Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In Apia, the capital of Samoa, there are a few blocks that contain:
1. a modern bank and Toyota Dealership.
2. Tall office buildings.
3. Urban looking stores and restaurants with outdoor seating. In other words, like an American downtown.
Yet, 3 minutes away in either direction is rural tropical island life. The transition from the few "Big City style blocks" to "Tropical Samoa" takes less then three blocks:
The situation is a few very open blocks surrounded by countryside within less then two minutes and an abrupt transition.
My question is are there any examples within the United States of tiny pockets of Urban Life (maybe a few big city style blocks with office buildings, pedestrian sidewalks, restaurants, etc) surrounded by rural countryside literally a few minutes away?
In other words, has anyone seen any examples of a few very urban big city style blocks within a very rural region or state?
In other words, what was the most out of place tiny island of "Big City" that you have ever seen in an otherwise rural region of the USA?
Eureka Springs, Arkansas feels like a little San Fran or New Orleans, but is about 2000 residents. It is a touristy area, though. You really feel the isolation at night in the winter. Deer walking down the streets are common.
Nearby Jim Thorpe has a very cute urban main street which goes for many blocks. There are some other neighborhoods in the borough, but it's mostly undeveloped land, including on either side of Boadway, which is built in a ravine with steep hills on either side.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas feels like a little San Fran or New Orleans, but is about 2000 residents. It is a touristy area, though. You really feel the isolation at night in the winter. Deer walking down the streets are common.
Agreed on Eureka Springs. Total gay liberal haven in the middle of rural Arkansas.
I think this sort of thing is actually pretty common with most pre-20th century small towns in the northeast and the south. Most of the well preserved villages have a decent sized main strip of walkable urban retail, some office space, rowhouses and really beautiful architecture within their downtown areas. Out west this is probably less common because rural communities were designed around the automobile and will typically include not much more than a tiny strip mall and a few gas stations. I've seen what OP described all over Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and most other east coast states.
Willits, CA is a decent example. Off of Hwy 101, its about the biggest town with "life" for awhile in either direction. Hwy 101 is a long, rural highway that twists and turns but there's not much as far as towns.
Population is around 5000, has a "downtown" with some shops and restaurants, and the school itself is along the "downtown strip" if that tells you anything
I could see some towns in rural Mississippi (maybe the Delta?) that once had theaters, main streets and small businesses etc. having the neglected or ruined remnants of a bigger past.
Agreed on Eureka Springs. Total gay liberal haven in the middle of rural Arkansas.
Here's an aerial view to show how that little slice of "urbanity" is in the sticks.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
