Traditional New England Towns in Massachusetts or New Hampshire (Boston: house prices, neighborhood)

[Farouche]

Moppieda,

Hi, I wrote a long response to you right after you first posted, then hit the wrong button and lost everything, so I will try again and hope you are still checking this thread. I have a few thoughts on where I might look in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
I spent many years in Rockport, which is, along with the very atmospheric fishing town, Gloucester, part of Cape Ann, an island (formerly peninsula) north of Boston. Rockport is a quaint artist's colony, famous for the oft-painted red fishing shack, Motif #1, rocky crags, art galleries and lobster dinners. It's a bit touristy, but very beautiful. Besides a gorgeous downtown that runs right along the harbor, it has many old colonial houses and a large wooded area called Dogtown (because it used to be the home of several widows and their dogs- and one crossdresser!-back in the 1800's). Dogtown is full of all kinds of hiking trails that pass through very diverse terrain- swamps with boardwalks, hilly areas with gigantic old oak trees and large boulders, pinewood areas, beautiful glades, old cranberry bogs and even a quarry or two. The harbor is quite picturesque. Gloucester is a bit more working-class in the downtown area, but just as charming. It is still a real, working fishing village, and its harbor is full of colorful fishing vessels.
You might also be interested in a small city called Marblehead, which is closer to Boston, and also full of very old colonial architecture. Parts of Salem-"Witch City"- are really nice, including the downtown area. Lots of brick Federals, and cobblestone streets. Salem, Gloucester and Rockport are on the commuter rail line from Boston, and the ride is very pleasant. You might also want to check out Hingham and Cohasset, south of Boston and also on the coast. I grew up in Cohasset (my parents are still there), and it has a classic New England Common, with a duck pond and several old colonial churches, all painted white. (Parts of the "Witches of Eastwick" were filmed here). Cohasset was in the book "The Most Beautiful Towns of New England," but the median home price is above the 600's now, I believe. There are many breathtakingly beautiful old colonials, but just as many ostentatious trophy homes, which may be a bit too "suburban" for your taste.
West of Boston, Lenox is beautiful,with stately old homes, Great Barrington is very quaint and pretty, and Shelburne Falls and Turners Falls-along the Mohawk Trail- are quite picturesque. There are many others, as well, but I'm trying to pick my personal favorites.
In New Hampshire, which has no income tax, one of my favorite areas is along the Connecticut River, between the towns of Orford and Woodsville. The views down into the Connecticut River Valley are spectacular, and you can still find some amazing real estate deals. There are many really interesting old houses on very pretty acreage. To the northeast is Litteton- a progressive little village with a lot of cultural events going on and some great restaurants. Littleton is a wonderful town.
Well, I hope this helps some, and I wish you much luck in your search!

[hiknapster]

Oxford, Massachusetts

Little New England town and about one hour's drive to anywhere.

[netman4u]

I would suggest taking a drive along route 9 from Dalton to Northampton. Just chock full of what your looking for.

[surfingatwork]

Originally Posted by BuddyT

How about the oldest contiguous English settlement in the US? From 1620, yes it's Plymouth, America's Home Town.

You'll also find that a lot of the towns surrounding plymouth (both the south shore towns and south eastern mass towns) have that new england feel to them.

[probert]

Stay out of massachusetts at all costs. GO TO NEW HAMPSHIRE. Your blood pressure will thank you for it. Trust me on this one. I've lived here for six months and can't stand all the rude impatient people, high car insurance (everyone pays the same), socialist liberal state.

[Stockholmaren]

Propert,
You were not aware of the cost of car insurance, politics, and so forth before you moved? :-)

[Amy Ferber]

Hello,
Noticed your post and thought I should tell you about our beartiful town of Brimfield - right next door to Sturbridge in Central Massachusetts. We love it here - so much that we are keeping our lovely 2006 year old restored colonial - despite our plans to relocated for two years to Singapore (for a job). Brimfield is perfectly situated, close to Hartford, Springfield, Worcester (45 minutes to Hartford, 30 to Springfield and Worcester) and about 1hour 15 minutes from Boston. We "lucked into" this perfect little town because we were looking for a small school with a good reputation for our daughters, elbow room and close enough to Hopkinton , where my husband works. It is famous for it's 3 Antique fairs and Quintessential New England Town Commons. We are leaving for Singapore at the end of December. If you are looking for a big and beautiful house to rent, write back. By the way - I have lived on and off in Ma for Many years - undergraduate in Amherst, Grad. school in Cambridge and as a renter in "metro West" while we were house hunting. Brimfield is by far the sweetest place I've lived yet, in Ma. Sincerely, Amy

[BacktoNE]

While I love Boston as a fantastic weekend destination, truthfully I would never want to live there. I too am more of a small town person and can't imagine dealing with the Boston traffic every day.

Along the coast, Rockport, Salem & Gloucester are so beautiful and so quaint. It would be like living in a post card. Very expensive however.

Far Western MA. Great Barrington and Stockbridge come to mind immediately, is very beautiful as well. You have the mountains and all the outdoor activities that accompany the area. Not sure about housing costs, but I would guess they'd be more reasonable than Eastern MA.

[JDUB1]

I want to relocate from gloomy Ohio to a QUIET New England Beach Town that has a Catholic population and schools ... any suggestions ?????

[holden125]

Originally Posted by JDUB1

I want to relocate from gloomy Ohio to a QUIET New England Beach Town that has a Catholic population and schools ... any suggestions ?????

One initial suggestion (not meant sarcastically) is to start a new thread since this one is from 2006 and people might not realize you're asking a new question.

Virtually every New England coastal town has a Catholic population and schools. (Do you mean Catholic schools?--most have those too). Massachusetts and Connecticut have (or had) the highest percentage of Catholics in the nation.

There are a lot of towns out there, though some are not that quiet. Specific recommendations will depend on how much you can afford for housing and if you need to be near a job, or a place where there are a lot of jobs. For example, Stonington, CT is a beautiful and quiet coastal town but it's gotten pretty expensive. Most of the New England coast has gotten expensive. Way up in Maine can be cheaper, depending, but it's isolated and COLD there.