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Change of lifestyle needed! Does anyone have good insight about both of these areas? Looking for: aesthetic charm and beauty near the water, arts and culture, with city-like amenities in terms of gastronomy and unique shops in a year-round, vibrant community. We are self-employed and yearning for a much needed change from the dull drums of suburban CT. Want to be close to Boston or Providence and the ocean/bay without living right in the city . . . But also concerned about whether these towns as beautiful as they are, might quickly feel "too small".
Change of lifestyle needed! Does anyone have good insight about both of these areas? Looking for: aesthetic charm and beauty near the water, arts and culture, with city-like amenities in terms of gastronomy and unique shops in a year-round, vibrant community. We are self-employed and yearning for a much needed change from the dull drums of suburban CT. Want to be close to Boston or Providence and the ocean/bay without living right in the city . . . But also concerned about whether these towns as beautiful as they are, might quickly feel "too small".
Bristol is a very small town, you're in and out of it quickly, and the traffic in and out of Bristol in the summer can be daunting. If you want RI, then Little Compton or Tiverton would be a better choice, or consider Westerly as well.
In MA:
Cohasset MA, Ipswich MA, Newburyport MA, Gloucester MA, Manchester By the Sea;
or
Marion MA, Mattapoisset MA, Westport MA, Dartmouth MA; and several other small southeastern MA quaint towns would put you halfway between Providence and Cape Cod.
Newburyport is much bigger than Bristol and LC and Tiverton are even smaller. Newburyport has a lot of touristy shopping but also a nice boardwalk. Bristol is less touristy but trying hard to be more touristy. It's closer to Prov than Newburyport is to Boston.
Add Newport (a larger town with plenty of its own amenities) and Wickford (small) in RI. But virtually any of the mentioned towns would work since you're self employed. Just a matter of deciding budget (none will be cheap) how far out you want to be and which one you like best.
I wouldn't call Bristol a very small village, after all it has numerous nice restaurants and bars, and some very stately historic homes/mansions on Main St., an active historic wharf/ship building area, cultural amenities: the Hereshoff Museum, Coggeshall Farm, Blithwold, the DeWolf mansion, a university, the East Bay Bike Path, the ferry to PI, and 'the' parade. With the nearby towns, Warren, Newport, you'd never feel it too small. It's a beautiful, important historic town. From what I recall Newburyport has a lot more new development and is much busier, as is usually the case anywhere near Boston.
Last edited by Saltatrix; 04-11-2013 at 05:56 PM..
Thanks for the feedback! Love the idea that Bristol is just 15 miles from Providence as well as from Newport, offering access to many terrific cultural and dining options -- although the drive seems to take over 30 minutes, without traffic. (Saltatrix, what is the ferry to PI?). On the other hand, and this is where I'm quite torn, Bristol doesn't seem to have the rich, self contained walkable downtown that Newburyport has. I could imagine not having to be as dependent on driving in NBPT. I question whether living in Bristol day-to-day would quickly feel too small. Also, does a lot of the area seem pretty rundown in and around Bristol?
Does anyone know how the rail trail is that runs through there, in terms of safety and quality? Does it actually run all the way from Providence to Newport? And where are the closest, nicest beach areas?
Let me correct my statement on NBPT- it's actually a few thousand smaller population wise than Bristol- Bristol just feels more intimate and compact to me. There is less of a commercial district than NBPT, shops, etc. but I found a lot of NBPT shops to be just high priced gift shops for the tourists.
I know people who lived many years in NBPT (they left because they needed a better high school) and am quite familiar with the town. In many ways it shares characteristics with Bristol- both have a sizable blue collar population, both are tourist destinations, both have a nice waterfront area and are loaded with historic homes. Both have had recent waterfront condo development.
I believe you're talking about the East Bay bike path. It terminates in Bristol and runs 17 miles to Providence. Unless you're referring to the Newport dinner train which is actually on a rail? PI is Prudence Island.
I think your concerns about places being boring just tie in to size. 18- 20,000 is a small town anywhere. If you want loads of amenities, you've go to go bigger. Have you considered living in Newport?
Bristol is a very small town, you're in and out of it quickly, and the traffic in and out of Bristol in the summer can be daunting. If you want RI, then Little Compton or Tiverton would be a better choice, or consider Westerly as well.
In MA:
Cohasset MA, Ipswich MA, Newburyport MA, Gloucester MA, Manchester By the Sea;
or
Marion MA, Mattapoisset MA, Westport MA, Dartmouth MA; and several other small southeastern MA quaint towns would put you halfway between Providence and Cape Cod.
If you are in Asheville now, you'd LOVE Newport. Newport is a classier cleaned up oceanfront version of Asheville. You'll give up the mountains for beaches harbor and ocean views. Asheville has the Biltmore. Newport has the Breakers the Marble House, Rose Cliff, the Astors Beechwood, the Hunter House and much more! Newport is much more touristy than Asheville. That is the down side.
If you want safety from natural and potential SHTF events/disasters RI and MA are NOT where you want to be.
If you are in Asheville now, you'd LOVE Newport. Newport is a classier cleaned up oceanfront version of Asheville. You'll give up the mountains for beaches harbor and ocean views. Asheville has the Biltmore. Newport has the Breakers the Marble House, Rose Cliff, the Astors Beechwood, the Hunter House and much more! Newport is much more touristy than Asheville. That is the down side.
If you want safety from natural and potential SHTF events/disasters RI and MA are NOT where you want to be.
Emily sweetheart, appreciate your post, but #1, we are not in Asheville, about 30 miles from Asheville; in an awesome pristine part of this gorgeous area in the Blue Ridge Mtns. #2, I am well aware of what Rhode Island is, was, and has become in the past several years and have no interest whatsoever in the state. I appreciate your efforts, but as a RI native for over 50 years, it's simply a place to visit what little family and friends remain there. I get nauseous just walking thru TF Green Airport, or driving on Rt. 95. Most family and friends have left for other areas and are also quite content; two of them are packing to leave as we speak. One going to NC the other to AZ. If I want a sandy beach, I can go to my condo in FL. If I have a need to swim, I can use my own pool overlooking the mountains. If I want to see a mansion, I can look at them in a magazine; that's about the extent of my interest in old mansions, even the Biltmore Estate means nothing to me.
There is NO comparison whatsoever, not in location, weather, amenities, scenic beauty, cost of living, excellence in healthcare, art, culture, not to mention the grace and kindness of the southern folks; and so on and so forth. Since you are residing in South Carolina, I'm sure you would appreciate living in the Blue Ridge Mountains even more. We are very safe here, the air is clean, the traffic is slow, there is no stress, and the weather is sweet up here!
But thanks for the post.
Last edited by QuilterChick; 04-12-2013 at 06:36 PM..
I honestly wouldn't give points to either Bristol or Newburyport for arts and culture and city-like amenities such as unique shops.
I'm thinking more Southshore of MA.. such as Plymouth/Duxbury. I think Plymouth has very interesting shopping.....more so than either Bristol or Newburyport.
Do be advised though that there are issues now with new FEMA maps/flood insurance ratings....and a difficult ho insurance market for homes near the water.
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