The 20 Best Small Towns in America

[SecularMotion]

There are lists of the best places to get a job, retire, ski, golf and fall in love, best places lists for almost everything. We think any best place worth traveling to should have one quality above others: culture.

To help create our list, we asked the geographic information systems company Esri to search its data bases for high concentrations of museums, historic sites, botanic gardens, resident orchestras, art galleries and other cultural assets common to big cities. But we focused on towns with populations less than 25,000, so travelers could experience what might be called enlightened good times in an unhurried, charming setting. We also tried to select towns ranging across the lower 48.

There is, we think, something encouraging about finding culture in small-town America. Fabled overseas locales, world-class metropolises—you expect to be inspired when you go there. But to have your horizon shifted in a town of 6,000 by an unheralded gem of a painting or a song belted out from a band shell on a starry summer night, that’s special. It reinforces the truth that big cities and grand institutions per se don’t produce creative works; individuals do. And being reminded of that is fun.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/The-20-Best-Small-Towns-in-America.html#ixzz1sPAvFTiC

[seabeyond]

1. taos is an interesting place, but like a high deset. same with durango.

gig harbor. i could do ashland oregon.

i like the west. i have been all over the country, and the west feels the best for me. i needed to see these towns. coming to summer. last summer here in texas was so horrible, i spent three days on the net obsessing to find a home outside of this heat. found some wonderful places in oregon, wa, montana and wy.

i have only a couple more years in texas. then west... here i come.

[fencesitter]

2. I'm familiar with a few of these places...

Wonderful to visit, but if you'd like to move to these places, independent wealth may be required.

[bluedigger]

3. I live near Durango.

I found it too congested, but I do visit when I need to do some "big city" shopping.

[likesmountains 52]

5. Sometimes I wonder if we'd make all these "top" whatever lists if we didn't have the train. There

is a lot of other good stuff here, but I think the DSNGR gets us the most attention.

[bluedigger]

6. I'll have to come over for a ride this summer.

I think the train becomes highlight material in stories because it's unique. Durango does have a lot going for it - I definitely would choose it over Cortez for jobs, lol.

[seabeyond]

8. i have been hearing about durango for years. big destination for people in the

panhandle of texas. a couple summers ago, he took off to stay a few days. we didnt like it much. like yuo said, congested. too many people. and we were looking for mountains.

we got the map out adn decided to check out silverton.

we LOVED it. and ourey? that was a cute little place. but silverton was beautiful. we had to buy jackets, lol.

[bluedigger]

10. Ouray, along with Moab, Utah, is a major destination for Jeepers.

I'm planning to spend as much time in Utah as I can, until the passes clear in the mountains, which should be early this year...



Up in Arches National Park about a month ago.

[seabeyond]

12. well, that is nifty.

my hubby had a jeep, totalled it and just bought a new one. and artic... blue. (i think)

i like the old ones better, but he likes the bigger engines? of the new one. made sure it was stick this time.

coolest picture.

hadnt thought to go into utah. i was there once when i was about 12. was beautiful

[bluedigger]

13. I have absolutely no desire to live there, but it's pretty spectacular, lol.

I might go up again tomorrow, depending on the weather.

Good choice with the stick! Supposedly, they have "fixed" a little problem they were having with the automatics bursting into flames, but...

I hear the new motor (Pentastar) is pretty spiffy, though.

[likesmountains 52]

16. That is one of my favorite things about living here...easy access to Moab, Chaco, San Juans etc. I'm

not a jeeper, but I sure have enjoyed hiking and camping in Moab.

[abq e streeter]

14. Silverton/Ouray : One hell of a ride on the "million dollar highway" to get there isn't it?

For those who have never been there, the San Juan mountains are absolutely spectacular, and that highway crosses over 12,000+ foot passes etc. And NO guardrails either the last time I drove it. I assume there still aren't.

Ouray trivia: C.W. McCall (real name William Fries) , the guy that did Convoy, was mayor of Ouray at one point.
And yeah, you need jackets. First time I camped near Silverton, it got down to about 25 degrees overnight and then close to 80 the next day.

[seabeyond]

20. we went up the a couple summers ago. went down hwy 1 in calif on the coast last summer, lol.

and ya, i am horribly afraid of heights. i have to let hubby drive. i would drive in the lane against mountain and wouldnt really care about on coming traffic. i have to sit facing him, scrunched down. kids want to go back and think about the trip. i have gotten worse over the years.

i need to be up against the mountain.

[HereSince1628]

4. LOL, 20 best small towns for big city assets...that's sure to be the best of small town US!

I do have to say, however, it is a downright classic American orientation to look for an escape to travel to that has everything, but the long lines.

[abq e streeter]

7. Only have spent time in two of these;Taos and Durango, and love both.

Was in Taos just a couple of weeks ago, and had a typically great time, with lots of really friendly and interesting people besides all the other things that make it a great little town.

[seabeyond]

9. we like to stay in red river.

but, last summer we decided to go over to taos for the day and explore the square. that was lots of fun. good restaurant, too. and found a place that brewed their own beer. hubby couldnt make the trip, so i bought him some different beers.

[abq e streeter]

15. My favorite part of my last visit was how everywhere we went, we had great, intelligent and

interesting conversations with people in the shops, on the street etc. Not to mention the spectacular scenery and the old plaza area.
I'm embarrassed to admit that after decades here, I've never even been to Red River. Was supposed to play there a couple of years ago but couldn't figure out a way to do that and be set up in Angel Fire for an early gig the next day, so had to bail on Red River. I'll get there sooner rather than later.

[musiclawyer]

11. C'Mon Laguna Beach and Mill Vallley

Those may be small town population wise but they are de-facto urban, literally minutes away from big city life. If you include intra-urban towns like that, they your whole methodology is flawed.

[underpants]

17. WOW Staunton? VA?? My folks live very near there

Beckley WV - I have only passed through it at high speeds on 64 - is a creation if Sen. Robert Byrd.....and that makes it great.

[bluedigger]

19. I stayed in Beckley for a few months while working nearby.

I don't think winter is it's best season...

[Odin2005]

18. 25,000 is a small town???

To me a "small town" is something like 5,000 or less. But I grew up in a little town of 500 people, so that probably affects my prespective.