So what is it that makes a town enlightened?

We're looking for something deeper here than the usual 'Best Places' tabulation of hot job markets, low taxes, booming real estate, temperate climate, and the absence of freeway congestion. Cities can rank quite high in these categories and still be dreary, soulless places. Indeed, such 'qualities' sometimes diminish the spirit of a community, as the push for a narrowly individualistic vision of the Good Life results in economic inequality, environmental degradation, social fragmentation, urban sprawl, and lousy public services.

It seems to us that a good place to live ought to offer more than just high salaries and a low crime rate. That's why we set out to find towns that are making a special effort to foster connectedness and contentment among all the people who live in them. In the process of selecting our Top 10 towns (plus one Canadian city), we gave high marks to places that hold together as communities even though they may not score that well on a traditional checklist of advantages and disadvantages.

Our list is not meant to be a tipsheet pointing to cities that have luckily sidestepped the problems of modern American life. Nor is it a handy guide to help you plot your next move across the continent. Rather, we chose communities that we think are dealing creatively with the challenges they face, places that can provide inspiration and practical ideas about how to improve life in your own hometown.

Most of these towns happen to be great spots to sip latte, watch foreign films, visit naturopaths, join kayak clubs, browse used-book shops, buy organic chevre, or find meditation centers. Indeed, our criteria included access to alternative health care, lively media, a breadth of cultural activity, and diverse spiritual oppportunities. But those factors alone aren't enough to make a town enlightened. There are other qualities that matter just as much as a cornucopia of hip consumer offerings and alternative lifestyle options. That's why some likely suspects--Santa Fe and Seattle, Boulder and Boston--were edged out by far less glamorous places such as Ithaca, Durham, and Chattanooga.

The cities on our list are all rich in what Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam calls 'social capital'--a strong strain of civic involvement that a town constantly draws on to ensure its vitality. In his oft-quoted 1995 essay 'Bowling Alone,' Putnam points to the alarming decline in social capital--especially traditional institutions like PTAs, church groups, unions, service organizations such as the Kiwanis, and bowling leagues--as a key factor in the breakdown of neighborliness and community in American life. Without the presence of a lively mix of citizen organizations, government and private sector efforts to maintain a healthy community will go nowhere.