Pros-
New England has excellent public schools and universities. New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts are consistently ranked with having the best public school systems with Rhode Island and Maine also having public school systems that are above average. I don’t think I really need to mention all the prestigious universities in our region.
It’s very safe here. New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont are incredibly safe as they are the three safest states in the nation and Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut also typically rank among the top ten safest states in the nation. Crime involving firearms is also quite rare.
Due to New England’s rather small size, you can get around most of the region within three to four hours at most with the exception of remote parts in Northern New England. For a small region we are quite blessed as we have the ocean, lakes, mountains, bustling cities, and straight up wilderness in some parts.
New England is home to some dynamic and exciting cities. Boston, Burlington, Providence, Portsmouth, Portland, and Stamford are all some great New England cities that are bustling with many cultural offerings.
If you love seafood we have some of the best on the planet. There’s nothing better than Maine’s fresh seafood that is plucked by a local fisherman straight from the Atlantic.
By American standards, New England is very historical. Many of the cities and villages here were settled in the 1600s, well before the United States even came into existence. Boston is a fantastic city for history buffs.
This can be good or bad depending on your personal political views, but New England is the most progressive region in the United States and our politics are further left compared to most of the US. Another interesting thing is that the Democratic Party is quite successful and competitive in rural areas in New England which is an anomaly in the US.
This can also be good or bad depending on your personal views, but New England is the only area in the US that can truly be designated as “Post-Christian.” Religion is considered a private matter here and most people aren’t particularly religious, especially in Northern New England where upwards of 55% of the population identifies as “irreligious.”
While many think that New England lacks diversity, that is far from the truth. New England is home to people from all over the world and the country with large Somali and Bhutanese communities in Maine and New Hampshire, a large Chinatown in Boston, a large LGBT+ community, and more.
Most people here take the environment quite seriously. Recycling is widespread and we have taken serious efforts to reforest our states and clean up our rivers and lakes from all the sludge from our industrial heyday.
There isn’t as much “suburbia” here. Large subdivisions aren’t quite as common with many homes being by themselves surrounded by a large amount of trees.
Cons-
New England is not cheap to live in. All six New England states have relatively high costs of living compared to the national average and good luck trying to find affordable housing in Boston. You will pay more for consumer goods, gas, and other items compared to most of the nation.
New England is a high-tax region. 4 of the 6 New England states are among the top ten states for tax burden. Even in New Hampshire which lacks sales tax and income tax, we have the second highest property tax in the nation with New England in general having pretty high property taxes.
New Englanders tend to be more reserved and quiet. This doesn’t mean that people aren’t friendly, but that it takes a while to become a true friend with a New Englander. It may come off as cliquish or provincial, but New Englanders tend to view reservedness as being respectful of minding someone else’s business.
Job opportunities are harder to come by in Northern New England which is obviously due to our small economies and low population.