You don’t have to be a Ben and Erin Napier fan to know how HGTV feels about small towns in America.
This summer, the cable network gave a shout out to 50 of the country’s most charming small towns, a list that encompasses every state in the union, from Alaska — where the small town of Unalaska sits amid the Aleutian Islands, accessible only by plane or boat — to Maine (Kennebunkport, of course).
Some of these towns will make us Left Coasters sigh with delight — tropical Hilo on the big Island of Hawaii, for example, and Carmel-by-the-Sea, where tempting restaurants, fairytale cottages and a beautiful beach woo visitors and locals alike.
Oregon’s historic Jacksonville gets a shout-out for its proximity to the wineries of the Applegate Valley, its Britt Music & Arts Festival and hiking and biking trails. And so does La Conner, Washington, which lies about an hour north of Seattle on the Salish Sea and participates in the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.
(This is why we love lists like this so much. Who knew Washington had a tulip festival each spring? Or that there’s a Skaneatles Lake in upstate New York? Or that Florida has a Nature Coast — it’s on the Gulf of Mexico. Or that … you get the idea.)
Here’s a peek at the West Coast entries on the list. Find all 50 — and plenty of small town travel inspiration — at https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/travel/.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Unalaska, Alaska
Hilo, Hawaii
Carson City, Nevada
Jacksonville, Oregon
La Conner, Washington
Winslow, Arizona
Wallace, Idaho
