'About Us' Table of Contents: Small Town Categories: |
 North Conway, New Hampshire |
|
-
We travel small town America to discover, photograph, and recommend the best small towns for your travel destinations.
-
In the small towns we visit, we walk the streets in the downtown district and bicycle outlying residential areas, taking dozens of photographs along the way.
-
We then evaluate the small town and make recommendations to our viewers based upon our standards for what we consider to be a desirable small town. For those small towns that do not meet our standards, we report them as being disqualified to our viewers.
-
Our goal is to earn your trust as an unbiased source of information about small town America. ⇑ (back to top)
 |
 |
Kingsburg, California |
Wharton, Texas |
-
We guarantee to have personally visited and walked/bicycled the streets in every town that we recommend to our viewers.
-
We have no advertising relationship with any entity in the small towns we recommend.
-
The only outside advertiser we utilize is Google Adsense. These ads appear on the right and bottom of pages. The content of the ads is dictated by Google, not us. We prohibit pop-up or other nuisance ads. ⇑ (back to top)
 |
 |
Barnesville, Georgia
|
Pella, Iowa |
The marketplace is flooded with advertisements for landmarks in large cities across America. These extend from the Empire State Building in New York City to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Travel information is readily available for tourist attractions from Disney World in Orlando to the Space Needle in Seattle. Five-star restaurants and three-star hotels are heavily promoted. Unfortunately, there is a hidden beauty in America that is unknown to most residents. I’m referring to the architectural, historic and nostalgic treasures of beautiful small towns throughout the United States. Many of these lovely travel destinations remain unknown because small municipalities lack the financial resources to advertise their towns. ⇑ (back to top)
 |
 |
Galena, Illinois |
Sedona, Arizona |
HOW THIS WEBSITE IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SITES
There are many web sites that contain information about small towns in America. Yet many of these sites recommend small towns that we consider to be less than desirable. In fact, some of the suggested towns on these sites would qualify as federal disaster areas. Obviously, the owners of these web sites are being subsidized by local chamber of commerce or tourism organizations for towns in desperate need of visitors' wallets.
SmallTownGems is unaffiliated with any person or organization trying to promote their municipality. We do not directly advertise for any business in the small towns we recommend. Instead, we subscribe to Google Ad services, and they have full control over the advertisements. We receive no income or gratuities from any local chamber, civic or government agency in the municipalities we evaluate. We only recommend those towns we have visited, photographed, and meet our standards. Our web site also contains the names of hundreds of towns that we have visited and consider unacceptable when measured against our criteria. We are the only web site that does so. We like to think of ourselves as the Consumer Reports of small town destinations. ⇑ (back to top)
 |
 |
Fredericksburg, Texas |
Stillwater, Minnesota |
What metric do we use to classify these towns as ‘small’? Most of the towns on our site have a population of 10,000 or less. In most cases, we do not consider a town to be a 'small' one if it has a population in excess of 15,000 full-time residents. Exceptions are places like Savannah, Georgia and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Technically, these are large metropolitan areas, but contain neighborhood historic districts or other clusters of buildings reminiscent of small towns. Old Town Albuquerque is an example of this. Many of the small towns on our web site have a population of two to three thousand year-round residents. ⇑ (back to top)
|
 |
Morro Bay, California |
Stanton, Iowa |
WHAT IS A 'DESIRABLE' SMALL TOWN?
How do we describe the ambiance or personality of the towns on this web site? The adjectives historic, small, quaint, charming, romantic come to mind. Or we could employ the phrases “a step back in time”, “picture postcard” or “small town Americana at its best”. Many have historic districts, attractive store fronts on Main Street, antique shops, art stores or other boutiques, Victorian homes, bed and breakfast lodging. Because of their distinctive quality, numerous towns on our web site have been Hollywood film locations.
As you enter these towns, they should pass the following emotional tests:
1. Does this town remind you of a Currier and Ives print?
2. Do you think to yourself “I can’t wait to tell my friends about this place”?
3. Do you wonder if there is enough capacity in your camera?
4. Is this place similar to the town where your grandmother was raised?
5. Could this be the great retirement location you've been searching for?
6. Wouldn't this be a safe, wholesome place to raise children?
The following criteria are used to earn our approval:
|
Pella, Iowa
Germantown, Ohio |
WHAT ARE THE 'BEST' SMALL TOWNS?
There are several good books that use the phrase 'best small towns' in their titles, including The 100 Best Small Towns in America, The 50 Best Small Southern Towns and The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America. The 'best' small town is in the eyes of the beholder, just as the 'best' dessert is in the taste buds of the beholder. Although we have provided viewers with some criteria we use to quantify the adjectives best and nicest, our assessment is otherwise subjective. That is why we provide an extensive number of photos of our recommended small towns so the viewing public can 'best' be the judge. ⇑ (back to top)
 |
 |
Mackinac Island, Michigan |
Manti, Utah |
WHY DO WE RECOMMEND THESE TOWNS?
If you are investigating small towns for retirement or relocation, it would be prudent to consult demographics such as crime rate, per capita income, rate of unemployment, average resale home prices, or the percentage of the population that are college graduates. Our recommendations for best or nicest are not based on these statistics. Our recommendations are based on what we consider to be the best small towns for weekend getaways, the best places for temporary relaxation, the best small towns for a romantic interlude, or simply to satisfy your wanderlust. We are, after all, primarily a tourism, entertainment and travel website. Instead of sociological statistics, our recommendations of small towns are based on the five physical senses (what you can see, smell, hear, taste and touch), a sense of nostalgia and romance, a sense of security (it feels safe to wander about), a sense of curiosity (the desire to explore), and the most intangible, a sense of home. In these modern times, many of us feel victimized by the thrust into an ever-faster world of high-stress, technologically-demanding existence. As a source of relief from these pressures, it is only natural that we would benefit from a brief escape to a simpler, quieter, slower environment, reminiscent of yesteryear. Hopefully, visits to these small, quaint, charming, nostalgic towns will provide a respite from your day-to-day hectic routines. ⇑ (back to top)
 |
 |
Jefferson, Texas |
Cowan, Tennessee |
WHY DO WE DISQUALIFY CERTAIN TOWNS?
