So You Want to Live in Bristol

It's hard not to love a town that divides its main road with red, white and blue stripes. They are permanent leftovers from the nation’s oldest continuous July 4th celebration, and just the beginning of what makes Bristol unique.

With twelve museums, 15 miles of shoreline, and a town center dotted with shops, federal and colonial architecture, restaurants, and a working waterfront, Bristol is a successful merger of seafaring and ship building history and a welcoming small town personality. It’s a combination that invites the casual visitor to linger. Indeed, you could one day find yourself being drawn into this seductive lifestyle, admiring the sunset, while sailboats do their mooring dance with wind and waves. You won’t be the first. Here’s what you should know if you think you’d like to live in Bristol:

Bristol (population 22,469) is the largest town in the Bristol County, Rhode Island, which includes Warren and Barrington, all bordering Narragansett Bay.

The town is about a four-hour drive (on a good day) from New York, an hour plus from Boston, and 25 minutes from Newport or Providence.

Next >