The United States of America is a large and stunningly diverse country. Among the great treasures of the nation are the many villages, hamlets, and small towns that dot its landscape. These towns exist on the coast and the prairies, in the mountains and flatlands.
Cold Spring, New York is one such village. It is located in Putnam County New York. The population of Cold Springs was 1,986 as of the 2020 census.
Unless you live in or near New York City, it is not likely that you have heard of Cold Springs, New York. It is rather a hidden gem in the state. The town is small and picturesque, retaining much of the feeling and flavor of its past. The town was once the home of the West Point Foundry, which was founded during the War of 1812 and manufactured the famous Parrot Rifle and other munitions during the Civil War.
Cold Springs sits at the deepest point of the Hudson River and has beautiful mountainous surroundings. The town is direct across from West Point, the site of the United States Military Academy.
The central area of the village is on the National Register of Historic Places. It attracts tourists from other parts of the region and serves as a weekend getaway for many New York City residents. Cold Springs has many great restaurants, nearby walks, and a great many hiking trails. In fact, it is six miles east of the Appalachian Trail. 2017 saw the opening of an Italian art museum in the city. The museum focuses on Post-war and contemporary Italian art and admission is free to the public.
Cold Springs is a small town with a small-town feel. However, it is also trendy with big city upscale professionals, which has drawn different kinds of people and events to it. This combination of the small and the large has contributed to the cost of living in the village. It is expensive to live in Cold Springs. The average monthly cost of housing is $2,884, which is nearly three times the median national average of $1,023.
15 Towns that are Similar to Cold Springs, New York
If you have visited, own a home in, or live in Cold Springs, the atmosphere and feeling of that kind of modern and picturesque small town may appeal to you. There are plenty of other places like it throughout the country. Here are some of them.
Gulf Shores, Alabama
This town of slightly over 13,000 is known by some as the Redneck Riviera. Though it is a Gulf of Mexico beach town, it does not cater solely to sophisticates from the big cities. Gulf Shores embodies the culture of the South. The town hums with the music of the region and the aroma of Southern cuisine fills the air. Gulf Shores also boasts one of the best zoos in the country, where you will find animals such as the lemur. The city recently got its first brewery, and it is home to some of the best beachside burgers you will find.
Gulf Shores is like Cold Springs in that it is a magnet for big-city professionals. There is also plenty of outdoor sports and adventures that one can get into. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two cities is the beach and the very different type of atmosphere that this creates in Gulf Shores.
The most expensive part of living in Gulf Shores is housing. However, healthcare and utilities are in line with the national median.
Sedona, Arizona
Arizona is essentially a desert state, but it contains some of the wonderful oases in the nation. Sedona is one of them. This town of just over 10,000 is known for its vibrant arts community, and it is packed with New Age shops, spas, and art galleries. Sedona is surrounded by mountains. It is a great place for hiking and rock climbing. Red Rock State Park is an excellent spot for camping and bird-watching.
Sedona is similar to Cold Springs in that it has a strikingly beautiful landscape and offers a variety of opportunities for hiking and climbing. The most obvious difference between the two towns is the climate. One has the varied seasons of the northeast; the other exists in the dry and hot climate of the desert.
Sedona is a very expensive place to live. The housing is 103% higher than the national average. Utilities are 3% higher and gas prices 2% higher than the median.
Homer, Alaska
Homer is a quirky little harbor town way up in Alaska. The so-called Homer Spit is the focal point of the town. It is a long strip of land that contains shops, seafood restaurants, and beaches. The town is also surrounded by snow-capped mountains, which are pleasant to look at. However, only professional climbers are advised to try to conquer them. There is Katmai National Park, which is home to around 2,000 brown bears. You will also find myriad art galleries, dynamic local cuisine, and a few good breweries in the town of 5,709 people.
Homer is similar to Cold Springs in that they are both in harbor-like environments and sit on a mountainous landscape. The big difference between the two is the extreme weather of the more moderate seasons of the other.
Homer is a very affordable place to live. It has a cost of living that is .9 times lower than Alaska’s index of 128.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
This is a tiny Arkansas town of just over 2,000 people. Perhaps the most stunning, interesting, and hopeful thing about the town is the peaceful co-existence of different strands of opinion. The town has passed some of the most progressive LGBTQ policies in the state. At the same time, it contains two famous Christian landmarks: a 66-foot tall Jesus statue and the nationally celebrated Thorncrown Chapel. The people of Eureka Springs have a live-and-let-live attitude, which is attractive.
