Editor’s Note: For the month of January 2018, Efficientgov ran a photo contest. Travelers said these 30 small cities are the coolest, but we wanted to hear from locals. How do local governments in the top ten make these cities great places to live, work and play?
Since 2015, WalletHub has ranked Princeton, New Jersey, the Best Small City in America overall. The accolade is due in large part to its vibrant economic health, which followed on from a township and borough merger that realized $2.3 million in savings in 2015 alone. And while Princeton attracts some travelers to its battlegrounds and museums, it doesn’t make the Internet’s most recent list of the coolest small cities in the U.S.
What gives a small city that cool factor?
Alot Travel does not provide a methodology for this list, but its Twitter indicates that insights are cultivated by travel professionals and wanderlust enthusiasts. According to the website, the 30 Best Small Cities in the United States offer travelers cultural opportunities or not-to-miss, unusual offerings:
Big, crowded cities don’t have a monopoly on cultural offerings. If you’re looking to visit (or move to) a place that flows to a slower pace and has a lower cost of living, these towns under 100,000 residents still have plenty to cool things to do.”
The coolest small cities are:
- Aspen, Colorado
- Bentonville, Arkansas
- Greenville, South Carolina
- Ellensburg, Washington
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Spring Hill, Tennessee
- Telluride, Colorado
- St. George, Utah
- Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
- Dubuque, Iowa
- Park City, Utah
- Portland, Maine
- Sedona, Arizona
- Monterey, California
- Bend, Oregon
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Newport, Rhode Island
- Saratoga Springs, New York
- Marfa, Texas
- Appleton, Wisconsin
- San Ramon, California
- Oviedo, Florida
- West Bend, Wisconsin
- Manhattan, Kansas
- Cedar Falls, Iowa
- Bismarck, North Dakota
- Beverly, Massachusetts
- Bozeman, Montana
- Charlottesville, Virginia
- Nashua, New Hampshire