At the intersection of Oregon and California in downtown Jacksonville in 2010. (Photos: The Oregonian)

Caught up in the hectic big-city rat race, many Americans dream of small-town living. The calm pace, friendly neighbors, quaint stores. A place where you can take a deep breath -- and not end up in a coughing fit.

House Beautiful magazine understands the allure, and so this summer it identified what it considers the "most beautiful small town in every state."

And the winner in Oregon? Jacksonville. The magazine heralds the "historic town that's in the heart of the state's wine country." It also gives a shout-out to "the sounds of the Britt Music & Performing Arts Festival [that] fill the town" every year.

House Beautiful points out that Oregon's small towns are "jewels," which is undeniable. But is J'ville the most beautiful of them all? We'll let you decide for yourself. We've searched our archives for photos past and present that show Jacksonville in all its charming uniqueness. Take a look below:

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Oregon Historical Society

Looking West on California Street, about 1910. States the Oregon Historical Society photo caption: "Nearly all the buildings shown in the picture predate 1885 and nearly all of them exist today."

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Cornelius Beekman was a prominent 19th-century banker and town mayor during Jacksonville's gold-rush days. He built his Gothic Revival-style home in the 1870s. He lost a historically close race for Oregon governor in 1878.

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"The Beekman bank is preserved exactly as it was when mud-spattered miners shuffled through its doors," the caption for this undated photo declares. "The grill is of wood, painted black to simulate iron. When the owner, C.C. Beekman, died in 1916, he ordered the bank kept intact."

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"The imposing, Italianate, brick-and-stone historic Jackson County Courthouse was declared the crowning glory of Jacksonville when it was constructed in 1883," states the Jacksonville Heritage Society.

It housed the Jacksonville Museum from 1950 to 2010.

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The old Jacksonville County Courthouse.

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Oregon Department of Transportation

This undated Oregon Department of Transportation photo of the courthouse calls Jacksonville a "living ghost town [that] still has many of its pioneer business buildings intact."

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"No, it isn't part of a Hollywood movie set," The Oregonian wrote of this 1952 photo. "This is a street scene in Oregon's historic Jacksonville, adventurous gold mining town of the 1850s."

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The festival at night in 1965.

The Britt Music & Arts Festival -- named after pioneering Jacksonville vintner, painter and photographer Peter Britt (1819 - 1905) -- launched in 1963. "The scene: A sunset summer concert with artists ranging from Ziggy Marley to Brandi Carlile," The Oregonian wrote of the festival in 2013. "The natural amphitheater, surrounded by ponderosa pines and leafy madrone trees, is the perfect spot to dance under the stars."

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Oregon State Highway Commission Photo

"Established in 1852 at Jacksonville, Queen City of Oregon Gold, is the Old Peter Britt studios," the original caption to this undated photo states. "[The studio] remains as the pioneer photographer left it years ago. His son is holding what is said to be the first camera ever to be used in Oregon, flanked by equipment of long ago."

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"Jacksonville's antique streets attract thousands of tourists, and some residents fear growth will spoil the community's charm," The Oregonian wrote in 1965.

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Jacksonville's Martha Wyatt was Miss Oregon in 1962. She placed in the Top 10 at the Miss America Pageant.

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"Mrs. Verdell Coleman was the Britt Festival queen and headed an opening parade that wound through the streets of Jacksonville," The Oregonian wrote in 1972.

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"Jacksonville, Oregon: Popular tourist destination."

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Downtown Jacksonville in 2010: "In front of a house near the intersection of Oregon and California."

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"Whether you're into running, bird-watching or leisurely walks, you'll appreciate the scenic creekside trails that form Jacksonville's Woodlands Trail System," Mix magazine wrote in 2010.

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The J'Ville Tavern in Jacksonville in 2010.

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The J'Ville Tavern in the light of day.

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Inside the J'Ville Tavern in 2010.

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Downtown Jacksonville in 2012.

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"We just love this lifestyle," Jacksonville resident Dick Fisk said in 2009. "You feel like you're part of a community. I do."

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An Oregonian photographer in 2010 found "this guy" outside the Jacksonville Mercantile, a gourmet-food emporium now known as The Culinarium.

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Public art on display in downtown Jacksonville in 2010.

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A historic Jacksonville wall advertisement in 2012.

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Jacksonville's Bella Union restaurant.

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Downtown Jacksonville in 2012.

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"I haven't been to Napa, much less Napa back when it was a charming, little-known wine country destination," Mix magazine's Ashley Gartland wrote in 2010. "Nor have I toured wine country in Southern France. So I can't say whether Jacksonville is the next Napa or whether the surrounding landscapes are as pretty as those found abroad, though locals claimed it was both on my recent trip to southern Oregon. What I can say is that new winemakers, chefs and artisans are transforming this historic gold rush town and giving tourists a good excuse for an overnight stay."

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Jacksonville trolleys give tourists a tour of the town.

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Jacksonville seems pretty great, but do you prefer another Oregon small town? Tell us your favorite.