Small. Quaint Towns in the Northeast

[CMA21]

Wow! Thanks so much for all the information TinkerBelled! I've starting looking at a lot of the places that have been mentioned and most of them are exactly what we're looking for. I will definitely be adding these onto my list of places to check out, and start looking into what apartment options might be around these places.

Thanks so much!

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

they're quite wealthy and quite white, which can lead to a little bit of homogeneity; they can feel quite family-focused, which is less compelling if you don't have kids. That said, I think they manage a smaller-town feel while still giving you access to a lot of the things you're looking for.

I had to laugh at this, because when we lived in Madison, we called it "Lilly-white" Madison, because there weren't ANY black families. If I could afford it, I'd still move back, as I loved the small-town atmosphere and always felt safe there, and I loved being so close to the shoreline. IMO Guilford isn't as kept up as Madison and seemed a little grubby compared. But that being said, this was SEVERAL years ago, so I'm sure even places like Guilford and Madison have changed.

 

[Denise W]

Check out Westerly, RI or Mystic/Stonington CT.


Denise

 

[LuvinLucifer]

Stowe, VT

 

[CMA21]

Thank you! Thank you! I will definitely look more into all these places!

 

[Mickey Fliers]

Brunswick, Maine.

We lived there for 5 years and absolutely loved it.

Farmers market during the summer on the town mall (common). Flooding the mall in the winter for skating. Bowdoin college. Wonderful restaurants. Close to Freeport (LL Bean and outlets), Bath and Boothbay Harbor. Fat Boys Drive In (So, so yummy). Broadway stage productions come to Bowdoin every summer. Quick 30 min. drive to Portland and all that neat little city has to offer.

 

[Gorechick]

Another CT area is the Danbury area. Ridgefield was once voted America's Best Town. The area is convenient to both NY and Boston, by train and highway. Danbury is a college town and has a huge upscale mall. Lots of celebrities live in he surrounding towns. Newtown/ Sandy Hook is part of the area.

 

[monorailsilver]

Well I grew up in a small town in CT, so I thought. I grew up in Trumbull which is about 1/2 hour from the NY line. The town, small, lol, has around 30,000 people. There are a ton of restaurants in town/close by as well as stores, there is no downtown area that you can just window shop. I would move back there in a minute but my husband has been at his job since he was 16 and he will be 45 soon..he isn't going to leave or commute, since his work commute is about 5 minutes!

Now I actually live in a small town. My town in CT which borders the CT river has about 5000 people in it. We share a middle and high school with 2 other small towns. One town has a little less then us population wise and the other is just under 10k.

Each of the 3 towns has an actual town center where leaf peepers and those summer vacationers flock to so they can shop or window shop. It isn't overly crowded like mystic can get. My town just has a 24 hour period every July that the population increases due to the muster we have but we avoid town and most shops vp lose because they don't want people stealing.

The down side is that the nearest mall is about 25 min away (and target too!). A larger grocery store is about 10-15 min from me but we have in in town that I often shop at. I do not live in town but about 8 minutes outside of town.

There are not chain restaurants, just local ones in our 3 towns. Actually there are very few chain restaurants in my area. There is a mcds and bk but they are both 2 towns away.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Keene, NH. We moved here from Saratoga County (western side, more rural). When we were first moving out, DH said Keene was "like Saratoga, without the snootiness".

We don't have a regular mall, but plenty of standard stores. For malls, we head to Nashua or down to Amherst, MA. Winters are milder than Saratoga's. And there's no state sales or income tax. The only thing is, I don't know that you could get away without owning a car. We know several families that just have one, though.

I think NH would be much cheaper to live in than CT or NY. The housing costs aren't different, really, but the taxes are much lower.

 

[dogluva]

Well when I say small town, we're looking for a town where there'd most likely be a main street with shops and restaurants, etc. We lived in center city Philadelphia for a little while, and although there were plenty of things to walk around and do we definitely don't want to live in a big city again. We now live in a town of about 1000, which is proving to be a little too small. So we're trying to find something in between the two now...but as far as specific population is concerned, I'm not too sure, but I'd guess something between a town of 15,000 to a borough of 3000 maybe?

North Conway, NH

 

[castleview]

Good suggestions but keep in mind that Madison, Guilford, Nyack and Ridgefield require a good sized budget…especially that last two. Newtown is pricey too, but you can get in there if you're willing to take a fixer upper or very small house. Though my sister is currently looking there and most houses on the lower end of the price range are getting several offers.

 

[npmommie]

Keene, NH. We moved here from Saratoga County (western side, more rural). When we were first moving out, DH said Keene was "like Saratoga, without the snootiness".

