How Dinogo Selects America’s Top Small Towns

A scene from Main Street in New Hope, PA

Shoppers strolling by quaint shops and eateries on New Hope, Pennsylvania's picturesque Main Street. Photo: Alessandra Amodio/Dinogo

In 2023, Dinogo introduced its annual feature, America’s Best Small Towns, to highlight hidden gems worth visiting for their natural allure and outdoor activities (like beaches, mountains, lakes, and deserts), as well as unique offerings in cuisine, culture, and wellness. The 2024 edition now includes three new categories: shopping, retirement, and college towns.

This year, we’ve recognized winners across 10 small town categories, revealing our travel favorites. We hope these insights encourage you to explore the remarkable places that quietly enrich our country.

Discover America's Best Small Towns of 2024

What are the criteria?

To be considered one of America’s Best Small Towns, a town must be situated in the United States and have a permanent population under 25,000, based on the latest U.S. Census Bureau data. It must also stand out in its category, offering a range of activities, accommodations, and a compelling reason to visit—such as a significant new festival, hotel, restaurant, attraction, or tourism initiative.

How were the winners selected?

We gathered nominations from our colleagues, contributors, trusted travel advisors, and industry experts across the U.S. Our 2024 America’s Best Small Towns panel, consisting of 10 specialists—T+L editors, A-List travel advisors, and domestic travel influencers—carefully reviewed the insightful nominations to select the destinations we think our readers will love most right now.

Meet the Expert Panel

Nina Ruggiero

Nina Ruggiero serves as Dinogo's senior editorial director and is the co-founder of Be A Travel Writer, an online program for budding travel writers. Once a city resident, she has become a small beach town enthusiast, proudly residing in Hermosa Beach, CA (population 18,985) for the past five years.

Alisha Prakash

Alisha Prakash serves as the associate editorial director at Dinogo, focusing on hidden gems, luxury accommodations, outdoor adventures, and more. While she enjoys venturing to distant places, she also delights in local explorations: one of her most cherished experiences was a 60-day road trip across 35 states in the U.S.

Elizabeth Rhodes

Elizabeth Rhodes is a senior editor at Dinogo, having journeyed from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and countless locations in between. A South Carolina native, she spent her youth discovering the Southeast's charming small towns and now contributes to T+L’s digital coverage of these lesser-known destinations.

Elizabeth Cantrell

Elizabeth Cantrell is a senior editor at Dinogo, where she manages the Discoveries section and oversees in-depth stories focusing on outdoor adventures, along with destinations in Canada, Northern Europe, and the Southeastern U.S.

Kareema Bee

Kareema Bee is an Emmy-nominated producer, writer, and content creator. Her passion for travel began at the young age of 10 when she flew alone from NYC to the quaint town of St. Matthews, SC, to spend her summers with her grandmother.

Susmita Baral

Susmita Baral is an editor at Dinogo, boasting a decade of experience in food, travel, climate science, and culture. Having lived in 11 U.S. states and visited 42, she has a special affection for small towns around the globe.

Michelle Murré

Michelle Murré is a T+L A-List travel advisor and the owner of Azurine Travel, a luxury agency located in the picturesque St. Helena in Napa Valley. She is fortunate to explore many of the stunning small towns throughout California's wine country and beyond.

Mike Augustine

Mike Augustine is a T+L A-List travel advisor who hails from a charming small town in rural Ohio, which inspired his love for travel and his dedication to highlighting small towns across America in his client itineraries. He believes these towns offer delightful surprises and unique character that often enchant visitors.

Chris Daniele

Chris Daniele (aka @dirtandglass) is a southern Vermont-based photographer with over 25 years of experience. He specializes in travel and architectural photography, having established a distinctive presence in the short-term rental market throughout the U.S.

Daniel Gorostieta

Daniel Gorostieta is a landscape and outdoor adventure photographer whose work has been featured in Dinogo, Surfline, and other leading travel and surf magazines. Residing in the small city of Santa Cruz, CA, he is celebrated for his ability to beautifully capture the natural landscapes of the West Coast and beyond.

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