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Vincennes is a pit. We stayed there overnight on a road trip to Georgia and my middle-school-aged daughter aptly described it as "crusty." I will grant its downtown is surprisingly well preserved considering how run down the rest of the town is, but even so the downtown was virtually devoid of vitality or anything interesting.
Vincennes is an interesting case, ok, maybe not. It just feels like a little town that could be so much better than it is. They have a........cute?....downtown. Main St itself feels like it should be the anchor of a vibrant downtown, lots of intact historic buildings. The riverfront park that hosts the George Rogers Clark Memorial is nice. To the east, perhaps a stretch to call it walking distance, is Gregg Park which is a nice city park with a lot of intact historic housing stock. Really nice area, albeit pretty small.
The rest of Vincennes.........oof. A lot of unrealized potential in Vincennes. You'd think with VU just to the NE of downtown, you'd see more continuous activity between downtown and campus. It is lacking, but there is at least some potential there. Too bad VU acts more like an island than an anchor to something better.
Duluth was originally built like it was going to become a big city but that petered out in the early 20th century so its downtown and Central Hillside neighborhood are basically a museum of late 19th century Midwestern urbanism.
Duluth and the Mississippi River towns like Winona, La Crosse and Dubuque are the best smaller cities in this part of the Midwest in my opinion. They are also quite hilly, which is unique for the region.
Iowa City has all of this. Ames does to a lesser extent (less historical prestige)
I'm sure there's a ton of examples of this. Dubuque probably does with UD, and Madison has it as well.
The neighborhood north of downtown Ames is a designated historic district with lots of big old homes and leafy lots. Very well maintained. Similar to the neighborhood in Iowa City just east of downtown/U of I.
Cedar Falls has some really nice older neighborhoods north and east of the UNI campus that fit this description.
Arkansas is definitely not in the Midwest, but I've visited Eureka Springs and didn't find to be overwhelmingly Southern either. The Ozarks have their own flavor.
The neighborhood north of downtown Ames is a designated historic district with lots of big old homes and leafy lots. Very well maintained. Similar to the neighborhood in Iowa City just east of downtown/U of I.
Cedar Falls has some really nice older neighborhoods north and east of the UNI campus that fit this description.
My brother lives in that area north of Ames, and we both used to live in the historic area in Iowa City. I don't know if you can say that they're similar. There just seems to be more history in Iowa City, granted I am a bit biased. Cedar Falls is actually a pretty great example, I'd give you rep for that if it allowed me to.
From my motorcycle rides...
Winona, Minnesota
Dubuque, Iowa
Galena, IL
La Crosse, Wisconsin
You've focused a nice ride on an area with historic cities and towns that are centered upon (or in Galena's case, very near to) the beautiful, bluff-lined upper Mississippi River Valley with a bullseye specifically placed on the "Driftless Zone" of the valley!
What a ride that must have been for you on your bike while a boat ride down the river in that region would be to die for and would take one to Winona, Dubuque & Lacrosse!
My brother lives in that area north of Ames, and we both used to live in the historic area in Iowa City. I don't know if you can say that they're similar. There just seems to be more history in Iowa City, granted I am a bit biased. Cedar Falls is actually a pretty great example, I'd give you rep for that if it allowed me to.
I'm an ISU grad of long ago but recall the near north side area in Ames fairly well. More recently I've explored it and much of Ames via a street view app.
I'd guess that the oldest house in Ames may actually be on the ISU campus. See the 1st link for Farm House.
Ames near north is pretty and old by Ames standards Ames but the old, inner core of Iowa City is noticeably larger and more inline with what I'd call truly "historic".
As for example, I recall visiting the historic home called Plum Grove in Iowa City over 50 years ago.
See it at the 2nd link.
Stillwater mn
St Joseph’s Missouri (poney express)
Duluth MN
s st Marie Michigan
Mcgregor Iowa
Dubuque Iowa
Prairie du Chene Wisconsin
Wabasha, MN
Decorah, ia
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Best smaller historic cities..
