Europe in the US
 

Where is there a city (any size) in the US that has a European feel? I love the US, but enjoy those history filled, cobblestoned places in Europe. I would love to find such a place to retire to.

It isn't in the US, but it is on the continent: Quebec City. I have traveled extensively in the US and in France and Italy, and Quebec City is more like being in Europe than being in Europe in some ways.

We think New Orleans has such a feel.

Walking in the French Quarter, away from Bourbon and even Royal, has a real charm which always reminds me of places in Europe.

Byrd

They say Boston is as Europe as you get in the US, although I agree on New Orleans as well but not sure about retirement there...

Philadelphia?

The greenwich village area with all the outdoor cafes and washington sq park has a european feel to it.

San Francisco

Hotel Paris, Hotel the Venetian etc. in Las Vegas.....
Yes I second San Francisco..

New Orleans, Montreal - up north.

Along the lines of LV, how about Busch gardens Williamsburg VA or Epcot Center FL?

Narrow old streets with a lot of street life:

lower Manhattan-The Village, SOHO

Boston's North End and Charles Street on Beacon Hill.

Philadelphia, Old City and Rittenhouse SQ.

Charleston has cobblestone streets.

What makes me get a European vibe is being in a city that offers everything within walking distance - good markets, restaurants, boutiques, and cafes. I love the idea of walking to everything I need.

The FQ in New Orleans definitely offers that sort of environment. Most people I knew who used to live in the quarter did not own cars. Meanwhile, Chicago offers the same aspects for at least most of the year!

Solvang, CA - if you can't afford Denmark :)

Houston or Dallas :)

It's already been mentioned, but my pick is Montreal. (not in the US, of course, but very close. :-) ) I loved that city and I felt like I was in France.

But if I were to retire in Montreal, I would look for a winter home somewhere further south.

I agree with Askislander, Quebec City is SO like Europe to me and a walled city as well! Very quaint! I can't wait to go back!!

Definitely New Orleans, first and foremost.

Charleston and San Francisco also have a quasi-European feel, at least in parts. It never occurred to me to think of Boston that way, but I guess parts of it maybe.

Ouray Colorado is called "Switzerland of America" for its mountains that surround the town.

Without a doubt Quebec City (yes, we know it is not in the US...but it is the closest resemblence to Europe and is closest to US), Montreal a very close second.

I haven't been anywhere in the US that felt like Europe to me (I've lived on both east and west coasts in 6 different states). I love San Francisco and spend time there but there's nothing European about it to my mind. It feels extremely American melting pot, with maybe a little wild frontier thrown in.

I agree with Suze. I've been all over the U.S. and to about 15 countries in Europe and I don't think that there is anywhere in the U.S. that really reminds me of anywhere I've been to in Europe. I guess the French Quarter in New Orleans would be the only thing that I think would come close, as it feels different than anywhere else in the U.S., but it definitely doesn't feel like Europe to me.

Tracy

I too agree with Suze. We have lived all over, and so far nothing compares in my eyes. Our little suburb town near Portland, OR has cobblestone streets and roundabouts, but trust me, it is NOT a tourist destination:D

agree with new orleans

santa fe, perhaps?

Las Vegas: getting off the monorail at Paris, walking to the strip through a "French village" gives an impression of rural Europe.

Again in Canada - Victoria, BC is very British. Especially when it rains!

I'm with you, Faina. My then middle-schooled aged daughter once wrote on the obligatory What-I-Did-For-Summer-Vacation report that she'd visited France, Italy, and Monaco, not to mention Egypt, SE Asia, NYC, etc. Truth was, we'd spent a couple days in Las Vegas. ;-)

eschule, Santa Fe? Like Europe? How? History-filled maybe. Then, I guess there are the narrow, winding streets.... And the town's central plaza... Hmmm.... you might have something there. :-)

Since I live here, I gotta say Portland, Oregon. If you dig deep enough, I know you'll find cobblestone. And if you close your eyes while seated at a sidewalk table of one of our many fine restaurants, you might imagine yourself in Paris... or NYC... or Cedar Rapids?

