New England has long attracted tourists and seniors alike with its rocky Atlantic coastal views and its distinctive old-timey streets, from historic seaports to classic riverside mill towns. For seniors looking to settle down on the East Coast, the region is also home to several affordable towns that balance savings and classic charm. Mystic, Connecticut, delivers quintessential coastal living on the Mystic River, anchored by the Mystic Seaport Museum and waterfront dining. And Pittsfield, in Massachusetts, offers a cozy mountain vibe in the Berkshires, with easy access to Pittsfield State Forest and the Colonial Theatre.
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Located in the heart of the Berkshires, Pittsfield is one of western Massachusetts’ more cost-effective choices for retirees who want mountain scenery without Boston-area price tags. Day-to-day expenses can feel more manageable compared to many other New England communities, and Pittsfield’s typical home value hovers around $378,000, keeping homeownership within reach for more budgets.
The Berkshire Mountains provide some of Pittsfield’s most appealing views and outdoor recreation. Pittsfield State Forest features miles of trails, scenic picnic areas, and access to Berry Pond, the highest natural body of water in Massachusetts. Back in town, residents can keep things lively with cultural attractions like the Berkshire Museum and the Colonial Theatre, which hosts concerts, performances, and special events throughout the year.
For an easy way to stay active, the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail is a local favorite. This scenic path runs alongside lakes and wetlands, giving retirees a peaceful place to walk or bike while soaking in classic Berkshire views.
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Berlin, New Hampshire
Aerial view of Berlin, New Hampshire.
Named one of 2024’s “10 Best Places to Retire in New Hampshire” by NewHomeSource, Berlin is renowned for its affordability. The overall cost of living here is 21% lower than the US average and 26% below New Hampshire’s. But Berlin’s standout way to save is its housing costs—Zillow’s typical home value sits around $243,000, a figure that helps explain why Berlin remains a budget-friendly New England pick.
Along with classic small-town attractions like the North Country Bowling Center, Berlin’s natural surroundings anchor the community. Main Street runs parallel to the Androscoggin River, meaning after-dinner views are a regular delight at spots like Fagin’s Pub and River’s Edge Takeout. With the addition of Berlin’s new 3,200-foot Riverwalk, residents can stay active while enjoying the sights of this beautiful waterway.
A few miles from downtown Berlin will bring you to another outdoor haven. Jericho Mountain State Park is Berlin’s top attraction in every season, with miles of trails for hiking, biking, and snowmobiling. This rugged park also has tons of scenic overlooks, picnic spots, and a swimming beach to enjoy in the summertime.
North Adams, Massachusetts
Main Street storefronts in North Adams, Massachusetts.
North Adams, Massachusetts, is another budget-friendly town for seniors seeking affordable housing. North Adams also offers an overall cost of living 25% below the Massachusetts average, meaning there are plenty of ways to embrace an affordable lifestyle.
Affordability shows up most clearly in the local housing market, where the typical home value in the North Adams area is around $247,000—often far less than what you’ll find in many parts of the state. While some affordable small towns are labeled “boring” for their lack of attractions and activities, that could not be further from the truth in North Adams. This “Museum Town” made the top 10 list of “2024 Best Places to Retire in Berkshire County” by Niche, with users noting the town’s art scene and culture. Highlights include the Berkshire Art Museum and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.
As the home of the Massachusetts College Of Liberal Arts, students and retirees alike are equally enthralled by the area’s natural landscape. Places like Natural Bridge State Park take the spotlight, offering a chance to see the only natural white marble bridge in all of North America. North Adams also serves as a gateway to a wealth of other picturesque landscapes and recreational opportunities. Whether boating at Windsor Lake, hiking the Hoosac Range Reserve, or taking the Cascades Trail for views of a 40-foot waterfall, natural beauty is around every corner.
