Lewiston is about 32 miles from Portland and on 95 @ 70 mph I get there in 30 mins. Lewiston/Auburn has 60,000 people and while a bit rough in some places it has a lot of good qualities. Rough doesn’t mean unsafe by the way. The areas where Bates and Bowdoin are nicer and have more to offer than Poughkeepsie where Vassar is located.
While not a LAC, Brown could be what you are looking for
@Ir4550, Brown is exactly what I’m looking for and I’ll be applying there, as well 
Okay, if Brown is a go then Wesleyan is a good option regarding the smaller LACs.
I also agree with the upstream posts that recommend Bowdoin- so close to Portland which is an awesome city, and so easy to get to Boston via Amtrak. Bowdoin is not rural.
Vassar is located in a nice area of Poughkeepsie called Arlington. There are many excellent restaurants and shops right across the street from campus. S1 enjoyed attending concerts in Poughkeepsie and traveled all over the city while he was at Vassar . I think any of the five LACs (adding Bowdoin) that Alexandre listed above would be great choices for you.
Holy Cross-very good lac with nice campus 1 hour from Boston.