Hey, instead of trying to find such a place here Pagne, why not just retire in Europe??

I found it: San Miguel de Allende, Gto, MX.
Others would reliably recommend Guanajauto, Gto.
Way better weather and lower cost of living here.
M (SMdA, Gto.)

St. Augustine, Florida has a small Europe vibe going on.

Thanks for all your suggestions, but I was thinking of something smaller. We love towns like Rothenburg & Colmar and Varenna. I realize there is nothing medieval in the US, but there must be beautiful, charming towns here. Just read on the Budget Travel site about a town called Kingston in NY with stone buildings from the 1600's, sounds worth checking out!

San Francisco is supposed to be thje most European like city in the States and I agree although Boston (Beacon hill) comes second. Paul

Pagne, I think the 'mistake' came in asking for someplace in the US to feel like Europe. Which simply doesn't exist in my experience.

If you want a beautiful smaller town, that is quaint, with history and good atmosphere, I'd consider New England. Some smaller towns in Massachusetts and Vermont come to mind.

Uh, how about Disneyland's Fantasyland district. LOL!

It's also not in the US but just a short ferry ride away from Seattle or Port Angeles--Victoria BC, without a doubt.

Beachbum, Retire to Europe? Yes we would love to, but 1. I think we may have to work at least part time into retirement & 2. I think I would have to be retired to have enough time to research how to move there! We are only moderate income people. I don't see how we can navigate all the legalites of moving overseas.
Suze, of course you are right, there is nothing comparable to Europe. I am thinking of some N.E. US locations like Montpelier, VT, although the weather in Charleston would be far preferable! I think we need to do a roadtrip to check out some of these recommendations, but when I start planning travel, we always end up going back to Europe!

Think coastal Connecticut, between New Haven and the Rhode Island stateline along I-95. I can personally vouch for the beauty, history and accessibility of the area. Comparatively, the weather and the cost of living hold their own as well.

(Don't tell anyone else I gave away the Connecticut secret. OK?)

Lots of good advice here. Victoria does a very British atmosphere to it. But if it's small-town quaint, I think there's lots of it. In the west, they tend to be artificially-created tourist sorts of places, like Solvang, California or Leavenworth, Washington. But New Orleans, definitely.

But smaller-town quaint feeling -- I've not lived in them, but a couple places in New England that I have fond memories of are East Greenwich, Rhode Island and Concord, Massachusetts. I think Ashland, Oregon has that feel, too (though not as old, historically). Savannah, Georgia had that feel, too.

St. Augustine does have the cobblestone and the history

St.Francisville, LA

Winchester, VA downtown area

Sewanee, Tennessee

I have to disagree that SF is "European" feeling. Don't get me wrong, I love SF, but it is California all the way. Most of the homes I saw within the city all had a driveway and a car in front. And there's not much of SF that is more than 100 years old.

For more European feel, you'll need to restrict your search to older cities east of the Mississippi, particularly Quebec, Boston, and New Orleans.

In the US, I think Boston has the most European feel to it, even moreso than New Orleans (which I think of preserving a bit of its French colonial history with a blend of Caribbean flair and a bit of shabby grace thrown in).

The tangled streets of Boston's North End, Charlestown, and Beacon Hill tell that these are the oldest parts of the city, and it is very common to see cobbled streets, 300 year old graveyards, old churches and gas street lamps. And even newer parts of the central city, like Back Bay and the South End, have retained a scale that is welcoming to pedestrians. And what could give a city more of a European feel than preserved architecture all within a walkable area?

Boston. The city has an old feel to it with its cobblestone streets and old houses. Also the North End is very Italian with all the restaurants, cafes and pastry shops. Also lots of outdoor dining along Charles St. Charleston and Beacon Hill also have a European feel to them.