So often in America, we wish we could enjoy the best of both worlds when it comes to cities. Many of us like the big, bustling metropolises, the New Yorks, the San Franciscos, the Chicagos. Those are all great and fine in their own ways.
However, a lot of people like what those places have to offer but don’t necessarily love the crowds, the congestion, the lack of privacy.
They’re looking for something a little slower and quieter, something that feels more down-home and friendly without being too small and boring and dead-end.
Enter: America’s big cities with small-town feels. Oh, they’re out there, waiting to be explored, only you may not have heard of them.
Well, don’t worry if that’s the case. We’re going to cover three of the best right here.
Columbus, GA
First up is Columbus, GA, way over in the western central part of the state.
It’s a city under 200,000 people and yet is just large enough to offer plenty to do and see if you’re thinking of living there after checking out the houses for rent in Columbus, GA.
Take a stroll along 15 scenic miles of the Chattahoochee River in Columbus’s Chattahoochee RiverWalk. Or learn about the technology that’s taken us to the heavens above at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center.
You can also take in some art and history at both the Columbus Museum and the Bo Bartlett Center at Columbus State University.
Columbus is a wonderful little big city that will keep you busy like New York without all the extra people.
Sedona, AZ
Lots of people like to visit Sedona, AZ. My uncle likes to go to Sedona, and he’s from nowhere near Sedona. It’s a city of just 10,000 people. Think about that: 10,000 only, but don’t let it fool you.
People flock here for the gorgeous natural wonders of Red Rock State Park, where you will find giant rock formations, hiking trails, and canyons that are so emblematic of what the southwestern United States has to offer.
While in town, be sure to check out some of the nice restaurants, the Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village, and the other small-town attractions hidden there in the desert.
Doylestown, PA
Wrapping things up is the small town of about 8,000 called Doylestown, PA. This one is in Pennsylvania’s southeast, in the outside-of-Philadelphia region known as Bucks County.
Doylestown is a small town, indeed. It has your classic main-street restaurant, shops, movie theater, and other expected businesses, but it also has other attractions you might not expect.
The Mercer Museum is a castle built by twentieth-century archeologist Henry Chapman Mercer, who also left behind Fonthill Castle, his former home, which the public can tour today.
Outside of Doylestown are miles and miles of idyllic farmland, where you can drive around and see cows, horses, and everything else that’s familiar to the countryside.
These are just three examples of the kinds of American down-home wonders that await you if you just take the time to get out of the huge cities and venture off the trodden path.
