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The idea of New England charm or a town being very New England has alot to do with the fact that New England towns are so much older than other parts of the country. In many New England towns the majority of the buildings are sometimes hundreds of years old. The pilgrims built towns in very specific arcaic ways. At the center of town was always a large purtian church. The churches tend to be tall with vast steeples, perhaps some stain glass but very simple and very stripped down. A meeting house designed for political discourse as well as the local pub and tavern always flank the church in the very center part of town. The mills, smoke stacks, rolling farm land and ancient hospitals and librays have been more or the less the same exact thing sense the times of John Adams. These are very simple things found any where but New Englanders take huge pride not only in there history and heritage but in perserving that history and heritage. Despite it's deep cultural heritage not much changes in New England and that's how locals seem to want it. Ancient buildings sit vacent for years simply because nobody can bring themselves to tear it down. This rabid obsessive connection to there areas roots is VERY New England and the towns look reflect the New Englanders keen sense of heritage. The only place that matches it's exterme cultural bent is the south. But the purtian single share farmers built there super puritan irish scottish english towns very differntly than southern planation states thus they look very different. People in New England refuse to use modern buildings thus schools often are as old the war in 1812. You see free mason structures around and other wierd old time things that don't really fit in todays world. Combine the wierd time warp one expieriences when they go to New England with the hustle and bustle and loudness of a fast paced tough hearted culture with the sheer beauty of the landscape (the changing colors, the massive rivers, the forest, farms and the harvest) with boston red sox fan posters hanging up and you got yourself it's own kind of region. Furthering this is the fact that most new england states are adverse to chain stores. Wall marts and outbacks do exist but in much less frequent numbers thus the grocery store, gas station and paint store are often mom and pop places. A rare thing in modern america. I have always said New England towns remind one of a norman rockwell painting.
New England towns tend to be on the whole much prettier than the average american town. Angelic forests, mystical rivers, mysterious buildings and a culture bred with a definite artisitic bent make New England very pretty. However the streets are to small, to narrow and the trains block up traffic. Despite an acute sense of quaintness New Englanders tend to be a sproadic, fast moving, gruff, matter of fact about bussiness type and these pretty towns are very bustling,, loud, even a bit rough. New Englanders honk there horn almost on insticnt and scream at strangers for trival considerations. Not because there mean spirited so much as they are utterly unintrested in you.
You know your in New England when your on a covered bridge overlooking a vast river, the towns steeples shade in the back round as the harvest trucks bring in the apples and syrup during the harvest. The truck has a red sox sticker on it, an obama sticker on it and a boston strong lisence plate. You think I have never seen anything so cute, so pretty so like a movie. Than some wierdo factory worker strolls by and manages to incite an arguement with you. His insults tend to not insult so much as puzzle as you are never quiet sure what you did to **** the guy off. You just know you have. You walk a few blocks towards the church and you notice how majastic it appears. Lying on the grass next to the church is a homeless heron addict undergoing some personal crisis. Often he wants a ride or money. You think these people are weird. These people are tough. From the barber shop one hears the sounds of the conclusion of a ball game. The sox have won the division and the entire town including the brash stranger and dope fiend are suddenly very happy. Very brotherly lovish and very friendly. New England. The best and worse place at the exact same time
NEW ENGLAND STRONG FOREVER
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