We don't have a regular mall, but plenty of standard stores. For malls, we head to Nashua or down to Amherst, MA. Winters are milder than Saratoga's. And there's no state sales or income tax. The only thing is, I don't know that you could get away without owning a car. We know several families that just have one, though.

I think NH would be much cheaper to live in than CT or NY. The housing costs aren't different, really, but the taxes are much lower.

We love to shop in Keene! Lots of good stores! I hate malls, so Keene is good for me! My kids love going in the store on the common with toys and kitchen stuff.....i forget the name, but it used to be in that old brick mill shopping center.
Love the main st. Last time we were there we ate at that funnynlittle diner on the side st. It looks so gross but the food was so good.LOL
Pappagallos is our other fav and Sams

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Williamstown, MA is nice, too.

Like out of a movie!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

We love to shop in Keene! Lots of good stores! I hate malls, so Keene is good for me! My kids love going in the store on the common with toys and kitchen stuff.....i forget the name, but it used to be in that old brick mill shopping center.
Love the main st. Last time we were there we ate at that funnynlittle diner on the side st. It looks so gross but the food was so good.LOL
Pappagallos is our other fav and Sams

Ingenuity is the place on Central Square. There's not much left in Colony Mill--True Necessities moved to Main St.

I haven't actually eaten at Lindy's Diner--we have 4 kids, so we don't eat out much. We LOVE Papagallo's, though. The one thing here is, I have yet to find decent Chinese food. But, there's Japanese, Thai, Mexican, etc., so no huge deal.

BTW, you may know that we're getting a Kohl's, where the Sears used to be. At least, that's what I've heard. I also heard a rumor that we're getting a Christmas Tree Shoppe where Borders used to be (by Target/Price Chopper). That would make my day!

The things I really miss from Saratoga County are Stewart's ice cream and Aldi's. There was talk of Aldi's coming into Brattleboro, VT, but none materialized. The closest for both is Bennington, VT. When we go back to NY, we bring a cooler and get a dozen or so half gallons of Stewart's.

 

[donac]

Red Bank NJ is a nice town with great shops and restaurants.

 

[luvwinnie]

I love Stockbridge, MA. Ogunquit, ME would be my first choice but too far from Philly.

 

[PatsMom]

North Conway, NH

Jackson NH is cuter. And taxes are lower. And they are only 20 miles apart! JAckson is the epitome of cutesy. Restaurants, shops, skiing, hiking, golf, etc.
And no outlets to clutter up the scenery unless you go into North Conway!

 

[npmommie]

Ingenuity is the place on Central Square. There's not much left in Colony Mill--True Necessities moved to Main St.

I haven't actually eaten at Lindy's Diner--we have 4 kids, so we don't eat out much. We LOVE Papagallo's, though. The one thing here is, I have yet to find decent Chinese food. But, there's Japanese, Thai, Mexican, etc., so no huge deal.

BTW, you may know that we're getting a Kohl's, where the Sears used to be. At least, that's what I've heard. I also heard a rumor that we're getting a Christmas Tree Shoppe where Borders used to be (by Target/Price Chopper). That would make my day!

The things I really miss from Saratoga County are Stewart's ice cream and Aldi's. There was talk of Aldi's coming into Brattleboro, VT, but none materialized. The closest for both is Bennington, VT. When we go back to NY, we bring a cooler and get a dozen or so half gallons of Stewart's.

I used to like going in Colony Mill
Oh you made my day , a christmas tree shop and Kohls! Yay! I only ever went in that Sears for the Lands End stuff, i do like the JC Penney across the street, i usually have good luck in there.
That would be great if xmas tree shop went intomthe plaza with the target, that would actually be a good spot for the Kohls too.

We live in an area with no shopping so i have to go 40 min in any direction so Keene is always high on the list.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Ithaca NY

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I used to like going in Colony Mill
Oh you made my day , a christmas tree shop and Kohls! Yay! I only ever went in that Sears for the Lands End stuff, i do like the JC Penney across the street, i usually have good luck in there.
That would be great if xmas tree shop went intomthe plaza with the target, that would actually be a good spot for the Kohls too.

We live in an area with no shopping so i have to go 40 min in any direction so Keene is always high on the list.

I think Kohl's is a definite--a lot of work has been going on in that plaza/storefront. Christmas Tree Shop is just a rumor--my DD's nurse mentioned it would be opening up next year, and we were lamenting that it should aim for October, capture the holiday shopping crowd.

I do love a lot about Keene--lots of cultural stuff, very outdoorsy, feels like a small town, even though there's lots of stuff here.