I’m an outdoorsy midwestern person who has grown to love it here. I’m married to a city person. I really enjoy that if I want lots of nature, NH, Maine, Vermont, and Western MA are driveable. I have seen some really amazing geological sites and beautiful forests. I really like Stow, VT and Acadia National Park. Our local forests are small but I love them too. When you go out to Easthampton, there are waterfall hikes and the Quabbin reservoir is fun for kayaking. In Arlington, you are close to the Middlesex Fells, one of my favorite parks around here. It’s so easy to get to. Mount Misery is another hidden gem close to your new home.

Make sure to go get outdoors on a regular basis. Don’t wait for city cabin fever to set in. One summer, we put a different hike on our calendar for every Saturday and either made ourselves go out or consciously choose something else. Our default plan was “go outside.” For vacation, we occasionally rent a cabin in the woods.

That said, make sure you go on city adventures too, so you get a sense of the upsides. For a while I was a little sad because I only felt the city struggle vs the benefits. You will be close to so many fun things, and you & your kids will have amazing opportunities.

Last thing, I love that there are people here from all over the US and the world! It’s amazing! Don’t get discouraged if you find it difficult to form friendships with lifelong New Englanders (especially the old money crowd, in my experience). Have trust that you will find your circle of friends. Most of my friends are fellow transplants, plus a couple New Englanders, and I love them all. I’ve learned so much from them that I would have never learned if I had not moved to the city, and I can count on them.