Keene has a particular kind of small town vibe. Downtown, you’ll find former mills, now transformed with apartments that seem straight out of Dumbo, Brooklyn. Bypass the charming gazebo and center square, and head 3 miles due north to hike Goose Pond, a trail system that is beloved by hikers and bikers alike. Go at your own pace here, enjoying the northern New England beauty in the safest state (according to Forbes). But Keene is anything but sleepy. We’re kind of a Stars Hollow north.
@hayleybellemullins A morning spent in Stars Hollow 🍂 #starshollow #gilmoregirls #gilmoretok #autumnaesthetic #keenenh #newhampshirevibes #gilmoregirlsfall ♬ original sound - Georgie Danks
@whatmorgandoes.com rainy autumn day for the stars hollow pumpkin festival! (aka keene pumpkin fest 🎃) regardless of the weather it was so fun seeing everyone dressed up and trick or treating and all the pumpkins the kids carved on display! 🎃 #newengland #newenglandfall #keenenh #starshollow #starshollowaesthetic #gilmoregirls #fallfoliage ♬ rory gilmore homework - isabel
@nhpublicradio Who else thinks Keene could pass for Stars Hollow? 🍂🍁 #nh #keenenh #gilmoregirls #gilmoregirlstiktok #starshollow #fall #fallaesthetic ♬ gilmore lala - <3
You’re in the county seat of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, a culture and commerce hub for the Monadnock Region. Keene is home to some of the region’s biggest businesses, arts venues, and opportunities for outdoor fun. We’re a college town, with multiple higher-ed institutions, and you can feel the excitement when students return every August. The downtown is highly walkable (with a 96 Walk Score!) and the calendar is loaded with things to do year-round for everybody—from our Pride Festival to Monadnock Speedway.
If not, it’s close. Join Rotary and improve the community. Sign up with a running club and improve your lung capacity. Roll up your sleeves and dive into local arts. Or spend a day at one of Keene’s parks.
Keene is also home to many independent publishers and local TV and radio broadcasters. With the award-winning Keene Sentinel leading by example, local news is alive and well here.
Whether you’re planning your family or you’re feeling plain cruddy, we’ve got you. Keene is a center of healthcare expertise, from the 115-bed Cheshire Medical Center, a Dartmouth Health system partner, to a VA Clinic, urgent care, and home healthcare options, along with numerous specialty providers and services.
Follow these Instagram accounts for a cross-section of Keene goings-on:
We’re surrounded by lovely towns, each with unique things to do, places to stay, and sights to see.
When you’re in Keene, one of the first things you’ll notice is the giant mountain next door. Mt. Monadnock is one of the most climbed mountains in the world. Take the day and take a crack at its 3,165 feet—but it’ll take you a while to catch up to Larry Davis, who made the ascent 2,850 days in a row.
From preschool to college, Keene boasts exceptional educational resources. The city is home to Keene State College, Antioch University—New England, and River Valley Community College, with Franklin Pierce University in nearby Rindge. Keene also offers residents strong K-12 schools, as well as Montesorri and Waldorf schools.
Keene-created products are everywhere, and we’re a center of breakthrough engineering and manufacturing—advanced optics, precision bearings for the aerospace industry, high-tech medical equipment, and more. Opportunity abounds—to grow your career or build your business from a location where work and life are easy to balance.
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Nick: “We were living in London when Louisa got pregnant with our first son. The question was, Well, we probably need to move out of the city—where are we going to move to? We’re big outdoors people, and we wanted to live somewhere where we could hike and ski and counterbalance our incredibly intense professional life with something beautiful. I had visited New England as a teenager, and it had sort of seeped into my system. So I Googled ‘best small towns in New England’ and Louisa was dropping pins on Google Maps and looking around on Street View, and we turned to each other simultaneously and said, “Have you heard of this place called Keene?”
