem to have a high average age and they have like nine National Landmarks. Reading, Pennsylvania looks to have several historic places and a century-old pagoda.
Having no experience with any of those I have no idea if they really fit. The most historic places I've experienced are likely DC, Leavenworth, Kansas, and Van Buren, Arkansas. Although I've probably been to Booneville, which is reportedly older than Van Buren.
There's history everywhere. Boston oozes history. There are a lot of historical sites in Baltimore, too, and of course there's the oldest European settlement in the US, Saint Augustine FL.
And if you don't mind living in Canada, Montreal and Quebec city (especially Quebec city) are immensely historical cities.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
