Michael Vecchio

Friendliness in Tennessee shows up most clearly in the smaller towns where the population stays low enough that locals still recognize each other on the street.

New York State, beyond the "Big Apple," features diverse towns rich in culture, history, and natural beauty, offering varied perspectives on New York life.

The towns below all earned their reputations the hard way. Walla Walla cleared land for more than 120 working wineries in the Columbia Basin since the first commercial vintage in 1977.

The Gulf Coast is where Florida invented air conditioning a half-century before it became necessary, Mississippi keeps a town named after a

The Connecticut coast was getting English settlement before half the colonies to the south even existed.

From Chesapeake Bay waterfronts to mountain communities in the west, these Maryland towns stand out for their welcoming downtowns, local traditions, and strong sense of community.

New Jersey's most eclectic small towns show off their quirks. Take Deal, where Sephardic synagogues and kosher bakeries line a single shore mile.

Tennessee gives retirement income a break, starting with no state income tax on wages. In Crossville, you can tee off year-round on the cool Cumberland Plateau.

Small towns on the Atlantic Coast come in more varieties than the postcards suggest. This list runs from a 600-person fishing village ringed by

Louisiana 's smaller towns sit well outside the tourist corridor but carry the same food, history, and atmosphere that make the state worth visiting.