Greenfield, Massachusetts
A beautiful street in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
Another cost-effective Massachusetts option is Greenfield, a welcoming Franklin County town with around 18,000 residents. Compared to many communities in eastern Massachusetts, housing here is generally more affordable, while the overall cost of living often lands below the state average. For retirees who want a relaxed pace of life with scenic surroundings, Greenfield is an appealing place to call home.
Greenfield sits near the meeting point of the Deerfield and Connecticut Rivers, giving the area easy access to water views and outdoor recreation. Energy Park, one of the community’s beloved green spaces, offers gardens, walking paths, and seasonal events. A short drive away, the Mohawk Trail—one of New England’s classic scenic routes—winds through mountain overlooks, forests, and charming small towns.
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That mix of scenery and value is part of the draw, especially with Greenfield’s typical home value landing around $324,000—often a gentler entry point than many Massachusetts markets. Nature lovers will also appreciate nearby Poet’s Seat Tower, where a short hike leads to panoramic views of the Connecticut River Valley. Combined with farmers markets, local arts, and quick access to western Massachusetts’ hills, Greenfield offers retirees a budget-friendly home base with plenty of scenery.
Mystic, Connecticut
Commercial dock in Mystic, Connecticut.
For another highly-rated retirement town, we can look to the charming community of Mystic, Connecticut. Niche rated this historic seaport village the #1 “Best Place to Retire in Connecticut” in 2024, applauding its attractions and coastal beauty. While housing is a bit more expensive here, the cost of living helps balance this out a bit, at 5% lower than the Connecticut average. Plus, with crime rates significantly below the national average, many are willing to spend a little more for increased peace of mind.
Similar to North Adams, Mystic boasts a variety of galleries and museums, such as the Mystic Museum of Art and the Denison Homestead Museum. Its shining attraction, however, is the Mystic Seaport Museum, the largest maritime museum in the country. With its remarkable collection of artifacts and a recreated seaport village, visitors can truly envision what life was like for 19th-century coastal New Englanders. For seniors interested in learning new skills, the museum also offers “See Classes” like Adult Beginner Sailing, Open Hearth Cooking, and Coopering for Beginners.
There are also plenty of ways to get out on the Mystic River in this namesake community. Whether boarding a Mystic River Cruise or docking your vessel at the Mystic Downtown Marina, boating is like breathing in this river town. And while prices can vary by neighborhood, the broader Mystic-area typical home value is around $400,000, reflecting the premium many retirees pay for that waterfront lifestyle.
Torrington, Connecticut
Coe Memorial Park in Torrington, Connecticut. Editorial credit: Mustafa H / Shutterstock.com.
Around two hours inland will bring us to Torrington, one of the most comfortable places to retire in Connecticut. Torrington offers a similar cost of living as Mystic, around 5% below the state average. With crime rates well below the state average, the similarities continue. However, the two towns differ in housing prices, with Torrington being the more affordable of the two. In fact, Torrington’s typical home value is about $287,000, making it an especially appealing option for retirees watching their budget.
In addition to historic and cultural attractions like the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum and Warner Theater, Torrington is famous for its state parks. Sunny Brook State Park is the more laid-back of the two, offering a blend of easy to moderate trails. The park’s senior-friendly paths take hikers through serene woodlands along the East Branch Naugatuck River. Similarly, Burr Pond State Park offers a tranquil escape with access to Burr Pond. The namesake centerpiece, an 85-acre manmade lake, is perfect for swimming, boating, and fishing. Locals can also enjoy scenic strolls along the 2.5-mile Walcott Trail, which traces the pond’s borders.
Central Falls, Rhode Island
Aerial view of Cogswell Tower in Central Falls, Rhode Island.
While the cost of living in Rhode Island is generally expensive compared to other states, you can still find affordable gems like Central Falls. Redfin (a real estate brokerage company) named this Rhode Island town the first of “10 Most Affordable Places to Live in Rhode Island in 2024.” A 3% lower cost of living compared to the Rhode Island average might not seem like much at first glance, but the savings add up.
