US town most like a European village

[stevo6]

Charleston, SC. Savannah , Ga. Saratoga Springs, NY. Geneva, NY (or any number of Finger Lakes towns.) Smaller rural towns in Ohio might also surprise you.

[Mistermobile]

Originally Posted by montycench

Princeton, New Jersey has a very European feel. It is very walkable and has beautifully preserved architecture. There are a lot of great restaurants, cafes, antique shops, art galleries etc.

I spent six years in Central NJ and lived in, then outside of Princeton Borough. Town and gown. One side of the street is the walled university of Princeton with well dressed security guards in rep ties and blazers to intercept you if you intrude on campus. The other side is small town anywhere. I heard that the university owns the commercial area adjoining the school and controls development. On week-ends the town is filled with tourists on day trips from NYC and Philadelphia.

[confusedasusual]

Uh, have you ever been to the French Quarter or the Marigny in New Orleans? I mean, anywhere besides Bourbon St? Its a village within a city.

[cab591]

How about the little, unheard of gem of Bisbee, AZ?

Started life as a mining town. The old part of town was developed before the automobile, hence the close construction and narrow streets. The city went into decline in the early 1900's, just like most mining towns. But instead of becoming a ghost town, developers turned it into an "artistic" community in the 1970's. However, with an economy based around tourism, Bisbee has yet to "thrive".

It's at elevation, so not nearly as hot as central Arizona. Highs are in the 90's in the summertime, with winter lows in the 30's. It's about an hour and a half from Tucson, and 20 minutes to the US-Mexico border. Bisbee is divided into three "sections", with the old part of town feeling the most "European".

Examples of streets / architecture:




Bisbee is definitely at a turning point between decline and rebirth. It's definitely got potential.