A little off topic (although it too is a small town), but do you happen to know the name of a place slightly outside Amsterdam (you have to pass the ArenA to get to it from the city centre, and currently - or at least a month ago - you have to switch lines as there is work being done)? I can't remember the name of it right now, but a friend of mine who lives in Muiderpoort* has a girlfriend who is from there. Unbelievable place - endless rows and rows of houses, the backyards of which open up onto a gigantic lake, each with a boat right next to; I think I know where I want to retire to/own a second property in. We spent the afternoon there and of all things, there was a jazz band playing on the lake! *I don't think I've gone a day without missing The Windmill pub.
Ashland, OR i think the population's around 20k, it has the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (which is amazing), i think there's a small university there, and there's lots of outdoorsy stuff to do. and it's GORGEOUS!
Yes, about 19,000, and the university is Southern Oregon University (SOU), home of the Raiders, who are a public NAIA school with both mens and women's soccer. SOU is in the same conference as Oregon Tech, in nearby Klamath Falls, which I took a trip to in 1997 to look at OIT. Never been to Ashland. Looks lovely with the pics. Klamath Falls itself was a dump, but the surrounding area was like those pics. I used to have a friend right outside of Medford, which is about 75,000(?) and the largest city in SW Oregon. I quite liked Medford. Nothing exceptional about it, but pleasant small city.
we went for the Shakespeare Festival. it was a very granola/organic place. no chain stores, lots of organic food places (best eggs benedict i've ever had), nice restaurants. we went before the true winter season, apparently there's a lot of skiing and stuff nearby. and river rafting and such during the summer. the housing was a nice mix of old and new. i think it's only 15 miles or so from Medford.
Athens, Georgia. The quintiessential college town. UGA is located there, great music scene, good restaurants, Atlanta is only an hour away...hiking and boating only 20 minutes away. Cost of living is dirt cheap.
Here's to my hometown, Kalamazoo, MI: Kalamazoo has fared better than the rest of Michigan in the late economic unpleasantness. It has two colleges: Kalamazoo College (small) and Western Michigan University (big). There are many cultural events, performances, and sporting events associated with both. Kalamazoo has a vibrant arts scene, with a lot of classical music and theater. Downtown has a lot of great restaurants and bars. Minor league hockey and REALLY minor league baseball. One neat attraction is that kids who spend all of K trhu 12 in the Kalamazoo Public Schools get full tuition completely paid for at any Michigan public university. A racially and socio-economically diverse city of around 80,000 (although there are suburbs bringing the population of the total area to around 200k). 2 hours from Chicago, 2 hours from Detroit. Oh, and the best thing. It's the home of:
Here's one: Hood River, Oregon. I'm here representing the new Clean Break web series and I wanted to let you West Coasters know that if you're up in the Pacific northwest, I wanted to let you know that you have the unique opportunity to be involved with and appear in the series too. The action-watersports based web series is going to be in the area and they need a local guide. Learn more and submit your video in order to be eligible here: http://bit.ly/CleanBreak
Marquette, Michigan. Situated on Lake Superior which is the gem of the Great Lakes. Winters are much worse than any other town that has mentioned here. Summers are very mild, but very beautiful. If you enjoy outdoor activities then Marquette County, Michigan is a great area to live in at around 60,000. Defintely has four seasons, but the end of winter can dominate spring frequently. Lots of cross country/downhill Skiing, Ice Hockey, Ice fishing, Snowshoeing, Kayaking, Mountain Biking, Road Biking, Fishing, Hunting, Swimming, Camping, Decent restaurants, Golfing...and the best tap water in the world )). The only negative aspect is there is sprawl just outside the city in the township with typical American nonsense...walmart, malls, blah.. and the nightlife leaves much to be desired for young people as it is mostly local patrons or college students. If you cannot handle winter or outdoors....move along!
Recently spent a couple of days in Bellingham Washington. Beautiful place with a very friendly vibe. Reminds me of Missoula but a bit more mellow and real estate is pretty realistic compared to Montana. Speaking of Montana, I'm not sure it qualifies anymore but I always had a blast in Billings.
Chestertown, MD (although it's a little small and touristy) Newark, DE I'm surprised no one's mentioned Annapolis, MD, although it's on the expensive side.
Annapolis is worth a visit. As is Cooperstown, NY. You have to visit the HoF at least once. Portland, ME is a city but still feels like a small town
Annapolis and Cooperstown are both nice places, as is Chestertown. A friend of mine used to live in Falmouth, ME, just outside Portland. Portland was nice, but seemed more geared to 40-50+ people, rather than the twentysomething I was at the time.
I know it's corny but I liked Niagara Falls. Something everyone should see. Princeton is a nice place to visit as is Bennington, VT
Elmvale, Ontario. Population 1,700. Yes you read that right. For such a small town it has a surprisingly good downtown.
You might like Roanoke, VA. Low cost of living, slow(but not so slow) paced life. Lotsa nurses and doctors around, I think healthcare is one of their best industries there. Colder than CA but not as cold as the other states. Great attractions around the place.
Yup. There's a big college there, too. Virginia Tech. Some might know it for other reasons, but it's a pretty good school.
I've got a soft spot for Butte, of all places. Probably because the first time I was there it was snowing and everything was done up for Christmas so it looked like a little storybook town. Houses were dirt cheap even before the real estate crash. Sadly, there's no way I could get a decent job there so even though we thought about it, we couldn't seriously consider it.