I wouldn't recommend living in New London proper but the surrounding areas aren't that bad and everything is within relatively close driving distance regardless of where you choose to live. Waterford and Niantic are west of the Thames, if you don't want to commute over the Goldstar Bridge, otherwise Groton and Mystic are perfectly fine on the east side (tho Mystic is more expensive and a bit further away).

Although, if you want a little less urban and don't mind a little bit more of a commute, Uncasville/Montville on the west side of the river, and Gales Ferry on the east side are nice little areas that are a bit more sparsely populated.

But yeah, plenty of woods, plenty of parks, and hiking, and beaches (tho the beaches in RI are better imo), so plenty of outdoor stuff. And between New London and Mystic, plenty of social stuff. Nothing to the grand scale that you'd get in one of the major cities, but satisfactory enough for a local scene. Plenty of good food too, especially the pizza.