6 peaceful homes near small towns

Sisters, Oregon

This contemporary 1974 four-bedroom abuts the Big Meadow Golf Course in Black Butte Ranch. The updated home has an earth-tone main space with vaulted ceilings, an eat-in kitchen island, a breakfast banquette, a fireplace, and doors with local topographical maps.

The nearly half-acre wooded lot offers mountain views and has a yard and firepit; the culture-rich downtown of Sisters (pop. 3,700) is 15 minutes away. $2,150,000. Suzann Baricevic Murphy, (w)here real estate, (503) 789-1033.

Woodstock, Vermont

Skyland Farm, once an 1850s homestead, is now a farm estate on 65 acres, about 10 minutes from the village center of Woodstock (pop. 900). The four-bedroom, modern 2024 timber-frame house features two connected sides, each with floor-to-roofline windows framing the Green Mountains and Killington, plus a chef's kitchen with high-end appliances and a primary bath with a sauna and soaker tub.

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On the property are equestrian facilities, a pool, a pond, meadows, and a barn. $7,250,000. Story Jenks, LandVest/Christie's International Real Estate, (802) 238-1332.

Friday Harbor, Washington

Vandervort Architects designed this 2010 contemporary two-bedroom on San Juan Island, about 80 miles northwest of Seattle. It features a rounded living room with a wall of glass, wood floors, and vaulted ceilings, topped by an office loft.

The property includes a patio with an outdoor kitchen and firepit, and stairs to a sandy beach with kayak racks. Downtown Friday Harbor (pop. 2,600) is 15 minutes across the island. $4,250,000. Peter Anna Grisel, Coldwell Banker San Juan Island, (770) 364-0717.

Roque Bluffs, Maine

Inspired by the crisp shapes of architect Hugh Jacobsen, this 2025 three-bedroom home is in a town of 322 residents on a peninsula in Englishman Bay. The kitchen has a waterfall marble island and is adjacent to a living room with a gas fireplace and gallery-style walls.

On almost 2 acres overlooking the bay, the lot includes a yard, mature trees, and a patio; shops in the town of Machias are a 15-minute drive. $2,100,000. Laura Pellerano, Legacy Properties Sotheby's International Realty, (207) 266-2941.

​​Dillwyn, Virginia

Known as the Springs, this 1810 historic farmstead was once a health resort with a revered mineral spring. Morris House, a renovated four-story, six-bedroom colonial farmhouse, still stands, with original wood floors, brick fireplaces, a kitchen with soapstone counters, and built-in shelving.

The 90-acre lot includes a pond, a river, woods, and fields. Shops in town (pop. 442) are about 15 minutes away; Richmond is 90 minutes to the east. $1,495,000. Carolyn Kincaid, Joyner Fine Properties/Luxury Portfolio International, (434) 547-6877.

Marfa, Texas

This updated 1938 three-bedroom cottage, in a West Texas town of 1,600 renowned for its association with minimalist artist Donald Judd, is a block from a park and walking distance to dining. It has original wood floors, craftsman-style cabinets, doors, and casings, and a kitchen with butter yellow tile and a beverage fridge.

Outside are a two-unit casita, shade trees, desert plantings, a bocce court, a fenced yard, and a shed. $425,000. Lauren Meader Fowlkes, Kuper Sotheby's International Realty, (432) 295-2849.