Ever wondered which North American towns are the most charming? We've found out, by analyzing positive sentiments, and the number of landmarks, parks, and more!
Research from USA Today has shown that the trend for people leaving bigger cities in favor of small towns is still going strong, despite the pandemic being officially over.
It’s not just bigger properties and more green space that smaller towns can offer, but there’s a generalization that towns are typically friendlier too, and offer a community feel; whereas cities can often feel distant and impersonal.
If you’re considering switching out city life for somewhere smaller, but aren’t sure where to settle, then read on. By analyzing a variety of metrics, from positive sentiment through to the number of landmarks, museums, and more, online casino Betway discovered the most – and least! – charming towns in Canada and the USA.
The most charming small towns in Canada
Based across several different territories in Canada, no matter where you’re thinking of settling, there’s sure to be a charming town near you.
1. Whitehorse
The tiny town of Whitehorse, located in the northwest territory of Yukon, is officially Canada’s most charming town. Nestled amongst three mountains, not only is it a destination where you can see the Northern Lights, but Whitehorse has the most museums on our list (seven), as well as the most art galleries (six).
The city also has the third most landmarks (14), and the fifth most positive sentiment (24%), so if you move here, you can discover wildlife at Yukon Wildlife Preserve, explore the exhibits at SS Klondike, or wander down the pretty Whitehorse Waterfront.
2. Langley
Situated 48km southeast of Vancouver, Langley comes in second place. With 13 parks, it has more than any other Canadian town on our list (alongside Owen Sound), with Derby Reach Regional Park one of the prettiest, which is located on the banks of the Fraser River.
Not only that, but Langley has the second most landmarks at 17, as well as the joint second most museums; alongside 211,000 monthly searches on Instagram, on average. So, move here and you’ll get to go on the self-guided Langley Circle Farm tour, where you can pick berries and pumpkins, and learn more about the town’s history at Fort Langley.
3. Brockville
The third most charming town in Canada is Brockville, Ontario, with the city not only boasting the most landmarks, at 20, but the joint fifth most parks with Sept-Iles, at eight.
Live in Brockville, and you’ll get to discover one of Canada’s oldest railway tunnels, dating back to the 1800s, spend an afternoon at the arts center, which hosts plays and musicals; or wander across Brock Trail, which takes you from downtown to Buell’s Creek, where you can see lots of sights along the way.
4. Duncan
With 258,000 monthly searches on Instagram, Duncan comes in at the fourth most charming town in Canada. Duncan also boasts the joint second most museums (four), and the fourth most parks (nine).
Situated on picturesque Vancouver Island, one museum here includes the Hand of Man, which is a natural history museum. However, what you might not know is that Duncan is referred to as the “City of Totems”, more than 40 of which can be found in the downtown core – so they’re definitely worth visiting, too.
5. Owen Sound
Rounding off our top five most charming Canadian towns is Owen Sound, Ontario. Home to 13 parks (the joint most on our list), and four museums (joint second), there’s plenty to do here.
Harrison Park spans more than 40 acres, and has gardens, trails and forests just waiting to be explored. Continue your walk down the connected Bruce Trail, to reach Inglis Falls, which drop 18 meters. There are also three farmers’ markets to visit, where you can buy delicious local produce.
The towns that made it into positions 6-10 are Port Alberni, Truro, Rouyn-Noranda, Saint-Constant (which scored the highest for the most positive sentiment, at 50%), and Airdrie.
The most charming small towns in the USA
Texas may appear in the top 10 the most, at a grand total of three times, but our top 10 shows that again, there are lots of charming places across the USA, whether you’d prefer to settle in the north, south, east, or west.
1. Decatur, Georgia
Drive 15 minutes east outside of Atlanta, and you’ll find the most charming town in the USA. With a population of 24,338, Decatur boasts 21 parks (the most on our list), 10 art galleries (also the most), four museums (the joint second most), and six landmarks (the joint third most).
Head to Legacy Park, which is home to playgrounds, meadows, and a forest, or take part in a guided tour of the historic cemetery, which is the largest green space in downtown.
2. Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville, Ohio is officially the second most charming town in the USA, with the most museums on our list, at six, alongside the second most landmarks and art galleries, at nine and seven, respectively.
Visit the Zanesville Museum of Art, which includes collections from all over the world, including Africa, Asia, and Europe. Additionally, the Alpacas of Spring Acres is worth a visit – it’s the largest alpaca farm in Southeastern Ohio, and you can learn how to care for alpacas there.
3. Bainbridge Island, Washington
Located 10 miles across Elliot Bay from Seatle, Washington’s Bainbridge Island is the third most charming town in the USA, with the second most parks (20), and the joint third most landmarks (6).
The perfect place for families – and anyone looking for a slower pace of life – spend the day at Fort Ward Park, where you can hike, play, and enjoy a picnic; or if you want to learn more about the town’s history, visit Bainbridge Island Historical Museum.
4. Denison, Texas
With the third most art galleries at six, Denison is the fourth most charming town in the USA. Right on the border of Texas and Oklahoma, it’s most well-known for being the birthplace of President Eisenhower, and to this day, you can still visit where he was born.
Alternatively, visit the pretty parks of Munson, Waterloo, and Eisenhower State; or visit some of the art galleries, including Zig Zag, which showcases contemporary art, and also has its own workspace you can use.
5. Kerrville, Texas
Rounding off our top five most charming cities in the USA is Texas’ Kerrville, which is an hour outside of San Antonio. Not only does Kerrville have the second highest positive sentiment (36%), but it also ties in joint third with Oak Harbor for the number of parks (14).
Some of these parks include the riverfront Louise Hayes and Guadalupe Park, which are just a mile away from each other.
Paris, Texas, Sandusky, Ohio, Oak Harbor, Washington, Arnold, Maryland, and Perrysburg, Ohio make up the top 10 most charming cities in the USA. Arnold and Zion, Illinois, have the highest search volumes on Instagram, at 1,054,000 and 705,000 respectively; whereas Norton Shores in Michigan has the highest positive sentiment (43%), and Paris has the most landmarks, at 11.
So, whether you live in a charming town or not, if you feel like you might be charmed when it comes to sports or gaming, have a read of the Betway blog for more insights and tips.
Methodology
Sources:
|
Factor |
Data Point |
Collection Method |
Link |
|
Instagram Search Volume |
All |
Data values copied & pasted. |
https://keywordtool.io/ |
|
Positive Sentiment |
All |
Data inputted manually. |
https://www.brandwatch.com/ |
|
No of Parks |
All |
Data scraped automatically. |
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ |
Methodology:
This dataset ranks 70 small locations, 50 from the US and 20 from Canada, based on how charming they are. To do this, 6 different factors were used. Once the data for the factors was collected, the factors were then normalized, to provide each factor with a score of between 0 and 1. If data was not available, a score of 0 was given. The normalized values were then summed, to give each location a total score out of 6. The locations were then ranked from highest to lowest, based on their total scores.
The factors used are as follows:
· Instagram Search Volume – The average monthly searches on Instagram for #X, where X is the city name.
· Positive Sentiment – The % of posts which are ‘Joyful’ with the prompt “X”, where X is the city name.
· No of Parks – The number of parks listed on TripAdvisor in each city.
· No of Landmarks – The number of landmarks listed on TripAdvisor in each city.
· No of Museums – The number of museums listed on TripAdvisor in each city.
· No of Art Galleries – The number of art galleries listed on TripAdvisor in each city.
The factors were indexed as follows:
· All Factors – High values get a high score. Low values get a low score.
All data is correct as of 14/05/24. The ranking data shown is a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regards to the sources provided.
