Did you know nearly 70% of travelers now prefer charming towns over big cities? They’re looking for quaint escapes. The U.S. News & World Report has a list of the best small towns to visit in 2025.

Researchers evaluated 170 American mountain towns across three key metrics: weather, affordability and quality of life in order to ascertain which were the best to live in or visit year-round.

However, despite North Carolina’s mountain towns being magical vacation spots, not all get the same attention as Asheville, which attracts about 12 million tourists yearly.

Gen Z’s ‘townsizing’ is drastically shaking up travel trends — these are the most popular ‘quaint’ US towns By . Ashley J. DiMella, Fox News. Published June 4, 2025, 11:17 a.m. ET.

The trend of "townsizing" sees travelers, especially those among Gen Z, choosing quaint small towns like Cape Cod in Massachusetts for a relaxed, movie-like vacation experience.

"Blue Ridge is one of the coolest mountain towns in North Georgia, and we mean that literally and figuratively," Southern Living wrote. Nestled in the Chattahoochee National Forest, Blue Ridge has ...

"Blue Ridge is one of the coolest mountain towns in North Georgia, and we mean that literally and figuratively," Southern Living wrote. Nestled in the Chattahoochee National Forest, Blue Ridge has ...