The best of small town USA? | Page 3 | The Boneyard

The best of small town USA?

I've seen New Hope, Pa and Jim Thorpe, Pa...would add in some in the interior - Lititz, Pa (along with the larger Lancaster area) and Gettysburg, Pa.
 
First off the list - any town outside of a National Park. Those towns are invariably overrun with tourists, or more likely tourons! (Portmanteau of tourist and genius. As in, "I just finished a 15 day hike and I arrive at the Happy Isles trailhead to see a touron feeding a bear.") There is rarely a small town feel about them.
High Country News had a metric for telling whether you town was "small," and the first was, we have DQ but no McD. Out in the west it's DQ or in CA Foster's Freeze if your town is really small. If there's a McD within 20 miles, the town is not small.
Carmel-by-the-Sea is the frau's favorite but it's just old white rich people and their pitchforks. Go north to Point Arena for the real small town.
Jackson (Hole) Wyoming small? The place is hell on earth if that's possible in the Rockies. Airport is pretty nice though. Jackson CA is interesting. Elko Nevada is where the cowboy poets go, and you can get shot in Winslow Arizona if you so desire. My favorite is Lone Pine CA but it's not all that small any longer.
 
Letsgohuskies11 said:
half the places people are listing are way bigger than a "small town." Newport, Northampton arent quite small town places. Try going to newport in the summer.
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I believe the criteria for small town here was around 25,000 folks. that's newport. on the other hand, I did list burlington, vt which is apparently north of 40,000. feels smaller.
 
ClifSpliffy said:
I believe the criteria for small town here was around 25,000 folks. that's newport. on the other hand, I did list burlington, vt which is apparently north of 40,000. feels smaller.
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its like 24,917 as of 2017. And that is probably year round residents, the summer its easily double that.
 
Here are some western choices:
Ojai, CA
Joshua Tree, CA
Cambria, CA
Cayucos, CA
Mendocino, CA
Gold Beach, OR
Ashland OR (Shakespeare Festival)
Astoria, OR
Grass Valley, CA
Sedona AZ
Los Olivos, CA (this is where they filmed the Andy Griffith show, still looks like that! IMHO a much better choice than nearby Solvang, which pretty well defines "Tourist Hell" to me!)
 
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Letsgohuskies11 said:
its like 24,917 as of 2017. And that is probably year round residents, the summer its easily double that.
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Colleges bring the winter months up to. Definitely closer to 40,000 if I were to guess on average if you add in the leaf peepers
 
SoCalCanine said:
Los Olivos, CA (this is where they filmed the Andy Griffith show, still looks like that! IMHO a much better choice than nearby Solvang, which pretty well defines "Tourist Hell" to me!)
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I'm not suggesting Solvang as a destination; it was an interesting hour and a half diversion for lunch and a walk through town (and ebelskivers!) while we were en route from Santa Monica to SLO. Definitely unique. Wine country all around there, too, and lots of good places to grab interesting bottles. Something for the kids, something for us. Usually works out well when we can satisfy both.

I really liked SLO, though.
 
8893 said:
I'm not suggesting Solvang as a destination; it was an interesting hour and a half diversion for lunch and a walk through town (and ebelskivers!) while we were en route from Santa Monica to SLO. Definitely unique. Wine country all around there, too, and lots of good places to grab interesting bottles. Something for the kids, something for us. Usually works out well when we can satisfy both.

I really liked SLO, though.
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SLO is great, but not really a "small town". Many disagree with me about Solvang. Last winter our friends from VT were out to visit. Somehow they got really interested in Solvang, so I bit my tongue and we went there. We parked near the restaurant we had chosen. They never made it out of the parking lot before they said, "Let's go to a different town. This place looks awful!" Los Olivos or Santa Ynez have all the good parts of Solvang (WINE!) without the pseudo-Danish architecture and awful Danish food (the bakeries are pretty good, but there is a reason you all don't have Danish restaurants in all your neighborhoods like Italian, Thai or Mexican!)
 
HuskyHawk said:
Beaufort South Carolina for sure.
Aiken South Carolina as well.
Waterbury, Woodstock, Brandon Vermont
If you want really small with interesting history: Cottonwood Falls, KS

Edit: Instead of Carmel mentioned by others, try Capitola by the sea.
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Beaufort has gotten much nicer over the past 5 years or so. Riverfront area has good variety of food and entertainment.
 
I would also add Taos NM. Great galleries. If you are a skier go in winter
 
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SoCalCanine said:
Here are some western choices:
Ojai, CA
Joshua Tree, CA
Cambria, CA
Cayucos, CA
Mendocino, CA
Gold Beach, OR
Ashland OR (Shakespeare Festival)
Astoria, WA
Grass Valley, CA
Sedona AZ
Los Olivos, CA (this is where they filmed the Andy Griffith show, still looks like that! IMHO a much better choice than nearby Solvang, which pretty well defines "Tourist Hell" to me!)
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Astoria is a good recommendation. Cool town. Although don't look for it in WA. It's on the OR side of the Columbia River. :)
 
Mano said:
Yes, definitely spend a bunch of time in West Virginia. Get up in them hills.

