Small Cities Making a Big Impact: 8 Visionary Destinations in the U.S.

While major cities are often viewed as pioneers in sustainability, social equity, and diversity, don’t overlook the smaller players. These remarkable towns and cities, despite having limited resources, excel in conservation, sustainability, and social justice, showcasing the creativity born from resourcefulness.

Madison, Wisconsin

Population: 278,000
Advocating for diversity, culture, and outdoor activities

In Madison, where academia meets state governance, a variety of initiatives are dedicated to promoting inclusion, cultural enrichment, climate action, and outdoor accessibility. The upcoming Black Business Hub is set to support Black and BIPOC entrepreneurs. An emerging arts district draws diverse crowds to a newly established youth arts center from 2021, a youth orchestra, and the interactive Arts + Literature Laboratory, which offers classes, performances, and studios.

Community involvement drives development here; when the historic Edgewater resort on Lake Mendota was revitalized in 2014, plans included a public plaza for free community events, which now hosts over 30 activities each year, including concerts and ice skating.

Madison boasts the highest number of parks (270) per capita of any city nationwide, with an environmental history that includes the founding of Earth Day in 1970. The city excels in outdoor activities, holding the top ranking from the League of American Bicyclists for its bike lanes, paths, and an all-electric bike-sharing system. “Often, bike trails are cleared of snow before the streets because they're used for commuting,” explains Ellie Westman Chin, CEO of Visit Madison.

Nestled between two lakes, Madison has a longstanding commitment to environmental stewardship, with Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway stating, “Madison has always cared about our lakes and ensuring we protect these precious resources.” The city's climate action plan aims for complete reliance on clean energy by 2030, currently at 74 percent, and includes initiatives for electric buses, LED lighting, and a community climate grant program.

Juneau, Alaska

Population: 32,000
The capital of Northwest Coastal artistry

The Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples have long inhabited the southeast Alaskan rainforests surrounding Juneau. A prospector named Joe Juneau named the town after a gold discovery in 1880. Now the state capital, Juneau proudly features Indigenous culture—celebrated for its artistry inspired by nature—seen in everything from signage to public murals.

This year, the Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), a Native nonprofit dedicated to preserving the region's Indigenous cultures and responsible for much of the local traditional art, launched its Arts Campus for creating monumental pieces such as totem poles and canoes. The institute also unveiled Alaska's first “360-degree” totem pole, carved by Haida artist TJ Young, featuring faces that represent the three Native groups. Declaring Juneau the capital of Northwest Coast arts, SHI is advocating for national treasure status for Northwest Coast art, similar to the recognition jazz received from Congress.

As a popular cruise destination, Juneau is set to welcome its first berths designed, constructed, and managed by the Huna Totem Corp., an Alaska Native village corporation. This corporation also built the eco-friendly Icy Strait Point cruise port in the Inside Passage, which includes an aerial tram system to replace traditional buses. Next year, SHI's Totem Pole Trail will debut with an initial set of 10 poles, part of a planned 30, crafted by master carvers from the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian tribes along the Juneau waterfront.

Ithaca, New York

Population: 31,000

Embracing a Green New Deal in gorges country

Being named after classical literature, particularly as the home of the Greek hero Odysseus, sets a high bar, but Ithaca has risen to the challenge. In 2019, it adopted its Green New Deal, aiming for carbon neutrality in all city buildings by 2030. A new conference center, slated to open in 2024, will be the first in the U.S. to operate without fossil fuels, featuring an all-electric commercial kitchen. A partially electric bus system and a car-sharing program help minimize vehicle traffic in the area.

Among various community projects, Ithaca Murals has created over 200 public artworks in an “artist takeover,” focusing on important themes like social justice, immigration, and voting rights. Ithaca is also home to the influential vegetarian restaurant Moosewood and emphasizes farm-to-table dining, mandating that its 49-year-old farmers’ market vendors be located within 30 miles of the city.

Nestled on Cayuga Lake, the longest of the famed Finger Lakes, Ithaca boasts more than 150 waterfalls within a 10-mile radius, many situated in the three state parks of gorge-filled Tompkins County. “I can swim under a waterfall just a 10-minute bike ride from my house,” says Tom Knipe, the city’s director of economic development. “The access to nature, along with hiking and biking opportunities, truly sets Ithaca apart.”

Aspen, Colorado

Population: 8,000

A hub for countercultural progressivism in the arts and sustainability

Originally a silver mining town in the 19th century, Aspen transformed in the 1940s into an intellectual and artistic haven inspired by its stunning outdoor surroundings. The renowned ski slopes were developed alongside cultural institutions that thrive today, such as the nonprofit Aspen Institute, which focuses on cultural and policy dialogue, and the Aspen Music Festival & School.

This expansive vision has recently extended to address climate challenges. Aspen is among only six cities in the U.S., including Burlington, Vermont, and Greensburg, Kansas, to operate on 100 percent renewable energy. The Aspen Skiing Company’s four ski resorts utilize energy generated by converting waste methane from a local coal plant. To promote responsible transit, the city offers free bus and electric shuttle services, as well as complimentary bikeshare cycles for the first 30 minutes. The Aspen Pledge, initiated in 2018 to promote safe outdoor practices, has been updated to encourage kindness and inclusion, rewarding each signature with an $18.80 donation (reflecting the year of the town's founding) to environmental nonprofits.

