West Upstate NY, Western Mass, Brattleboro, Keene, Providence

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by WritingOnWalls

I know I'm late to the party but thought I would chime in...

Having lived in a number of these places (Northampton, Amherst, Brattleboro, and Providence), I'd like to echo the sentiment that Northampton is probably the best choice of these options. Though it's less culturally diverse than Albany or Providence, the presence of the Five Colleges means that there is a constant influx of young people of color and international students, as well as faculty from an array of backgrounds, coming into the area and shaping the culture in ways you would not see in other parts of (semi-)rural New England. I would also poke around Montague, MA (outside of Greenfield, MA) where there's a small-scale community that might be up your alley...

I also loved Ithaca, NY when I visited but it struck me that when you venture out of Ithaca itself, you've suddenly entered very different territory ideologically. I would be concerned about feelings of isolation and lack of variety in Ithaca proper as a result. By contrast, when you venture into the towns outside the cities of Northampton or Brattleboro, you will find people who are on a similar wavelength so these areas offer pretty different experiences. Though an imperfect measure of people's attitudes, just examining an electoral map capturing which parts of states have recently gone red and blue reveals the stark differences between rural Western Mass and VT, and virtually any other rural area anywhere in the U.S. including upstate NY: https://brilliantmaps.com/2016-county-election-map/

There's some crunch-alicious stuff going on in the vicinity of Providence like an herb school, as well as a MovNat school and an enormous yoga/meditation/raw foods/spa/bathhouse center south of PVD but I don't really feel that these things are central to PVD culture in the way that they are in Northampton or Brattleboro. The presence of Brown and RISD contribute to an artistic / intellectual / activist culture and there are some pockets of crunch-ness but I think you'll find a much more critical mass of crunchy folk in Western Mass and VT. Providence also has a decidedly urban feel despite being a small city, so worlds away from the feel of the towns you've mentioned in Mass and VT. Mountains and the bucolic natural beauty for which the region is known are also much more difficult to reach from PVD but that's a matter of preference.

I hope this helps!

Outside of Ithaca, while some towns can be more “conservative”, places like Trumansburg, Newfield, Lansing, Aurora in Cayuga County(due to Wells College) and to a lesser degree Dryden still have people that have a similar mindset or at least moderate. Some of this is due to some people moving further out, because of more high end development occurring in parts of Ithaca.

For instance, this festival takes place in Trumansburg, just NW of Ithaca: https://www.grassrootsfest.org/

This is west of the city: https://ecovillageithaca.org/

[masssachoicetts]

Yeah ive been to most choices on here. Not fond of Upstate NY. Ithaca was a big let down as well. The Pioneer Valley (Northhampton especially) is great.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by masssachoicetts

Yeah ive been to most choices on here. Not fond of Upstate NY. Ithaca was a big let down as well. The Pioneer Valley (Northhampton especially) is great.

Ithaca's "vibe" extends outside of the city and a place like Trumansburg likely has more of the "crunchiness" that some people may seek. Ithaca is becoming increasingly more urban in character. An example of development occurring in the city: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4397...6!9m2!1b1!2i37

A great thread about this: https://www.city-data.com/forum/new-...ts-ithaca.html

New Paltz is another place with that type of reputation and to a lesser degree, Oneonta does as well.