If you’ve ever visited the beautiful New England states in the USA, you will be both pleasantly surprised (yet aghast) that these six areas look more like England, than England actually does:
- Vermont (above)
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
All are home to quiet roads, pretty white churches on hills, farm gates that open to countryside, maple trees, protected village greens, clean villages (no litter) and community shops in town squares.
In England, we increasingly have litter-strewn streets with empty shops (or mobile phone or vape shops), out-of-town supermarkets and roads clogged with traffic.
Today, the real England sometimes feels like 50 million people, driving around a motorway forever. Paul Kingsnorth
New – England. The clue’s in the name. Many of these places were first landed in by settlers (which is why many of the cities and towns are named the same – Plymouth, Boston etc). But here the old buildings have not been replaced by large skyscrapers, and the trees remain.
People enjoy going for woodland strolls, sit by the riverside, and look up at big skies, that still enjoy panoramic views. Locals can meet up for coffee, then browse the independent bookstores. And perhaps walk to the nearby farmers’ market, to find pumpkins in autumn to make soup and pie!
At the coast, small harbours have little boats bobbing in clean seas, and people visit preserved lighthouses, to learn of history, and take in the sea air.
Conservation does not happen by accident in the New England states. There are huge protection laws everywhere, leading to hundreds of miles of public footpaths, and vast belts of woodland like Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest.
Life Moves Slower in New England
Rhode Island, DolceLoca
Here people walk to local shops, and farm shops sell slow-grown organic produce. Children run across grass lawns without worry, and there are plenty of green spaces to walk dogs, or let them play.
The birdsong is still present here, not masked by 24-hour light pollution or road traffic noise. Nor bellowing noise coming from all-night pubs. Families and friends find time to talk, and the white wooden churches are still part of daily life in the community. You can still hear and feel the rustle of trees in the breeze.
The Sunrise Guide is a coupon book in Maine, that is a great idea we could use. Each year, it produces tips on green living, with discount codes for small green shops and services. The books sell themselves (they pay for themselves in no time). And schools and non-profits can buy them on a sell-or-return basis, to raise local funds.
Main’s green campaigner Amara Ifeji says her favourite place is Chick Hill. Which in autumn foliage, ‘kind of looks like a Bob Ross painting’.
Stunning Buildings, Friendly Villages
The architecture in New England is truly stunning. From colonial mansions to red brick townhouses, the churches all have white steeples and clapboard homes are built in neat grids, within walkable communities.
Inspired by Georgian English buildings, the simple detail is also found in meeting houses (Quakers had a strong influence here, which still remains in the simple yet beautiful building styles).
Even the town halls are beautiful places to visit and view. Summer brings music at local bandstands, and historic inns offer comfy beds, good coffee and home-cooked food. Old mills have been turned into artisan bakeries or artist studios. And streets keep their small-scale scale, so people walk, meet and chat. These towns have not lost their souls.
