Nestled in the northeastern corner of the United States, New England is composed of a few states, and most towns and villages are absolutely beautiful, with gorgeous houses, traffic-free walkable streets lined with trees that are renowned for their autumn leaves. It’s an irony that this area of ‘New England’ was inspired by our real England, which often has clone towns full of litter, clone town shops, boarded up houses and little nature. What can we learn from our American neighbours over the pond?
‘New England’ was named after travellers from Plymouth (Devon), who first settled there, to gain religious freedom. There are several cities in New England that share town or city names (including Plymouth, Portsmouth and New London).
Many US states protect their forests and wildlife more than we do. Virginia and West Virginia have similar climates to us but retain parks and historic buildings (and their deer and bottlenose dolphins have gone from endangered to thriving). 62% of Virginia is made up of hardwood broad-leaved trees and you’ll also find rare wildflowers, big-eared bats and black bears roaming the mountains.
The city of Richmond is looked after lovingly by residents and government. No chopping down forests or old buildings here! This is the home of the Blue Ridge Mountains (from the song The Trail of the Lonesome Pine – Stan Laurel was from Ulverstone in Cumbria).
There are pretty sailing harbours and nice towns with indie shops, and a quiet elegance that you don’t find elsewhere in the US. It’s fairly liberal in its politics (interestingly, states like Texas that use the death penalty have more crime than here, where most people here are firmly against). People think that’s more to do with preventive crime which involves people having nice lifestyles, rather than getting tanked up on drink and drugs and going on shooting sprees etc.
The Elegance of New England Architecture
New England’s small towns are full of charming buildings, which tell stories of centuries past. From dignified Colonial homes to charming Cape Cod cottages, each style contributes to the towns’ unique character. Colonial homes often feature gabled roofs and large central chimneys.
Cape Cod homes have steep roofs sand modest one-storey designs, and are particularly common on New England’s coast, reflecting the practical needs of early settlers.
New England Parks and Conservation Areas
As well as numerous green parks, places like the White Mountains and Acadia National Park offer hiking, camping, and wildlife watching. These natural havens provide a peaceful retreat and a chance to connect with nature.
Each season brings its own charm to New England. The vibrant autumn foliage is world-renowned, drawing visitors from across the globe. In winter, towns transform into walking wonderlands.
Impact of Small Town Living
Residents in small New England towns regularly participate in volunteer work, fostering a strong sense of belonging. This engagement fosters community bonds, and ensures that everyone feels part of the area. This is likely one reason why crime here is far lower than say Texas.
New England small towns have artisan vegan bakeries that you walk to for morning coffee, not drive-through McDonald’s to order cheeseburgers on your way to get stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway!
The Six States of New England
There are 6 New England states, several border the Canadian French province of Quebec:
Connecticut is a small state with rolling mountains, and faces the Atlantic coast. Towns (many very wealthy like Westport) centre around small parks, often with white churches and falling leaves. However warmer temperatures due to climate change are bringing increasing number of ticks and flooding by the coastal marshes, with rising sea levels.
Maine is the largest state (making up almost half of New England) which relies heavily on tourism to its coastal villages and cities (Portland and Augusta). The Sunrise Guide is a coupon book that sells itself due to containing thousands of dollars worth of money-off coupons for small green shops and services, with fundraising opportunities for local schools. Local green campaigner Amara Ifeji says her favourite place in Maine is Chick Hill, which ‘in the fall with the foliage, kind of looks like a Bob Ross painting’.
Massachusetts is home to the city of Boston (Native American for ‘place with hills’). This is where the pilgrims landed from England and is indeed named after the Lincolnshire town. Home to many prestigious universities, it was also where the anti-slavery movement began. Home to the USA’s oldest park and subway, over 15% of Bostonians walk to work (more than anywhere in the USA).
Its nickname is ‘Beantown’, due to being the beginning of baked beans – haricot beans in tomato sauce. However there is a tragic history back from 1919, when a storage tank of 2 million gallons of molasses burst and the hot syrup flowed through the town killing 21 people, many horses and also injured several people. Although molasses spills are easier to clean up than oil spills, as an unregulated product, molasses spills can cause great damage.
A spill in Honolulu in 2013 killed over 26,000 fish and 17,000 corals (one diver sent to examine the seabed said ‘The entire bottom is covered with dead fish – small fish, crabs, mole, crabs, eels. I didn’t see a single living thing underwater’.
New Hampshire is a small state, with the flower and bird emblems being the lilac and purple finch. It’s home to lakes and mountains, autumn leaves and is the first state to vote in Presidential primaries.Mount Washington holds the record for the highest measured wind speed (excluding tornadoes and tropical cyclones).
Rhode Island is the smallest US state, known for its beautiful bays and waterways and the city of Providence. Despite its size, Newport has over 400 miles of coast, and 21 lighthouses (one is named Ida Lewis, after a woman who took over duties when her father had a stroke, and saved at least 18 people).
Vermont is known for producing the best maple syrup. It has over 800 lakes and ponds, more than 7000 miles of rivers and streams and over 200 mountains. It’s also home to thousands of black bears and moose (just like Sweden!)
East Coasting is a beautifully illustrated guide to New England. From Connecticut to Maine and inland destinations in Vermont and New Hampshire, the book includes weekend trips to the Berkshires (a rural mountain region of pretty villages and towns) and crosses the border to Canada’s Nova Scotia. Find museums, bookstores, foods and ferry rides, or admire the changing leaves of New England trees. Or enjoy a beautiful snowy day.
