TABLE OF CONTENTS About Us: • Our Mission Statement Small Town Categories: Misc.: |
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YOUR DONATIONS SmallTownGems does not advertise for any business in the towns we recommend. We accept no income or gratuities from any chamber of commerce, civic organization, or government in the municipalities we evaluate. As a result, we are able to provide unbiased opinions to our traveling viewers. Your donations help make this possible. To contribute, please click here. Thank you. |
| North Conway, New Hampshire | ||
BEAUTIFUL SMALL TOWNS IN AMERICA
» 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)
We guarantee that we have personally visited and walked / bicycled the streets in every town that we recommend to our viewers. We have no advertising relationship with any business in the small towns we recommend. ⇑ (back to top)
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Barnesville, Georgia
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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 brochures are 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)
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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)
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Fredericksburg, Texas |
Stillwater, Minnesota |
What criteria did we use to classify these towns as ‘small’? Most of the towns on our site have a population of 10,000 or less. 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)
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Camden, Maine |
Clinton, New Jersey |
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 were Hollywood film locations.
As you enter these towns, they should pass the following emotional tests:
1. Does this 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?
The following criteria are used to earn our approval:
♦ Distinctive Architecture
♦ Part of the downtown has been designated a state or national historic district
♦ Numerous stone or brick buildings in downtown
♦ Pedestrian/bicyclist friendly
♦ County seat with historic courthouse
♦ Lampposts along the main thoroughfare
♦ Fountains
♦ Abundant tree and flower landscaping
♦ Art galleries, antique stores, or specialty boutiques
♦ Small college or university in or near the town
♦ Bed-and-breakfast lodging, usually in Victorian or Bungalow-style housing
♦ Gourmet coffee shops and/or bakery
♦ Clock towers
♦ Brick/cobblestone sidewalks or streets
♦ A river or canal through the downtown
♦ Proximate to a lake or ocean
♦ Bike or walking path
♦ Clean, easily accessible public restrooms
♦ Wooden picket or wrought iron fences
♦ Wrought iron railings on upper-story balconies
♦ Unusual scenery nearby
♦ Vintage train station with locomotive and caboose
♦ Iron or covered bridges
♦ Tourist trolley buses and horse-drawn carriages
♦ Abundant and decorative trash receptacles
♦ Vintage service station with antique vehicles ⇑ (back to top)
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 the criteria we use to quantify the adjectives best and nicest, our assessment is otherwise subjective. That is why over time we will provide an extensive number of photos of our recommended small towns so the viewing public can 'best' be the judge. ⇑ (back to top)
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Mackinac Island, Michigan |
Manti, Utah |
WHY DO WE RECOMMEND THESE TOWNS?
The small towns on this web site are not necessarily recommended for relocation or retirement. On the contrary, if you are really interested in maintaining the charm of these small towns, please do not move there. We have mixed emotions about listing some of these towns on our site. On the one hand, helping these small towns attract tourist dollars will help insure their survival; an influx of too many people could jeopardize their quaint character. Of course, if any of these towns have their own web sites, or other means of promotion, this could contribute to self-destruction of their small town character.
If you are looking for the best small town for retirement or relocation, it would be prudent to consult demographics such as 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 to relax, the best small towns for a romantic interlude, or simply to satisfy your wanderlust.
Instead of sociological statistics, our recommended small towns are based on the visual senses, 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)
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Jefferson, Texas |
Cowan, Tennessee |
WHY DO WE DISQUALIFY CERTAIN TOWNS?
When we visit a town, and find that it is not of sufficient quality to merit our Approved List, it is recorded in our Disqualified List. Some of the reasons for a disqualification are as follows.
1. The town is too small to offer enough amenities such as dining, shopping or lodging.
2. The town has 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 tourists.
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 by an interstate highway. Paxico, KS is a good example. Paxico is a cute town with only a few antique stores to offer as entertainment for visitors. But it is conveniently located just 2 miles off Interstate 70. If the town was 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 chronic state of disrepair that they should be bulldozed from terminal neglect. 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.
The following are symptoms of an undesirable small town. To paraphrase Jeff Foxworthy, “You might be in Redneckville if. . . ."
∅ The hottest selling item at the local convenience store is fried pork rinds – and it comes in five flavors
∅ Tourists are graciously welcomed with NO PUBLIC RESTROOM and OUT OF ORDER signs
∅ BAIL BOND signs appear on the courthouse square
∅ Both the MEN and WOMEN restrooms have condom dispensers, with instructions for proper usage
∅ The name of the local bookstore starts with XXX or ADULT
∅ The largest directional sign on the highway into town reads SANITARY LANDFILL
∅ The mayor's first name is Bubba. The mayor's last name is an alias.
∅ The sign next to the stoplight says WAIT FOR GREEN
∅ Predominance of MONEY ORDERS SOLD HERE signs
∅ PAWN SHOP and CHECK CASH – PAYDAY ADVANCE businesses
∅ The largest employers in town are the hospital and jail
∅ TAXIDERMY and DISCOUNT TOBACCO stores
∅ Residences and businesses with bars on all the windows
∅ Chained dogs
∅ NO LOITERING and SPITTING PROHIBITED signs
∅ Plywood windows
∅ The one restaurant in town warns that shirt and shoes are required
∅ I once saw a sign in Pennsylvania advertising FRESH COAL. If the 'fresh' coat of paint on the small town WELCOME sign was applied in the previous century, you may have just entered Toilettown, U.S.A. ⇑ (back to top)
HOW SMALL TOWNS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE CLASSIFIED
The towns listed on our web site fall into four categories.
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Approved List
Towns that we have visited and recommend to our viewers. A star (
) to the right of its name signifies this town earns our highest recommendation.
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Candidate List
Towns that we have researched and/or recommended to us by others, but we have not yet had the opportunity to visit.
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Disqualified List
Towns that we have visited, but do not meet our standards.
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Hall of Shame
Do not stop in these towns unless you experience three or more simultaneous flat tires. The Chamber of Commerce sign painters have apparently misspelled ‘Hysterical’ as ‘Historical’. ⇑ (back to top)
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Mendocino, California |
Taos, New Mexico |
