9 Wallet-Friendly Small Towns To Retire In New England
In Littleton, New Hampshire, a candy shop called Chutters holds a Guinness record for the world's longest candy counter. It is a sweet reminder of how much character small New England towns pack in. Away from the coast and the big suburbs, towns like it still sell homes below their state's median price, according to the Census Bureau. Most also have a hospital in town or nearby and a downtown worth walking. Long winters come with the territory, but so do covered bridges, mill museums, and mountain trails.
Augusta, Maine
Maine's capital sits on the Kennebec River, and the paved Kennebec River Rail Trail runs along the water for easy walks and bike rides. MaineGeneral Medical Center serves the region, and state government provides a steady base of services. Augusta is also one of the more affordable places in Maine to buy a home, with a median value of about $201,000.
Old Fort Western, built in 1754, is billed as the oldest surviving wooden fort in the United States, and its staff in period dress explain colonial life on the river. The Maine State Museum, next to the State House, covers everything from prehistoric life to the state's logging and shipbuilding history. The Viles Arboretum on the edge of town has quiet trails through woods and gardens.
Farmington, Maine
Farmington is the hometown of Chester Greenwood, who patented earmuffs in 1877, and each December the town celebrates Chester Greenwood Day with a parade. The University of Maine at Farmington gives this small town in the western foothills a college atmosphere, with concerts, lectures, and a library open to the community. Franklin Memorial Hospital provides care in town.
The Farmington Fair brings agricultural exhibits and harness racing each September. Mount Blue State Park, about a half-hour north, offers a lake beach and hiking with views of the western mountains. Homes here have a median value of about $167,000.
Laconia, New Hampshire
Each summer, the MS Mount Washington cruises Lake Winnipesaukee from its dock at Weirs Beach, Laconia's lakeside district with a boardwalk and public beach. The city sits between Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Winnisquam and has a full hospital, part of Concord Hospital, along with the services of the Lakes Region's largest community. The median home value of about $340,000 is well below the New Hampshire median.
The WOW Trail, a paved path between the lakes, is popular for walking and biking. The Belknap Mill, built in 1823, is one of the oldest unaltered brick textile mills in the country and now hosts exhibits and events. Each June, Laconia Motorcycle Week, one of the oldest motorcycle rallies in the country, fills the city with riders.
Littleton, New Hampshire
A covered footbridge crosses the Ammonoosuc River to a restored grist mill in Littleton, and a riverwalk follows the water behind downtown. The town at the northern edge of the White Mountains has Littleton Regional Healthcare and a Main Street lined with independent shops, including the record-holding candy counter at Chutters. Homes have a median value of about $283,000.
Littleton is the birthplace of Eleanor H. Porter, author of Pollyanna, and a statue of her optimistic heroine stands outside the library. Franconia Notch State Park and the trails of the White Mountains are about 20 minutes south.
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Albert Bierstadt's enormous painting The Domes of the Yosemite hangs in the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, a library and art gallery that reflects the town's unusual cultural legacy. Much of it came from the Fairbanks family, whose scale company made them wealthy in the 1800s. The Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium displays thousands of natural history specimens in a Victorian building.
Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital provides care, and the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, a long multi-use path, begins nearby. In this corner of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, homes carry a median value of about $178,000, well below the state median.
Bennington, Vermont
The Bennington Battle Monument, a stone obelisk more than 300 feet tall, is the tallest structure in Vermont, and an elevator carries visitors to an observation level with views into three states. Bennington, in the state's southwest corner, has Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in town and a median home value of about $213,000.
The Bennington Museum holds the largest public collection of paintings by Grandma Moses, who lived nearby. Robert Frost is buried in the cemetery of the Old First Church, and three covered bridges are within a short drive of downtown.
North Adams, Massachusetts
The former factory complex in North Adams is now MASS MoCA, one of the largest contemporary art museums in the country. Natural Bridge State Park preserves a white marble arch carved by glacial meltwater, and the summit road up Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts, starts nearby. The Mohawk Trail, a scenic highway, climbs east out of town through the hills.
Homes here have a median value of about $196,000, roughly a third of the Massachusetts median, which makes North Adams one of the more affordable towns in the state. Berkshire Health Systems provides emergency and outpatient care in town, with a full hospital in Pittsfield about 25 minutes away.
Putnam, Connecticut
Antique shops fill the brick buildings of downtown Putnam, an old mill town in Connecticut's rural northeast corner that has reinvented itself as an antiques destination. The River Mills Heritage Trail follows the Quinebaug River past old mill sites, and the Bradley Playhouse stages community theater in a restored building on Main Street.
Day Kimball Hospital is in town, and the median home value of about $269,000 sits below the state median. The rolling farmland of the surrounding Quiet Corner offers country drives, orchards, and farm stands.
Burrillville, Rhode Island
Burrillville is the most wooded part of Rhode Island, a surprise to anyone who thinks of the state only as coastline. The northwest corner town is a collection of villages, including Pascoag and Harrisville. The George Washington Management Area offers lakes, camping, and trails through state forest, and Pulaski Memorial State Forest has a small beach on Peck Pond.
In Harrisville, the Assembly Theatre stages community productions in a historic hall. Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket is about 15 minutes away. Homes have a median value of about $384,000, below the state median.
Retiring In New England For Less
These nine towns show that New England's small-town appeal does not require coastal prices. Each offers homes below its state median, with healthcare and things to do nearby. Before choosing, budget for heating oil or propane and compare property taxes, which vary widely between towns. It is also worth spending a February weekend in the place you are considering.