Eureka Springs takes great pride in its heritage and has preserved the Victorian buildings of its Historic District. These include the Palace Bath House, Basin Park Hotel, and Crescent Hotel. This district bans the establishment of chain stores and other such ventures, which keeps the mom-and-pop stores humming.
Both Eureka Springs and Cold Springs have state-protected historic areas in the center of the town. Otherwise, they are very different cities. There are none of the opportunities for outdoor adventure in Eureka Springs.
Mystic, Connecticut
This is the town on which the late 80s hit Mystic Pizza was based, in which Julia Roberts had her break-out role. The film captures the atmosphere of the town perfectly. It is an old port town that has lost none of its charms and has preserved many of the homes and buildings of its maritime past. The town is simply beautiful to look at. It is laid-back in the offseason, and one gets a sense of what it was like when Mystic was a small English settlement in the 18th century. One fun fact: the pizza joint in the film actually exists. And the slices are pretty tasty!
Mystic has the same feel and atmosphere as Cold Springs. This is what the two towns have most in common. However, it is not as good for outdoor activities as Cold Springs.
The cost of living in Mystic is about a quarter percent above the national average.
St. Augustine, Florida
It is commonly believed that New England is the cradle of European-American civilization. This is not the case. The Spanish established the first European settlements in America. St. Augustine is the oldest permanent European settlement in North America. The historic parts of this town of 15,072 have been well preserved. One of the old Spanish forts still sits on Matanzas Bay. And next to the myriad 17th, 18th, and 19th-century buildings of the town is the vibrant tourist and hospitality district of contemporary St. Augustine. The sandy white beaches of South Florida are only a short drive away.
The heroic effort to preserve the historic parts of the city is what St. Augustine has most in common with Cold Springs. The biggest differences between the two cities include the climate and available recreational activities.
Surprisingly, St. Augustine is an affordable place to live. You will pay between 250 and 300 thousand for a decent-sized house in a great neighborhood.
Galena, Illinois
Here is another treasure of the Civil War era. Galena was once the home of America’s 18th president and heroic victor of the war between the states: Ulysses S. Grant. The town has retained many of its cobblestone streets and historic mansions. It is possible to take a free trolley ride to the center of the town, where you can stroll through and enjoy its many restaurants, galleries, antique shops, and stylish boutiques. Galena is 10 minutes east of the Mississippi River. So, rafting adventures are a popular pastime. Skiing, biking, and taking in the scenic views of Iowa and Wisconsin are also possibilities.
There are obvious similarities between Cold Springs and Galena: the historic buildings and outdoor recreation are among them. There are even commonalities in the weather. The biggest difference is that Galena is rather distant from a large city.
Goods, services, and housing are all affordable in Galena. The cost of living in the town is slightly below the national average.
Nashville, Indiana
Most people have heard of Nashville, Tennessee, but very few of Nashville, Indiana. This town of 1,110 souls is a thriving artists’ colony. Situated near Bloomington, it was once home to the American Impressionist painter T.C. Steele. His home has been preserved and contains his paintings and the garden cultivated by his wife. Nashville is also home to the Brown County Art Gallery, where independent artists still work and sell their paintings.
The large presence of art and culture is what Nashville has most in common with Cold Springs. The lack of outdoor recreation in Nashville marks the difference between the two towns.
It is quite inexpensive to live in Nashville, Indiana. The cost of living is 20% less than the national average.
Bar Harbor, Maine
This quaint New England seaside town is located on Mount Desert Island. The town’s many walkable roads are lined with ice cream parlors, small shops, and tiny inns. The village also has a great many seafood restaurants and places to get piping hot chowder. Bar Harbor serves as a gateway to the mountains, hills, and cliffs of Acadia National Park. There are also stunning views of sailboats and pine-covered islands from the town bay. One of the must-dos in the town is to watch a sunrise from atop nearby Cadillac Mountain.
Bar Harbor is similar to Cold Springs in the number and range of outdoor activities it offers. In fact, there are probably more picturesque views and outdoor adventures to be had in Bar Harbor.
The prettiness of the New England coast drives up the cost of living in the region. Bar Harbor is not immune to this trend. Almost 60% of the homes in the town are rented. The average rent is slightly above the national average.
