Looking for European lifestyle in New England

[sue629]

Interesting question on towns/communities with European feel. I personally do not think there are any.
For a real European feel, you need to be in Boston. Boston has many neighborhoods that have what you describe- Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway/South End, North End. They are walkable, green in the spring/summer, colorful in the fall, pedestrian friendly, lots of restaurants, shops, outdoor cafes,parks. I would use one of these areas as a base to explore. There are temporary rentals as well as B&Bs where you could stay for a while for exploring purposes. If you are looking to purchase it would be a condo in the city and prices, though high have come down a bit. There have been some new condo projects built that may offer some good deals.
March is not great here, can be cold, rainy, windy and people are still in a winter mode. No outdoor entertainment or outdoor dining in March unless there is a rare sunny warm day. Best time here is summer through first week or two in November.
Staying in Gloucester you would be bored, it really is commercial- based on the fishing industry. Think "Perfect Storm". Has some decent beaches, a decent Main street and as the other person said "blue collar" not that there is anything wrong with that but is not European. Worth a day trip though, other places to explore, Marblehead definately, very quaint, on the water, has some decent shopping,boutiques, coffee houses, very walkable old town, small winding streets, parks. March will be cold, very nice in summer and fall. Suburban with a village feel and housing, anything decent, can be expensive.
Newburyport, similar to Marblehead but closer to New Hampshire
Portsmouth New Hampshire, similar to the above 2, lots of shops, restaurants, waterfront, kind of an old mill town that has been transformed into a funky sort of place.
Kennebunkport, Maine- cool little village area, seaport, restaurants, shops, tourists in summer
Rockport- charming little village but really out there, next to Gloucester, touristy.
Salem- small city,famous for its witch history, has some good restaurants, bars, shops, has train and boat transportation to boston, new loft apartments/condos, trying to reinvent itself into more trendy, yuppy community. some areas not great. very crowded months sept and oct for halloween
Most of these communities have a maritime feel to them, not European. For European, you need to be in Boston. If you don't need to be close to city and want to live a coastal life style, there are some nice communities on Cape Cod, though crowded and touristy in the summer- quiet in the Winter. Eastham, Brewster as examples. Not European though.

[Hollytree]

Why not live on the east Side of Providence? It has all of your criteria and is a much more affordable option than Boston.

[MiddleEarth]

Concord is about as close as I can imagine you'll get, while still remaining with easy reach of Providence, Albany and New Hampshire.

[lorilou]

I think you should check out Salem...it's affordable, VERY walkable, & has the european flair. (I love the little candy shop, Nat Hawthorne's house, and especially the old cemetary where the Salem witch trial victims are buried...and even a pilgrim!). It's a liberal town and home of Salem State College. Also, it's a town full of characters! Good luck, and welcome!