1. The town is too small to offer enough amenities such as dining, shopping or lodging.
2. The town has tourism potential, but is currently in the process of renovation, often after decades of neglect.
3. The town does not appear to be safe enough for pedestrian visitors.
4. While the town may have some redeeming features, its location is so remote that we cannot recommend our viewers expend the effort to reach it. Exceptions to this are towns such as Eureka Springs AR, Telluride, CO, and Galena, IL. They are significantly ‘off the beaten path’, but well worth the extra miles. On the contrary, if a small town has minimal entertainment amenities, we may still recommend it because it is easily accessible from an interstate highway. Paxico, KS is a good example. Paxico is a cute town, although it has only a few antique stores as entertainment for visitors. But it is conveniently located just 2 miles off Interstate 70. If the town were not so accessible, we would not recommend it.
Thousands of small towns in this country advertise their downtown areas as ‘historic’. The difference between ‘historic’ and ‘historic district’ can be as severe as the distinction between ‘rap’ and ‘rhapsody’. The term ‘historic’ should be used to designate structures of ‘historical significance’. Unfortunately, in many towns, ‘historic’ simply means ‘old’. And all too often, ‘historic’ is used to describe buildings that are dilapidated, or in such a state of disrepair from terminal neglect, they should be bulldozed. An ‘old’ outhouse is still just a toilet, even if George Washington did shit there. Unless a municipality displays an official federal or state historic district emblem (white letters on chocolate brown background), ignore the ‘historic’ baloney.
Beware of ‘Main Street’ Towns
Hundreds of small towns in this country proudly display signs proclaiming themselves to be a 'Main Street Community'. These municipalities are recipients of grants from their state governments. The purpose of this funding is to attempt to revitalize their historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts, often after decades of neglect. In our travel experiences, most ‘Main Street’ small towns are undesirable from the tourist perspective, because their infrastructure and economies are too deteriorated to be resuscitated.The following are symptoms of an undesirable small town. To paraphrase Jeff Foxworthy, “You might be in Redneckville if. . . ."
|
 |
HOW SMALL TOWNS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE CLASSIFIED The towns listed on our website fall into five categories.
- Approved Towns
) to the right of its name signifies this town earns our highest recommendation.
- Novelty Visit Towns
- Disqualified Towns
- Hall of Shame Towns
- Candidate Towns
 |
 |
Mendocino, California |
Taos, New Mexico |
Our primary goal is to educate our viewers concerning the quality of the small towns we visit. Many of our patrons use this information when planning vacations or weekend getaways. But some use our web site to investigate the possibility of small town retirement or relocation. We like to think of ourselves as a travel entertainment source. We do so by offering our opinion and providing photographs and other information about small towns. Some viewers have pointed out (and rightly so) that while our visual evidence is helpful in assessing the quality of towns, such information certainly does not constitute a complete quality assessment of these locales. In an attempt to respond to these comments, we have formulated the following general suggestions listed below.
- Be skeptical about information provided by the Chamber of Commerce or realtor concerning a small town in which they have a vested interest.
- A good source of honest information about a town can be found by subscribing to a website forum concerning the geographic area of interest. This is why we provide a forum at SmallTownGems. Pose a question to the forum members - such as "I am anticipating a move to East Podunkville. What it's like to live there?" There is no substitute for the experience and opinion of someone who has lived in these small towns.
- Telephone or (better yet) visit the Humane Society or SPCA in the county of interest. If these organizations do not exist, this could be a 'red flag'. Ask them about the general animal situation in the county and the existence of local laws to protect animals from cruelty (not animal control laws – those protect human beings from animals). As Mahatma Gandhi said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated". This is also applicable at the local level.
- Talk to a public official about zoning ordinances. There is usually a correlation between strictness of zoning regulations and quality of residents.
- Consult demographics from the U.S. Census Bureau.
- In rural areas, consult with local well drillers and the Agricultural Extension Agent before you buy/build. Most have resided in the area their entire lives and know the topography, soil and water conditions like the 'back of their hands'.
- Speak to the Sheriff's Department or Police department about law enforcement problems in the community.
- Visit the area of interest during its worst weather season - Minnesota in December, Florida in July, Seattle during the rainy season and Santa Fe in its windy season.
- Talk to people at a local bicycle shop or walking/running club. My experience is that they are usually well-educated/affluent members of the community.
- In a sparsely populated area, unless a small town is a county seat, its long-term economic viability is questionable.
- Subscribe to the local newspaper well in advance of a relocation.
- The existence of a health food store is often indicative of a high-quality community.
- On average, small towns with a college are of higher quality than those without an institution of higher learning
In the opinion of Forbes magazine, reliable indicators of the quality of a community include:
a) percentage of homes that are occupied by their owners (and not rental property tenants)
b) incidence of crime
c) percentage of the population that graduated from college
d) charitably-inclined residents. To find out which locales are the most giving, access the website Chronicle of Philanthropy.
According to Smithsonian magazine, a high quality small town can be quantified based on the following:
a) Museums
b) Historic sites
c) Botanic gardens
d) Resident orchestras
e) Art galleries
If you have any other advice to viewers before they move to a small town, please contacts us via 
Twitter or 
Facebook. Thank you.