Oh, and New Britain. New Britain for sure.
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I grew up in New Britain. It was in the 60's and 70's a great town. As the jobs started to leave, so many of the businesses closed, and then people moved away. They are finally coming back. I played a small role helping start up a housing co op on Beaver St replacing crack houses with the Beaver St Co Op. Broad St is now bustling.
 
Chin Diesel said:
Beaufort has gotten much nicer over the past 5 years or so. Riverfront area has good variety of food and entertainment.
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I liked it even 20 years ago, but it has gotten better on food and entertainment. Not really a "small" town I suppose. My parents moved near there in the 90s.
 
Sparta. NJ

I was just there over the weekend 1st time and that is the definition of small town. I highly recommend going there - Lake Mohawk boardwalk, Main st with Krogh's Restaurant & Brew Pub, ice cream, etc.....
 
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Guapo said:
It’s...fine, I guess.

It’s not where they filmed Deliverance, though.

I gotta know, what in the world were you ever doing in Ellijay?
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Mountain biking in CNF. Stayed at a place called Mulberry Gap. I like Ellijay bc it’s a bit more down home than some of the other touristy mountain towns in the southeast
 
NJHusky said:
My point was that srq is not a small city...which is the topic of the original post . I love siesta and longboat. I live In Sarasota so feel competent to comment. Never lived in savanah or Charleston
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Charleston has a population of 150k + Savannah is about the same. Sarasota has 50k people... of which how many actually are full time? Plus Sarasota has some unique stuff and history. So your comment threw me off since its so out of the ordinary when everyone has accepted super large tourist traps as "small" town usa. Should I have dropped a St Augustine ?
 
uconnphil2016 said:
Mountain biking in CNF. Stayed at a place called Mulberry Gap. I like Ellijay bc it’s a bit more down home than some of the other touristy mountain towns in the southeast
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Yeah I’m very familiar. My wife is from Blairsville, GA which is a few towns over from Ellijay.

It’s, uh, very “down home”
 
Brulington VT is great but is too large population wise, instead seek out Shelburne VT which is just south- still has Lake Champlain connection, cool restaurants and shops, Shelburne Museum and Inn, and only 10 minutes to Burlington (well, South Burlington).
Once out west I visited a town called Ouray, CO which was neat- best thing is the very large outdoor thermal heated pool. The area gets a lot of snow and seeing people in bathing suits in the pool with all the snow around is fantastic.
 
huskyinfl said:
Charleston has a population of 150k + Savannah is about the same. Sarasota has 50k people... of which how many actually are full time? Plus Sarasota has some unique stuff and history. So your comment threw me off since its so out of the ordinary when everyone has accepted super large tourist traps as "small" town usa. Should I have dropped a St Augustine ?
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I'm sorry you are offended that I don't think SRQ is a small town...but I don't. I love it...but I still don't think it's a small town. It's a charming city...it has an Opera, Ballet, performing arts center, 2 Ritz Carltons, westin, 2 Marriott Properties...probably over 50 hotels, 4 separate neighborhoods that by themselves might be a charming small town and an Airport. I'm sorry you are offended that I didn't comment on cities that I have no personal knowledge of.
 
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QDOG5 said:
@NJHusky and @huskyinfl you two need to stop bickering and start sand bagging around MY house. Thank you.
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'stop bickering?'ya know, it's called the 'Bickeryard' for a reason.
'you stink!' 'no, you stink!' 'you stink on ice!' 'no, you stink to high heaven!' and etc.
 
QDOG5 said:
@NJHusky and @huskyinfl you two need to stop bickering and start sand bagging around MY house. Thank you.
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Good luck....With the storm coming across the state, I'm wondering if the effect on the west coast will be lessened.

I was very happy to find out my house is 22 Ft above sea level....I'm in the mountains!
 
SoCalCanine said:
SLO is great, but not really a "small town". Many disagree with me about Solvang. Last winter our friends from VT were out to visit. Somehow they got really interested in Solvang, so I bit my tongue and we went there. We parked near the restaurant we had chosen. They never made it out of the parking lot before they said, "Let's go to a different town. This place looks awful!" Los Olivos or Santa Ynez have all the good parts of Solvang (WINE!) without the pseudo-Danish architecture and awful Danish food (the bakeries are pretty good, but there is a reason you all don't have Danish restaurants in all your neighborhoods like Italian, Thai or Mexican!)
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I kinda liked Solvang. Yes it's a little kitschy, but it sorta reminded me of an alternate-universe where there was a Denmark Pavilion in the Epcot World Showcase. (which I consider to be a good thing, but maybe I'm weird).
I will add that a little bit north of there & on the coast, Cambria is a great small town to check out.
 
Willimantic, CT

...but seriously:
Bristol, RI
Watch Hill, RI
Stonington, CT
Carmel-by-the-sea, CA
Williamsburg, VA
Middleburg, VA
St Michaels, MD
Hudson, NY
Beacon, NY
Edgartown, MA

Not so small:
Newport, RI
Asheville, NC
Alexandria, VA
Charleston, SC
 
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