Housing is where the difference really starts to show, and Central Falls’ typical home value sits around $371,000—often lower than many nearby Rhode Island markets while still keeping you close to Providence. As of 2024, NewHomeSource rated Central Falls #1 on their list of “The Best Places to Retire in Rhode Island.” Citing its “proximity to major cities” as a main perk, Central Falls residents have access to big-city attractions and healthcare facilities, like the Rhode Island Hospital in nearby Providence. For retirees looking to enjoy a gateway to urban centers without fully embracing life in the city, this Rhode Island town is the perfect in-between.
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Along with Providence attractions like the Roger Williams Park Zoo and the Providence Performing Arts Center, Central Falls offers countless small-town attractions for the perfect mix of lifestyles. Jenks Park is a charming local park in the center of town, ideal for your everyday dose of fresh air and footsteps. For a water-based adventure, Explorer River Tours is another popular Central Falls attraction, allowing locals to explore the Blackstone River and its scenic tributaries.
Newport, Vermont
Lake Memphremagog in Newport, Vermont.
For retirees seeking a small-town atmosphere with friendly locals and simple luxuries, consider the top-rated town of Newport. Its setting on the eastern shore of Lake Memphremagog gives the town a more out-of-the-way feel, resulting in a close-knit community. For introverted retirees, this means local attractions like the Newport Bike Path, MAC Center for the Arts, and Tavern on the Hill can be enjoyed at a tranquil pace.
With a cost of living 13% lower than the Vermont average and 12% lower than the US average, this means more of your savings can go toward leisure at Newport’s breathtaking reservoir. At 27 miles long, Lake Memphremagog is a beloved swimming, sailing, and fishing destination in the warmer months. Memphremagog Trails, on the other hand, can be enjoyed year-round. In the winter, these walking trails transform to snowshoe paths, granting stunning views of the lake in every season.
Another reason Newport stays on the “cost-effective” list is its housing: the town’s typical home value is around $247,000, leaving more room in the budget for lake days and weekend getaways. Locals can also appreciate the waters aboard a Northern Star Lake Cruise, listed as the #1 Outdoor Activity in Newport by TripAdvisor in 2024. The cruise is considered an international experience since three-quarters of Lake Memphremagog is in Quebec, Canada. For retirees who love to travel, Newport is also just a few hours from Quebec’s top cities: Montreal and Quebec City.
Montpelier, Vermont
The beautiful skyline of Montpelier, Vermont, in fall.
About an hour and a half south of Newport, Montpelier is a quintessential New England town beloved by seniors. As of the 2023 census, over 23% of its 7,991 locals are 65 and older, and it is easy to see why so many choose to retire here. With crime rates 7% lower than the national average, peace of mind is just one of the many reasons to call Montpelier home. In addition to homes being more affordable than the Vermont average, residents can enjoy the cost of living 6% lower than the national average and 7% lower than that of the rest of Vermont.
These affordable prices are even more remarkable when you consider Montepelier is the capital of Vermont. This means there is plenty to see and do here, from visiting the Vermont State House to touring the Vermont Historical Society Museum. Art and culture are also ingrained in the Montpelier lifestyle at places like the Lost Nation Theater and Artisans Hand Craft Gallery.
The town’s location in the Green Mountains along the Winooski River means outdoor recreation is equally popular. Green spaces like Hubbard Park take the spotlight, offering something to do in every season. With a scenic pond, countless picnic zones, and over 7 miles of hiking and skiing trails, this 200-acre park is the perfect daily escape—especially appealing for retirees who don’t mind that Montpelier’s typical home value is closer to $403,000 in exchange for capital-city amenities in a small-town setting.
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Lewiston, Maine
Aerial view of Lewiston, Maine. Editorial credit: James Aloysius Mahan V / Shutterstock.com.
Turning our attention to Maine, Lewiston stands out as one of the larger communities on this list, yet it still embraces that small-town atmosphere New England is famous for. Despite having just under 39,000 residents, the town remains close-knit by hosting a range of festivals and celebrations throughout the year. Of these, the Liberty Festival, Great Falls Balloon Festival, BrewFest, Holiday at the Plaza, and Riverfest are the most popular.
