Relocating Advice (Portsmouth, Amherst, Barrington: for sale, oceanfront, crime)

[sevdie]

I am a Native New Yorker who currently lives in the midwest and would like to relocate to New England. My husband and I have no children and are very much into fine arts. We are looking for a quiet place in the suburbs (not rural) far away from but still within driving distance from the cities. We want to live some place SAFE and small, near the beach (preferably the ocean) with lots of snow and mild summers. We want to own our own performing arts center someday in a nearby city from where we would be living and would love to be able to commute to that city where residents would support the arts.
We are an interracial couple moving to NE from the midwest where it can sometimes be very bigoted. Are there any towns in NH with the qualities I listed above and where racism is not such a big problem? Please let me know. Any info at all would be greatly appreciated.

[GypsySoul22]

I pmed you but I suggest you try Burlington or somewhere in Vermont. They tend to be more liberal in VT, too.

[sevdie]

I got the PM. Thanks!

[New Hampshire]

Peterborough, New Hampshire, has a writer's colony. The play Our Town was written in and about Peterborough. Racial minorities of all kinds collectively are fewer than !% in New Hampshire. French Canadians are considered the minority population. You'll have no problem. Religious bigotry against non-Protestants is an issue though.

From the description of what you are looking for, I think Connecticut is your answer. It is near NYC, has an oceanfront, is more suburban than rural, and is New England. (Peterborough probably would be considered rural).

I've lived in two Hartford suburbs. Connecticut considers anyone who wasn't born in Connecticut a "foreigner." You will always be an outsider in Connecticut. Unlike New Hampshire, which is dependent on tourism and therefore sees a lot of different people, Connecticut is very provincial. People are born, marry, and die in the same house, and like all of New England, they do not travel.

Connecticut is a visually-beautiful state. It is also racially segregated by town, but no one is going to burn a cross on your lawn. Since you are going to have a hard time making friends because you are not from Connecticut, your interracial marriage isn't going to make that much more difference! I'm trying to remember the artsy towns in southern Connecticut but I can't at the moment. Connecticut values craftspeople, so from an art point of view, Connecticut is a good choice.

You don't want Maine. It's not worth going into - just take my word.

Massachusetts - I've lived in the Boston suburbs - and Boston is very racist. Remember, that was the town that overturned school buses with children in them rather than accept busing.

Western Massachusetts is very artsy - the Berkshires. Not near the ocean or any body of water, rural rather than suburbs, but you would love it there. Tanglewood, home of the Boston Pops during the summer, Norman Rockwell's home/museum, dance company during the summer, etc., etc., etc. A couple of towns in the Berkshire Mountains: Great Barrington, Massachusetts and Lenox, Massachusetts come to mind. Lots of New Yorkers during the summer. You'll probably find other artsy interracial couples.

Provincetown, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod is in every way like Greenwich Village in New York City. It's on the ocean, its artsy, your marriage wouldn't even be noticed, and its a ferry ride from Boston. For me the downside is the stiffling marijuana scent in the air on a summer's day.

As someone else mentioned, Vermont is another consideration for you. I have only taken day trips to Vermont, and the highways are terrifically laid out. Vermont seems to value crafts and people who make a living independently. They seem a very tolerant people. It's a favorite of skiing New Yorkers.

Please note I am lumping Fine Arts, performing arts, crafts, all creatives, without distinction, under the term "artsy." I'm just trying to convey the feel of the location.

None of the places I mentioned have crime as an issue.

[sevdie]

Thank you so much for answering all of my questions. This was very helpful and I appreciate it. So, is most of New Hampshire rural? You said I would not have a problem with race in Peterborough, but would I be bored out of my skull?
How does CT treat "outsiders"? I'm not exactly sure how it makes me feel that I will not be able to make friends there LOL. Hmmmm, I'll have to think about that for a while.
I won't even ask about Maine, LOL. I will just take your word for it and leave it at that.Moving on... I really did have my heart set on NH because I've read so many good things about it and I do admit, I'm a little saddened that I didn't get the response I wanted.
Provincetown, Mass: I know you said crime was not a problem, but the marijuana smell has me a little suspicious. Your very candid response is very much appreciated. If you can think of more about performing arts cities in New England or maybe some place in New Hampsire that I may be happy in, please, please please let me know.

[GypsySoul22]

Why not go read the post in the VT forum on Burlington? (if you haven't already). It sounds like a really nice progressive place.

[sevdie]

I will do that now. Thanks!

[New Hampshire]

Yes, New Hampshire is rural, and you will be bored out of your skull! A high percentage of homes are owned as vacation homes or second homes, so the boredom is offset by not being here year round. New Hampshire is stress-free, and the people are friendly, and in the summer there are farmers markets, fairs, outdoor concerts, tag sales, and in the winter there is skiing and all manner of snow sports close by. New Hampshire has a short summer. The joke here is that New Hampshire has two seasons - winter and August. It is August now, and the nighttime temperature is in the 40s, daytime 70s. We did have a week or so of 90 degree daytime temperatures.

New Hampshire is visually beautiful - no billboards are allowed on the highways, and very few pit stops.

New Hampshire is 87% forested, so you will be up close and personal with big animals - moose, bear, deer, turkeys, etc. The New Hampshire Tourist Bureau calls New Hampshire the "Land of 1,001 Lakes," so swimming and boating are a major form of summer recreation. Those same lakes are used for ice skating in the winter.

Provincetown is a gay community with lots of great restaurants and little shops selling New England crafts, and well educated. There is an Art League which displays paintings along Commercial Street, the main street, for sale to the public in August. P'Town as it is called locally, is where the pilgrims first landed before they moved south to settle in Plymouth. It is situated on the Atlantic with a beach minutes or even seconds away from the center of town. Marijuana is how this artsy community relaxes similar to Greenwich Village. Because it is well educated, it can afford its habit without resorting to crime. I just don't like the scent, and I'm a non-smoker.

Connecticut treats "foreigners" (anyone not born in Connecticut ) with distance.

Lots of New Yorkers in P'Town.

[sevdie]

Thank you so much. NH is certainly worth looking in to as well as Provincetown.

[4acadia]

Hi Sevdie,
You posted on my thread about Portsmouth and was just curious to find out if you had looked further into that area - no one seems to mention it, but from the things I've read about it, it sounds a lot like what we're both looking for. My husband and I are going to Portsmouth and northern coastal MA and southern ME this September...have you visited NH yet? I understand what you mean about how nice it sounds...all the stats on it look good. It was ranked the most livable state in the country for the 3rd year in a row. We've set our sights for now on Portsmouth (and area) and Newburyport, MA.

Have you considered Northampton or Amherst, MA? They're not on water so not making our first round : ) but they do sound like very creative, progressive and open places. As well as Burlington, VT as someone named.

Anyway, I look forward to hearing where you land!