“Aspen has always been a sanctuary for counterculture,” remarks Eliza Voss, vice president of destination marketing for the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, pointing out that the area hosts the first Gay Ski Week, now in its 43rd year. “We have a legacy of challenging the status quo.”

Franklin, Tennessee

Population: 81,000

Exemplifying inclusion in a musical hub

Situated just fifteen miles south of Nashville, Franklin is charting a new course in addressing racial justice. In the wake of the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the subsequent calls to remove Confederate statues, local activists took a different approach by funding the creation of a life-sized bronze statue honoring a U.S. Colored Troops soldier. Unveiled last fall outside the courthouse where Black volunteers enlisted to fight, the statue faces the town’s Confederate monument. Additionally, five historical markers illuminate the town's past, including its slave market and race riots.

As the first city in Tennessee to achieve Silver LEED certification, Franklin stands shoulder to shoulder with larger cities like Atlanta regarding energy usage, waste management, and water conservation. Recently mapped access points promote kayaking, fishing, and swimming in the Harpeth River, which flows through the town. This winter, the new Southall Farm & Inn will showcase regenerative agriculture practices and offer beekeeping lessons to guests at the luxurious 325-acre retreat.

Numerous talents synonymous with Nashville, such as Chris Stapleton and Carrie Underwood, call Franklin home, where artists like Kelsea Ballerini and Walker Hayes found early opportunities at intimate venues like Kimbros Pickin’ Parlor and Puckett’s barbecue joint. “If Nashville is the grand stage,” remarks Matt Maxey, a representative for Visit Franklin, “then we’re the acoustic version.”

San Luis Obispo, CA

Population: 47,000

Establishing a car-free destination

Which city was the first in the world to ban smoking? What town in California's Central Coast has no drive-through restaurants? Where can you find the first solar-powered movie theater? San Luis Obispo is the answer to a collection of trivia night questions.

The town aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. Residents can utilize compost, freely provided as a by-product of the solid-waste anaerobic digester that generates carbon-neutral biogas for the SLO County power grid. “We view climate action and sustainability as a foundational strategy to meet our broader community objectives,” including improving transportation access, says Chris Read, the city’s sustainability manager.

By leveraging tourism to support these goals, the Keys for Trees initiative allocates a portion of the city’s hotel revenue to plant trees, aiming for a total of 10,000 by 2035. The SLO Car Free program aspires to have half of all local trips to town made without private vehicles by 2035, offering visitors who arrive by Amtrak a 20 percent fare discount and additional savings at local hotels, restaurants, and bike rental shops. With around 4,000 acres of protected open land and 60 miles of trails, residents and visitors are invited to explore on foot or by bike, including visits to sustainably certified wineries like Timbre Winery and Laetitia Vineyard & Winery.

Montgomery, Alabama

Population: 200,000

Broadening U.S. history, fostering dialogue on race

As the birthplace of the Confederacy and a key site in the Civil Rights movement, Montgomery embodies a dual legacy. The First White House of the Confederacy stands just blocks away from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church and the location where Rosa Parks famously refused to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger in 1955.

Highlighting these complexities, local activists emphasize the need for American history to confront racial violence. Established in 2018, the Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice powerfully presents this narrative with 800 steel blocks, each representing a county where lynchings occurred. Last year, artist and activist Michelle Browder unveiled “The Mothers of Gynecology” monument, honoring the enslaved African American women subjected to experiments by Dr. J. Marion Sims, known as the “father of modern gynecology,” whose statue remains on the state capitol grounds. “We’ve only heard half the story,” Browder asserts. “Now it’s time to tell the whole truth.”

Complementing this historical narrative, the Legacy Museum connects the dots between slavery and mass incarceration. Browder’s More Than Tours takes visitors to key Civil Rights sites and the gynecology monuments. The arts organization MAPmgm operates a public “storybooth,” a space for recording oral histories. Wanda Battle’s Legendary Tours navigate through neighborhoods that were home to notable Civil Rights leaders like Parks. “The most vital message I share is to continue the work of love and nonviolence,” Battle emphasizes.

Taos, New Mexico

Pop. 6,000

Where Indigenous stewardship shapes the future

Long before Taos became known for its arts and outdoor activities, there was Taos Pueblo, home to the Red Willow people and the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America. At this UNESCO World Heritage site, the Red Willow Center is dedicated to reviving traditional food systems through organic cultivation in solar-powered greenhouses, alongside a weekly farmers’ market offering fresh produce, honey, and Indian tacos.

For many residents, the pueblo guides the community’s environmental efforts. “I value the lessons we can learn from Taos Pueblo and its elders, particularly that the land nurtures you if you nurture the land,” remarks David Norden, CEO of Taos Ski Valley, the first ski company to achieve B Corp certification, which reflects its commitment to balancing profit with purpose. Recently certified carbon neutral, it powers chairlifts with solar energy and plans to introduce the industry’s first electric snowcat this year.

Taos strikes a balance between preserving tradition and welcoming progressive ideas. Community farms and gardens utilize the historic 16th-century acequia irrigation system to manage water distribution. The 300-acre Earthship community showcases homes built from recycled and renewable materials, featuring in-home organic gardens and vibrant walls made of reclaimed bottles, which visitors can rent.