Milford

Milford balances small-town heart with a lively center of gravity: The Oval. Framed by brick facades, it’s all cafés, craft beer, indie shops, and the famed October Pumpkin Festival that turns downtown into a lantern-lit carnival. The town’s past is literally underfoot, once a granite powerhouse shaped by Italian and Finnish stonecutters, now echoed in handsome buildings and a creative, can-do vibe.

Culture and outdoors round it out: the Amato Center for the arts, antiques, and the classic Milford Drive-In. Keyes Memorial Park feels like a shared backyard, while the Souhegan River and Hitchiner Town Forest invite paddles and pine-scented walks. Commuter-easy to Nashua and Manchester, with housing from Victorian near The Oval to quiet cul-de-sacs, Milford makes “mid-point” living feel like the sweet spot.