Lewiston’s location on the beautiful Androscoggin River (one of the longest rivers in Maine) means gorgeous scenes are always within reach. Whether strolling the Lewiston-Auburn Greenway Trails or taking a short drive to Androscoggin Riverlands State Park, this powerful waterway is one of Lewiston’s best features.
Affordability, however, is perhaps the very best part of calling Lewiston home. Living here will save you around 9% compared to the US average and 6% compared to elsewhere in Maine, and Lewiston’s typical home value is around $286,000—often leaving more of your nest egg for travel, hobbies, and a packed local events calendar. Adding to the allure, Lewiston locals also have access to a great range of healthcare facilities, including the Central Maine Medical Center and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center.
Bangor, Maine
Paul Bunyan’s statue in Bangor, Maine. Editorial credit: EWY Media / Shutterstock.com.
Located about two hours from Lewiston, Bangor is a hospitable town with an eclectic range of attractions. Nights on the town can be spent enjoying Vegas-style slots and live entertainment at the Hollywood Casino, while art enthusiasts may prefer visiting the Penobscot Theatre Company and Zillman Art Museum. Bangor’s other local museums are equally enticing, including the Cole Land Transportation Museum and Maine Discovery Museum.
For nature lovers and retirees looking to stay in shape, Bangor offers a fantastic variety of outdoor recreation areas. The town’s proximity to the Penobscot River makes strolls on the Penobscot River Walkway a great way to get your steps in. For a change of pace, the Orono Bog Boardwalk and Bangor City Forest are beautiful alternatives.
Given its diverse range of attractions and local healthcare facilities like St. Joseph Hospital and Northern Light Emergency Care, some assume that living in this casino town would come with a hefty price tag. In reality, Bangor residents pay 14% less than the national cost of living and 12% less than Maine’s—and with a typical home value around $274,000, it’s easier to keep monthly costs predictable.
Why Retire In These New England Towns?
Whether you are currently retired or nearing your golden years, deciding where to buy your final forever home can feel overwhelming, especially if you are on a budget. But if you are someone who loves the quintessential charms of New England, there are plenty of affordable towns to consider. Whether choosing the region for its down-to-earth locals, safe communities, rich history, or breathtaking landscapes, these nine cost-effective towns have it all. From Mystic’s historic seaport to Lewiston’s fabulous festivals, retiring in New England may be peaceful, but it is never dull.
Vermont’s affordability crisis is an interconnected crisis of housing, healthcare, and, until recently, child care. For years, a generation – my generation – has been sounding the alarm, and now we’re there. We have an estimated 19,000 open jobs. We are one of the most expensive places to live, with a crushing tax burden on working families, and more people are leaving Vermont than are moving here.
For too long, the approach has been to cut and consolidate in an attempt to save money. But austerity isn’t just harmful to working families and the employers struggling to recruit talent in Vermont—it’s an ineffective policy that fails to significantly lower the cost of living. If we’re serious about strengthening our workforce and improving quality of life, we need to focus on what has been proven to make a difference for working families: meaningful investments in healthcare and affordable housing.
Look at what we’ve achieved with Act 76, Vermont’s landmark child care bill. Business and economic leaders, legislators, and a statewide coalition of working families came together to make a public investment that has created over 1,200 new child care spots and 639 new jobs in less than three years. That’s at least 1,200 parents remaining in the workforce, plus hundreds of new employees. States across the nation are now looking to Vermont and what we achieved.
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Act 76’s investment in childcare has been a game-changer for households like mine. I was able to stay in the workforce and secure a child care spot for my 2.5-year-old in our community. If we can apply this same focused, data-informed investment model to the other aspects of our demographic crisis, we will grow our workforce, diversify our tax base, and reduce the cost of living for all Vermonters.
