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The title is self-explanatory. Though I love my big cities, there are a lot of beautiful small towns that fly under the radar and are brimming with old historic structures. And I don't mean pre-American Revolution. Anything pre-WWII would qualify in my opinion.
So what are some historic towns/small cities in your state/region that you enjoy visiting from time to time? No cities over 200k city proper can be named.
In my state [Virginia], I'd say the Big Twenty are:
Abingdon
Alexandria
Bristol
Charlottesville
Culpeper
Fredericksburg
Leesburg
Lexington
Lynchburg
Manassas
Orange
Petersburg
Portsmouth
Roanoke
Smithfield
Staunton
Washington ["Little Washington"]
Williamsburg
Winchester
Yorktown
Of these, Alexandria, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Staunton and Williamsburg are the Top 5.
In the National Capital Region [DC, DE, MD, VA, WV], the most beautiful ten to me are:
Alexandria
Annapolis
Charleston
Charlottesville
Frederick
Harpers Ferry
Roanoke
Staunton
Williamsburg
Wilmington
Nationally I would say the Top 25 are [alphabetically]:
Alexandria
Annapolis
Asheville
Burlington
Cape May
Charleston
Deadwood
Duluth
Eureka Springs
Frederick
Galena
Ketchikan
Key West
Lancaster
Mackinac Island
Nantucket
Natchez
Newport
Portland [ME]
Portsmouth [NH]
Saint Augustine
Santa Barbara
Santa Fe
Savannah
Williamsburg
Any others I missed out? Any changes you would make?
In New England you listed Nantucket, Mass., Portland, Me., Portsmouth, NH, Newport, R.I., and Burlington, Vt. Even skipping all the lovely little places like Litchfield CT, Cohasset MA and Tamworth, NH, I would add the following larger towns and cities:
ID say for Greater Boston/New England
-Rockport MA
-Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA
-Newburyport, MA
-Marblehead, MA
-Concord, MA
-Westerley, RI
-Newport, RI
-Stockbridge, MA
-Lenox, MA
-Chattam, MA
-Sturbridge, MA
-Edgartown, MA
-Oak Bluffs, MA
-Provincetown, MA
-Ogunquit, ME
-York, ME
-Kennebunkport, ME
-Bar Harbor, ME
-Damariscotta, ME
-Camden, ME (One of the most underrated spots in America)
-Stowe, VT
-Mystic, CT
For Florida
-Mt Dora, FL
-St. Augustine, FL
Others I have found over time
-Sedona, AZ
-Alexandria, VA
-Oswego, NY
-Skaneateles, NY
-Sleepy Hollow, NY
-New Paltz, NY
-Princeton, NJ
However, top 3 underrated off the beaten path towns:
1. Camden, Maine
2. Pawtucket Village, Rhode Island
3. Westerley, Rhode Island
^^ I just looked up Camden, ME, and what a gorgeous setting! And I can't believe I forgot Bar Harbor. I've heard fantastic things about that little place.
I think just goes to show that pound-for-pound, there's no topping New England when it comes to pretty little towns.'
I took the Amtrak from Vancouver to Seattle and I remember doing a double-take when it passed by Bellingham because it was so beautiful [sunset with the Whatcom Museum looking radiantly crimson]! Definitely regret not knowing about it until then. Should have made a pit stop
The title is self-explanatory. Though I love my big cities, there are a lot of beautiful small towns that fly under the radar and are brimming with old historic structures. And I don't mean pre-American Revolution. Anything pre-WWII would qualify in my opinion.
So what are some historic towns/small cities in your state/region that you enjoy visiting from time to time? No cities over 200k city proper can be named.
In my state [Virginia], I'd say the Big Twenty are:
Abingdon
Alexandria
Bristol
Charlottesville
Culpeper
Fredericksburg
Leesburg
Lexington
Lynchburg
Manassas
Orange
Petersburg
Portsmouth
Roanoke
Smithfield
Staunton
Washington ["Little Washington"]
Williamsburg
Winchester
Yorktown
Of these, Alexandria, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Staunton and Williamsburg are the Top 5.
In the National Capital Region [DC, DE, MD, VA, WV], the most beautiful ten to me are:
Alexandria
Annapolis
Charleston
Charlottesville
Frederick
Harpers Ferry
Roanoke
Staunton
Williamsburg
Wilmington
Nationally I would say the Top 25 are [alphabetically]:
Alexandria
Annapolis
Asheville
Burlington
Cape May
Charleston
Deadwood
Duluth
Eureka Springs
Frederick
Galena
Ketchikan
Key West
Lancaster
Mackinac Island
Nantucket
Natchez
Newport
Portland [ME]
Portsmouth [NH]
Saint Augustine
Santa Barbara
Santa Fe
Savannah
Williamsburg
Any others I missed out? Any changes you would make?
Obviously the Charleston in the second list is in WV. Is that the same Charleston being referred to in the third list or is that Charleston, SC? I would think the latter but wanted to be sure.
For my native SC, Charleston and Beaufort would be the most obvious but there's one that's not quite as old but still worth noting: the town of Cheraw.
Last edited by manitopiaaa; 05-10-2020 at 09:43 PM..
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