Best Small Towns in New England to Live [or buy a home]

Sorry about the Kennebunkport ME arrow being over Oklahoma. When I fixed something else it got messed up and didn't catch it.

What I like about Briggs videos is finding places I've actually been. Since more than half of my professional life has been overseas it's rare to find more than one place in the US that I have actually seen in person. This video not only referenced places I've been but actually had photos of specific buildings. The large white building in Stockbridge, the Norman Rockwell Museum, I've been past so many times that I recognized it instantly, but I always thought it was a hotel and never went inside. For those who like museums, that particular style of painting, cute [lovely and expensive] small towns, there is a town, Cushing, Maine, devoted to Andrew Wyeth, where one can visit a couple of museums and the house in the painting Christina's World [The painting itself is in the MoMA in NYC]. The whole New England coast has many nice, quaint and barely affordable places. I stayed for a week in Newburyport, MA with a view of the bay full of sailboats, and with an exquisite seafood restaurant around the corner from a pricey French restaurant. The title of this video could have been, "if you enjoy having your wallet emptied in beautiful surroundings you don't have to go to Europe, just come to New England!?

Crowded tourist destinations are, as alluded to in the video, an issue for some people, though it must be an attraction for many, given the crowds. Edgartown was as lovely as described, but in October, when the tourist season was supposedly over, the town was so crowded we joked that you need a reservation for space on the sidewalks. We stayed in a tent and traveled around on rented bicycles. The beaches were empty but the water [NOT the air] was warm enough for swimming. Thanks a bunch, Briggs, for making our crowds of tourists even bigger!

Best towns are like best pizzas, everyone has their own personal favorites.

I question your arrow for Kennebuckport, ME

Try Wiscasset and Bath in Maine. AVOID Blue Hill (WAY too expensive!)--Bob Bailey in Maine

Dude!! You were on a roll with that screenplay right up to living happily ever after and Amazon stuff. Really onto something. Washboard stomach guy loses you RW and gets gains weight... beer belly etc.

Mostly tourists traps.
Seasonal labor, high motel prices, wicked bad traffic

Dude. A small New England town?
Dude Peyton Place dude.
Signed;

The Confused Dude 😮

I’m not sure how Jackson Village, NH and Chatham, MA did not make #1 and #2 on this list.

Kennebunkport Oklahoma is a banger for sure lol.

This list should be renamed to "best small towns in new england that only the rich can afford to live in". lol

To be fair these aren't all "small towns" but rather ones with NE character. One thing you didn't mention regarding Oak Bluffs is the HORRIBLE tourist traffic. It nearly makes navigating the town impossible and it's even difficult to get groceries. Plus you're beholden to ferry schedules. Many of these towns are nice but are completely unaffordable for most. Some of my favorite towns in NE include: In CT: Woodstock, Pomfret, Old Lyme. In RI Narraganssett, Westerly and in Mass: Turner's Falls, Shelburne Falls, North Adams, In VT: Bennington, Manchester, Woodstock, In NH: Lincoln, N. Conway, in Maine: Bridgton, Longlake,

I live in Foxboro which is a strange town since you got forests and lakes on the south side with no people for a couple square miles, meanwhile you got the north side with Gillette stadium that has tens of thousands of people during a concert or game💀its like living on the countryside and time's square all at once

I would add my following faves: Amherst, MA, Woodstock, VT and Gloucester, MA. Their main attractions, aside from beauty are respectively: culture & education, skiing & hiking and great beaches. Plus, the areas in & nearby are great film locations!

If you see water in these towns, better bring 1 million for your down payment for your future shack.

I really enjoyed this video. Thank you so much for sharing. 👍🇺🇸🙏🏼

Hanover iselistist

We don’t want people to move to NE , thepeoplewhobuilt. The village can’t live in the village any more

I live in southern NH and am fairly close to Chester, VT.

Kennebunkport is a beautiful spot! Great town between May-New Years! Lovely beaches and restraunts! KENNEBUNKPORT is a cute little spot around the holidays with many activities for the entire family! Worth a visit

Except for Bristol, RI, this vidro is totally off the mark, featuring tourist havens, not real working communities, which abound. But I ain't tellin'.

dont do this i dont want any shit bags moveing in

You might want to update this the clam shack is not in Kennebunkport. It’s actually in Kennebunk two different towns.

stay out of brookfield. we don't want any more people.

I guess Stowe is pretty good. It was good enough for the von Trapp family. While your in Stockbridge look for Alice's restaurant, you can get anything you want. I once stopped in front of Walker Point to look for something in my trunk not knowing who lived there. The the Secret Service showed up instantly and made me leave.

We have a saying in the area surrounding Stowe, Vt. "The nice thing about Stowe is that it right next door to Vermont." It is not the real Vt. It is a tourist trap.

Chester VT and Bristol RI are probably the most affordable. The rest are pretty heavy duty cost wise. This is a pretty high-end list.

You are right about Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Wonderful

Good info video! Thank you!

Lolz that covered bridge you used for Hanover is in Lincoln, NH, not even close to Hanvoer 🤣 I grew up in Hanover, and it was an absolutely wonderful place to spend my childhood. I'm grateful every day that I grew up there and am so sad my family left the area. Nothing beats Hanover in Autumn.

Manchester VT is a wonderful mountain town.

You should change the title to "Best Rich Towns in New England".

Send the invaders from the border to New friggin England. Screw New England!

Hi Briggs, great video. I was wondering if you know of some small towns in NE with a good amount of diversity. One of the nice things about living in the city is all the different kinds of people who live there and it'd be nice to find a town in NE that isn't too homogeneous. Thank you.

I have been to Essex Connecticut many times as a native of Connecticut That town has a stream train that people can ride.

No one wants to live in the same town as the Bushwackers unless they are commie shady and on their side.

Been to Bar Harbor and am a member to the Cadillac mountain sunrise club.

Milford ct No , 1 on my book mr briggs😮😅😅

So sad to know we are rapidly losing these small towns. I live in a town near Boulder, CO and it has almost doubled it’s population in 30 years 😮😢 Thanks CA!!

The only reason that Stowe makes the list is because of Mtm Mansfield. Otherwise nothing special.

Include Portsmouth, NH in one of your New England videos…it’s ADORABLE! Right up there with Kennebunkport. I’ve lived in both.

This is the first video of yours that I’ve watched, and I enjoyed it immensely! Just subscribed, and I’m going to watch more.

These towns are cold more than warm, too expensive in 2023

Surprised you didn’t include western Middlesex county in Massachusetts - towns like Concord, Sudbury, Wayland, Weston, and Lexington.

Longmeadow ( west mass )

Kennebunkport is a s**thole.