Consider healthcare. In 2024, premiums for individual plans in Vermont were among the highest in the nation, and employers saw premium increases as high as 35% over the last three years. These skyrocketing health insurance costs are responsible for a recent spike in property taxes across the state, as healthcare is now the largest driver of education spending and school budgets are funded through property taxes. Closing schools and consolidating districts doesn’t address healthcare costs and arguably does little to bring down the cost of owning a home or to stabilize the property taxes that fall most heavily on working Vermonters.
If we invest in expanding successful programs like Dr. Dynosaur to offer universal primary care to every Vermonter regardless of age or income, we could end the ruinously expensive trend of Vermonters rushing to hospital emergency departments for basic care. We could expand loan forgiveness and other scholarship opportunities for nurses and doctors, training the next generation of healthcare professionals while putting Vermont on a course to end its shortage of primary care providers.
But we can’t grow a workforce without housing. Vermont has set a goal of building 30,000 new homes by 2030. At less than 2,500 new homes per year, we’re moving at less than 10% of the speed this goal requires. We see steps in the right direction: the Community and Housing Infrastructure Program (CHIP) will kickstart housing development through public infrastructure development, and the “Tier 1” aspects of Act 181 will exempt cities, towns, and villages from Act 250. But our current housing strategy still depends on 251 towns and cities independently deciding to pull their weight. In short, municipalities still wield significant veto power over projects. We can’t afford to have some communities resist critically needed affordable housing, especially in areas with the infrastructure to support it. We must double our efforts to invest in the workers and infrastructure needed to build, while continuing to end duplicative and unnecessary restrictions.
We can make these badly-needed, interconnected investments without raising taxes on working families. First, we can ensure our budget is aligned with these specific, urgent priorities. Second, we can potentially consider new sources of revenue, including increasing the tax on second homes as well as on our highest income earners. Crucially, we must directly and specifically invest this new revenue into these priorities, which we know will lower costs for all Vermonters.
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In the years ahead, we face a choice: we can continue on the current path of consolidation and austerity for short-term tax relief, or we can be fierce in our focus on critical investments that will actually lower costs and grow our workforce. It won’t be easy, but if we are serious about growing our tax base and retaining and attracting working families, it’s time to invest boldly in a different future.
Molly Gray is a Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor. Previously, she served as Executive Director of the Vermont Afghan Alliance (2023-2026), Vermont Lt. Governor (2021-2023), and as an Assistant Attorney General (2018-2020). Opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media,
Cannabis buds for purchase on display at Ceres Collaborative dispensary in Burlington on the first day of legal retail cannabis sales in October 2022. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
The Trump administration’s move to reclassify marijuana as a lower-risk drug could provide major tax benefits to medical marijuana businesses, but for now, it leaves Vermont regulators charting a future that’s clear as mud.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order Thursday that shifts medical marijuana out of the most federally restrictive class of drugs — Schedule I, which includes LSD and synthetic opioids — into the less restrictive Schedule III. Further reclassification may soon follow.
The move has created a nationwide buzz about how the drug’s reclassification could make it easier to buy and sell marijuana and open up medical research.
Rescheduling the drug gives licensed medical marijuana businesses major federal tax breaks and makes it clear to researchers they can use cannabis products in their work. “This rescheduling action allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance, ultimately providing patients with better care and doctors with more reliable information,” Blanche said in a statement.
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Vermont legalized medical cannabis in 2004 and later legalized recreational use of the drug in 2018. Now 78 towns have at least one dispensary, and last year cannabis sales in Vermont generated more than $150 million in revenue, according to Seven Days.
The reclassification could provide significant tax benefits to medical retailers in Vermont and “turbocharge” the state’s medical cannabis industry, according to Gabe Gilman, general counsel for the Vermont Cannabis Control Board. But the medical and recreational cannabis industries in Vermont are tangled together, which makes it difficult for regulators and businesses to understand the industries’ future in the state.
“I think the board is excited to see needed rescheduling but also trying to serve businesses that encounter just an absolutely unprecedented amount of ambiguity,” Gilman said.