AJA: Molly and I met in Brooklyn, where both of us had been living for quite some time. When Covid hit, we decided to come hang out in New Hampshire for a bit, maybe six months. And now it’s been three years! We bought a house here; we’re having a baby here. You could say we’ve become New Hampshirites. As a newcomer I find this region to be surprisingly open, especially when it comes to having these conversations about diversity and inclusion. It’s not instinctual, and we could bring more awareness to it, but generally people are open to it. I do think having initiatives to entice small business owners [from diverse backgrounds] to the region would be wonderful.
MOLLY: Aja is from North Carolina, but I’m from Dublin, and in hindsight it was pretty special to grow up here. It was lovely to know people; it was lovely to be known and felt cared for by an entire community. More generally, I find there’s a peacefulness in this area not only in the natural surroundings, but also in the way people interact with each other.
Gail: I moved to the Monadnock region for a career growth opportunity. Prior to coming to the area, I lived in the Philadelphia/New Jersey area where I lived for some time after migrating from Jamaica.
I have made so many rewarding connections in and around my community. There are so many individuals and organizations that have supported my efforts to advance cultural and diversity engagement I am always overcome with gratitude. From the Monadnock Coop, Hannah Grimes Center, Arts Alive to the Local Crowd Fund and others, I can say enough to thank them.
Paul: Keene was a great place to grow up. I had friends all over town and was able to bike-ride anywhere I needed to go. The schools had great athletics programs with wonderful coaches and support, and Keene features great outdoor spaces and trails where I could spend the days exploring freely
Ritu: By profession I am an educator, I teach 8th grade Science at the Keene Middle School. By passion I am a community builder. I tirelessly work towards building our community into a welcoming and inclusive place. I am a founder and President of regions first Keene India Association, Chair of Keene International Festival, Member of Keene Human Rights committee, Advisor at The daily Good and Trustee Member of The Keene Public Library.
For newcomers to the Monadnock region, I would suggest taking the time to explore the area’s natural beauty and outdoor recreational opportunities, including hiking trails, lakes, and parks. Engaging with the local community through events, farmers’ markets, and multicultural festivals such as Keene International festival can help newcomers connect with their new surroundings and meet fellow residents.
Jan: My partner grew up in the Monadnock region and I relocated here, it wasn’t on my radar before that and has become dear to me for all it has to offer.
As a marketing agency focused on supporting businesses, our goal is pretty ambitious. We aim to help local businesses have access to the tools typically available solely to larger enterprises and franchises. New Englanders want to support local businesses and we help to get businesses out in front of the competition both online and in person.
I’m an avid cyclist and I love all the small windy roads between Walpole and Surry; an abundance of climbs and descents with very little car traffic and it leads through some really beautiful farmland. I also really enjoy the rail trails, especially in the spring when everything begins to get green.
Adam: I am the co-founder and Board President of Keene Pride and I work at Brown Computer Solutions. I also co-own a queer entertainment company called Your’s Queerly, and am in the process of opening a venue in Downtown Keene. The community response to Keene Pride Week has been incredible! Thousands of people are coming to our events every year and they just keep growing. It shows how much this community is supportive of the LGBTQ+ community and how welcoming we are.
Jeff: Every year, I’m more confident in my decision to base my business in the Monadnock Region. I can easily reach clients from western Massachusetts to the Seacoast and beyond, and find talented people for our team. Being so close to nature has benefits, like inviting key clients up for annual kayak trips. It’s easy here to live and work in balance.
Jaime: I came here for College in 2002, and have never left. It has always felt like home with many outdoor hiking and biking adventures available within a short drive, as well as some good shopping and good local restaurants. The rail trail is great for jogging, walking or biking with family and friends. Prior to having kids, I played softball in the local league at Wheelock Park, which is now the same park that I am visiting often to take my two sons to their baseball games. Keene is a great community to raise my family, it has good schools (one of which I am lucky to teach at), many programs and activities available for kids, and a caring community of people that get to know and support one another. It has the small town feel that I grew up with, however with many more people which also brings more opportunities and businesses which I appreciate. I feel lucky to be a part of such a friendly and supportive community.
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