One way of deciding on the best small towns in America is to ask the people who know them best.
That’s what Budget Travel magazine did. Their readers were invited to vote for the “Coolest Small Town in America.” The results of their poll were recently announced. In this case only towns with a population of less than 10,000 were eligible for consideration.
According to Budget Travel editor-in-chief Nina Willdorf, “three really good markers” emerged in the polling.
It seems that in a “really cool small town:”
1. “You have to be able to get a really good cup of coffee.
2. When people leave for the big city, they realize they’ve made a mistake and come back home.
3. You’ll see more art galleries than country stores.”
Another probable characteristic is local pride: the ranking is determined by number of votes received. Owego, N.Y. (number one in this poll) garnered 24,692 votes – even though its population is 3,794).
The largest small town in the top ten is Silverton, Oregon, population 9,433, which boasts 14 downtown murals including one by Norman Rockwell.
The smallest town in the top ten is Onacock, Virginia (population 1,406, yet receiving 5,805 votes), an old-school fishing village with “remarkable views.”
And then there is Jim Thorpe, PA (population 4,878) located in some of the best mountain-biking terrain in the U.S.
In these ten “four-figure cities” it’s nice to see the evidence that enthusiasm and excitement for “our town” is high even in the places where the population is low.
To read more about the top ten coolest small towns in America see the report from the CBS Early Show which announced the results.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/15/earlyshow/living/travel/main4946306.shtml
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