The Big USA List

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Indiana ~ Bloomington: Slackers, activists, students, and a kaleidoscopic calendar of arts events.

Iowa ~ Iowa City: (see top ten list)

Kansas ~ Lawrence: A lively, unpretentious, and multicultural college town that is said to be the largest city in America without a city-edge shopping mall.

Kentucky ~ Berea: Home to Berea College, which was founded by abolitionists in 18TK as an integrated school, and to many artists.

Louisiana ~ Lafayette: A hearty celebration of Cajun music, food, culture, and language -- both black and white. Bon Ton Roulet.

Maine ~ Portland: (see top ten list)

Maryland ~ Takoma Park: Not your typical suburb. A truly comfortable multiracial, mixed-class, gay-friendly environment next door to Washington, D.C.

Massachusetts ~ Northampton: A picture-perfect New England main street. One of the first pro-feminist lingerie stores in the country. Need we say more?

Michigan ~ Ann Arbor: Noted for tolerance and a lively cultural scene (though it hasn't held on to its '60s values as well as Madison and Berkeley have).

Minnesota ~ Minneapolis-St. Paul: Malignant sprawl at the edges and shamefully poor public transit, but Robert ('Bowling Alone') Putnam says no place in America has more civic spirit than the Twin Cities.

Mississippi ~ Oxford: An interesting, artistic flair lent by Ole Miss and the local Faulkner industry.

Missouri ~ Columbia: Downtown revival sparked by hippie-run businesses, while boring chain stores are mostly relegated to the west side of town. Biggest mosque in the Midwest.

Montana ~ Missoula: Number 11 on our list. The progressive New Party is just shy of a majority on the city council. Former mayor is an Utne visionary.

Nebraska ~ Lincoln: Visible progressives and advocates of sustainable agriculture, though civic involvement here still means rooting for the 'Huskers.

Nevada ~ Carson City: Stunning mountain scenery and relatively little gambling culture.

New Hampshire ~ Portsmouth: Strong on civic involvement, and a dazzling record of historic preservation.

New Jersey ~ Trenton: A dying industrial city that reinvented itself through ambitious revitalization of its neighborhoods.

New Mexico ~ Santa Fe: Trendy and expensive, but abounding in alternative offerings, artistic energy, and indigenous culture. Now addressing the issue of affordable housing.

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