What makes a town “the coolest”? In the end, it’s the same as what makes travel the coolest: the people. And yet there seem to be a few common patterns that attract cool people to certain areas, or perhaps it’s the other way around: people’s creativity and innovation helps lead their towns in a cooler direction.

Either way, the kinds of towns we like:

Are not just bedroom communities or suburbs, but have their own economic / local “heart.” (We like to walk around downtowns, not just drive everywhere.) Have strong DIY or local movements around agriculture / food / drink / farm to table. (We like to eat and drink well.) Have cool natural features close by, and ideally a significant part of their local economy is outdoor recreation. (We like to surf / paddle / hike / chill in the woods.) Have cultural diversity to the point where even if the town is small it still has a “global citizenry” feel. (We like it when we can speak more than one language; we like it when the place is LGBT friendly.)

And that’s pretty much it. Size didn’t matter too much. Some places could qualify as small cities. Others are tiny. What matters really, is the feel. So without further ado…