Hoopers Island, Maryland
This town of fewer than 500 people is one of the best-kept secrets on the Atlantic coast. Hoopers Island is where one of the biggest crabbing families got their start. And you will, of course, find some of the freshest and best seafood in the state here. A boat tour that shows how Chesapeake oysters are hatched, raised, and shucked is one of the more interesting things to do in the town. You can also visit Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge for paddleboarding, kayaking, and biking.
The one thing that Hoopers Island has in common with Cold Springs is the range of activities available given the relative size of the town. The biggest difference is Hooper Island’s almost exclusive orientation toward the seafood industry.
Hoopers Island is an inexpensive place to live. The seafood industry is the major employer in the town, which makes it affordable for working-class families.
Saugatuck, Michigan
The town is situated along the coastline of Lake Michigan. It is within short driving distance from Chicago, Illinois, and Detroit. The town is part upscale resort and part hippie refuge. Weather-beaten motels and cabins co-exist with fancier hotels and vacation homes. There are beaches with white sands, dunes, lighthouses, and gorgeous sunsets. The town is also an LGBTQ haven filled with queer-friendly bars and resort venues.
Saugatuck is similar to Cold Springs in that both towns are getaways for big-city professionals. The most significant difference is that the former goes out of its way to welcome LGBTQ people.
A cost of living was carried out in Saugatuck. The cost of housing food, child care, health care, and other necessities for a single adult came to $35,605 a year. This is higher than the cost of living in the state, which came to $32,897, but lower than the national average of $38,433.
Ocean Springs, Mississippi
This coastal town of 18,099 people is 2 miles east of the more famous Biloxi. Ocean Springs is part of the larger Pascagoula metropolitan area. There is a well-preserved historical area. There is also a lively bar and music scene. Rock, country, bluegrass, and hip-hop can be heard blaring out of any number of the town’s many watering holes. This makes Ocean City the perfect town for a weekend pub crawl. It also offers great paddleboarding and kayaking along the Gulf coast. It is also the launching point for tours to the Barrier Islands, where you will find white sand beaches and turquoises of various kinds.
Ocean City is similar to Cold Springs in that it is a weekend destination for high-spenders from the big city. It differs from Cold Springs in its uniquely Gulf coast atmosphere.
Ocean City’s cost of living is slightly above Mississippi’s cost of living index and well below the national average.
Hudson, New York
This is another quaint little Hudson area town. Hudson is two hours north of Manhattan. The town has a warm and serene atmosphere, which is accentuated by the many antique shops, art galleries, cafes, and restaurants. There is also a large arts scene here. Its proximity to New York City makes it a refuge for urban creatives who cannot afford the expense of the big city.
The most obvious similarities between Hudson and Cold Springs are their proximity to New York City and the fact that people from the big city regularly flock to it. The biggest difference is size. With a population of 5,976, Hudson is nearly six times the size of Cold Springs.
Hudson is an affordable place to live. The cost of living is 9 times lower than the New York state index.
Ambler, Pennsylvania
Ambler has a quintessential small-town feel. It embodies the very notion of Main St. This is the charming bit. The town also has plenty of cultural activities, including a dance company, a painting studio, and a playhouse in which live productions are regularly given. The restaurants, pubs, and boutiques are all outstanding. There is also a microbrewery that serves some of the best suds in the region. There is a summer farmers market, a summer arts and music festival, and even a giant dog parade.
The small town mood and feeling of the people is what Ambler has most in common with Cold Springs. The biggest difference is the greater range of cultural activities offered by the former.
It is expensive to live in Ambler. The town’s housing prices are 101% above the national average.
Newport, Rhode Island
There are actually two Newports. The trendy, old-town is filled with a range of great pubs, seafood and steak restaurants, spacious parks, and cobblestone streets. Then there is the coastal Newport, which is dotted with some of the grandest mansions of the 19th century. This is also the Newport of the annual Newport Regatta, one of the biggest sailing races in America and the attendant parties that come with it. The Regatta, held in July, is also the time to enjoy the city’s white-sand beaches.
Seasonal weather and the preservation of the old town are what Newport has most in common with Cold Springs. The biggest difference between the two cities is the aforementioned divide of the former.
Newport is a very expensive place to live. It has a cost of living that is 40% higher than the national average.