Top New England college towns
 

What do you think are the top New England college towns in terms of scenery, character, and fun?

What about the QUALITY of the institution? My vote is for Burlington Vermont.

I guess cuz I'm a big-city boy, I like Cambridge MA, home of ol' Harvard! Lovely college town, lots to do, full of New England town character, and just a short T ride to Boston!

Amherst, Northampton, and the Pioneer valley area. There 5 colleges in the Happy Valley (as the kids call it) - UMass, Amherst College, Smith College, Mt. Holyoke College, and Hampshire College. Lots of mountain scenery.

I'm with RNC. Burlington..hands down. Great local music scene,good shops/restaurants, and plenty of opportunity for outdoor activities (skiing, hiking, biking, boating etc).
Northampton would be my #2 choice.

I say the top 3 are:

1) Boston
2) Boston
3) Boston

Actually, Burlington is very very nice, but you have a wide assortment of institutions in Boston. Living there is very expensive and it depends what you mean by scenery (i.e. country scenery vs. city scenery).

Some others that are more rural
Middlebury Vt
Hanover NH
Brunswick Me
Saratoga Springs is also very interesting, technically not in New England however!

Boston is DEFINITELY no. 1; I'd rate Burlington & Amherst way behind the Boston/Cambridge areas. Certainly Burlington is lovely, but doesn't compare to the action & fun you'll find in New England's largest city.