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.
I lived in a town outside of Boston for almost 15 years. Technically it was a suburb, but it really had the feel of a small town (population ca. 25,000) with diverse housing and a great little walkable downtown (town hall, theater, restaurants, bars, coffee shop, library, town square, etc.). It had a sense of community and history while still being open to outsiders (lots of people who came to Boston for college and stayed in the area). But it was still close to the advantages of Boston: museums, colleges, a liberal and educated population, lots of job opportunities, two major airports.
We had to move for hubby's job and are now living in a small town in rural Virginia. It, too, has a cute little downtown and sense of community, but is NOT liberal/educated/open to outsiders and we have to travel 45 minutes to get to the nearest college town -- which is a little better but still not Boston. Cost of living is nice and low, but the schools are abysmal and there are no jobs to be found for someone with a Masters degree.
Hubby is doing another job search to get us the hell out of here. My current requirements are that we be north of the Mason-Dixon line or west of the Mississippi and within an hour of a major city. But I'd also really like to be somewhere that has that New England feel. I don't want to have to drive everywhere. I hate gated/planned communities (my sister lives in one outside of Phoenix). I want decent schools (I have two kids in middle school). I love old houses. We are white and I'd love some diversity (but not the blatant racism and segregation that we see here in the south.)
Frankly, I'd love to move back to New England, but we just can't afford it. (Hubby and I both work in nonprofit/education). Where else in the country can we find what we're looking for???
Check out Chagrin Falls, OH, or Hudson, OH both outside of Cleveland. Both have a very New England feel, as they were founded when the region was part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. They have very educated populations and very good schools. They’re fairly liberal as well although they’re pretty well-off communities and also have their fair share of blue blood conservatives.
Cleverfield: Wow! Ohio was not on my radar at all. I had family outside of Youngstown in the 1980s and I think I associated the whole area with urban decline and failing industries. Can you tell me more about Hudson, in particular?
I think the most New England towns Ive seen in the country are: (Im from 15 minutes outside Boston too!)
1. Hillsborough-Chapel Hill, NC .... sure its belowthe Mason Dixon, but it checks every other box and more. NC can get pretty miserable/conservative in the rural area, but definitely not in the Triangle. Very progressive, well educated, well funded,r elatively diverse, fast growing, cheap area.
2. Evanston-Northbrook, IL ... CHicago suburbs. Has Northwestern. Nuff said.
3. Cherry Hill, NJ ... Its like a Woburn or Waltham or Watertown MA. Less dense, but similar feel outside PHL
4. Suburban Hartford CT
There are a lot of wonderful small towns in Upstate NY and Pennsylvania. The small towns around the Finger Lakes especially remind me of New England. The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is aesthetically like Northern New England, though not so much culturally. I don't know if that's the rural part of VA you already live in. If not, take a look because it's different from the rest of VA. The valley was settled by people from Pennsylvania, so it feels different there than other rural parts of VA. Also, don't give up completely on New England itself if that's what you really want. There are still parts of New England that are affordable. Check out western Mass (Springfield), central CT (Hartford), and eastern CT (New London).
Cleverfield: Wow! Ohio was not on my radar at all. I had family outside of Youngstown in the 1980s and I think I associated the whole area with urban decline and failing industries. Can you tell me more about Hudson, in particular?
A lot of people don't realize that the Cleveland area has some of the nicest suburbs in the country. In addition to the towns I mentioned, Gates Mills, Moreland Hills, and Hunting Valley remind me a lot of the wealthy suburbs in Connecticut and Long Island (minus the traffic).
Hudson is a very charming community halfway between Cleveland and Akron. It's got a very nice old fashioned main street with mostly high end shops and restaurants, and a nice park in the center of town. The homes remind me a lot of New England as they're mostly large wood-framed colonials, and the streets are nice because they have lots of trees, nice old-fashioned streetlamps, and underground power lines. It's home to Western Reserve Academy, which is a highly regarded boarding school. It's also very close to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Check out Chagrin Falls, OH, or Hudson, OH both outside of Cleveland. Both have a very New England feel, as they were founded when the region was part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. They have very educated populations and very good schools. They’re fairly liberal as well although they’re pretty well-off communities and also have their fair share of blue blood conservatives.
Yes, I was going to say Northeast Ohio/Cleveland Metro Area.
Also, look into the Philadelphia Metro Area in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Long Island.
I think the most New England towns Ive seen in the country are: (Im from 15 minutes outside Boston too!)
1. Hillsborough-Chapel Hill, NC .... sure its belowthe Mason Dixon, but it checks every other box and more. NC can get pretty miserable/conservative in the rural area, but definitely not in the Triangle. Very progressive, well educated, well funded,r elatively diverse, fast growing, cheap area.
2. Evanston-Northbrook, IL ... CHicago suburbs. Has Northwestern. Nuff said.
3. Cherry Hill, NJ ... Its like a Woburn or Waltham or Watertown MA. Less dense, but similar feel outside PHL
4. Suburban Hartford CT
I'd argue Ann Arbor, MI would have a lot of the same feel, as Evanston, IL. And once you get west of Green Bay Road and any of the downtowns along the Union Pacific North Metra line, the north suburbs turn into that typical suburban feel quickly. Including Northbrook, as well.
The Philadelphia suburbs have a very similar feel to the Boston suburbs. Very quaint, historic and full of lots of great lush scenery. They are also a bit lower COL than the Boston suburbs.
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.