After the reclassification, medical cannabis retailers could deduct their business expenses from their federal taxes for the first time, Gilman said. The change could result in major financial savings for businesses.
Joseph Verga, who owns Green Leaf Central dispensary in Burlington, has a state endorsement to sell medical along with recreational cannabis products. Verga called the reclassification, and the tax change, “a huge win” for his business.
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The dispensary in the heart of the Queen City is getting by but struggling to bring in profit amid Burlington’s competitive market, Verga said.
With a boost from the tax change, “I’d hire more people, I would stay open later,” Verga said.
Verga said that while he hopes he gets a windfall from tax changes, he remains skeptical about the laws and regulations Vermont will have to figure out before businesses actually see the benefits.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Verga said.
Marijuana has been a Schedule I drug since 1970, sitting among drugs that are considered to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule III drugs are recognized as having medical applications and face fewer regulatory restrictions.
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Because marijuana is federally illegal, Vermont — like many states — created its own legal and regulatory framework to support an in-state cannabis market. But Thursday’s federal order currently offers no guidance to states on how to make changes to their individual programs and regulations, Gilman said, which leaves Vermont regulators unsure of how to move forward.
Before Vermont legalized recreational marijuana, people with a qualifying condition diagnosed by a health care provider could buy cannabis from a medical dispensary.
But when Vermont created a recreational cannabis market, the medical industry began to drop off, Gilman said.
In response to the decline in the medical market, the state started a program last fall that allowed recreational dispensaries to receive medical endorsements, Gilman said. Those endorsements allowed retailers to sell to people on the state’s medical cannabis registry.
Since endorsing dispensaries, the state has seen more people using the medical cannabis market, Gilman said. But the change also made the state’s medical and recreational markets more interconnected, he said, creating a conundrum for regulators trying to understand how the federal reclassification of cannabis affects Vermont.
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It’s unclear how state regulators or the Internal Revenue Service will define what qualifies as a medical cannabis business eligible for tax benefits, Gilman said. But tax implications from the federal reclassification will have a major financial impact one way or another, which could boost the state’s medical cannabis industry.
“There’s just going to be this huge incentive for everybody to try to look medical,” he said.
To the Editor: Vermonters care deeply about the land.
We care about clean water, healthy soil, and food we can trust. We care about the forests, the farms, and the communities that make this state what it is. On that, there is broad agreement.
Where we are increasingly divided is not on the goal — but on the method.
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Much of today’s environmental effort relies on legislation: restrictions, mandates, and regulatory controls over how people live, build, grow, and consume. While often well-intentioned, this approach is meeting growing resistance. Many Vermonters feel overregulated, constrained, or financially burdened, and that tension is beginning to undermine unity around environmental goals.
At the same time, there is a quiet but powerful truth emerging: people are not the problem.
In fact, people are the solution.
Across Vermont, individuals and communities are actively seeking ways to live more in harmony with the land — to grow clean food, reduce toxins, and restore natural systems. The desire is there. The will is there.
What is often missing is a business structure that makes those choices easier, more connected, and economically rewarding, where resource sharing is a multigenerational objective.
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What if, instead of relying primarily on mandates, we focused on rewarding and empowering regenerative economic action? What if we made it easy, fun and inclusive for Vermonters to engage in environmental restoration?
Vermont has long been a leader in local food, land stewardship, and community-scale innovation. We are well positioned to lead again — this time by aligning our economic activity with regeneration of our environmental values.
A new model is emerging through EdensBay, a Vermont-seeded marketplace and membership framework designed to support regenerative products, services, and practices. Its aim is simple: to help people invest in one another and participate in rebuilding local ecosystems and economies — together.
This is not about abandoning policy. It is about complementing it with something equally powerful: participation. Because in the end, people are far more likely to engage when they are invited, supported, and rewarded — rather than restricted.
If we want lasting change, we must build with the people, not against them.
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Vermonters are ready.
The question is whether you are willing to meet that readiness with a model that trusts it.
