America's Greatest Main Streets

[M II A II R II K]

America's Greatest Main Streets


May 2012

By Wayne Curtis



Read More: http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...t-main-streets

Driving across America, it’s all too easy to lose your mooring amid the commercial thicket of the same old fast-food outlets and big-box stores. But push on a mile or two beyond the interstate exit, and you may discover a town that’s anchored by a distinctive Main Street—one with grand architecture, eclectic small businesses, and community-oriented features like a park or theater. Often it thrives thanks to locals who have made a conscientious effort to fight the general decline of Main Street.

- You’ll find these great Main Streets across the U.S., from mining towns like Silver City, NM, to stately, red-brick Staunton, VA. Yet our list does skew east of the Mississippi, favoring towns that were established before the age of the automobile—and so display the DNA of a pedestrian and bike-friendly environment. Not that a walkable layout can guarantee a thriving Main Street. Take York, PA, where the 1978 shuttering of the last of four downtown department stores triggered a period of decay. The turnaround was slow going, as landowners aided by various programs renovated nearly every Victorian and Classical Revival façade. Now, on the first Friday of each month, local businesses stay open late, with special events and discounts.

- Port Townsend, WA, went through its own reinvention. Expecting a shipping boom, 19th-century residents built out the town in high Victorian style—only to find themselves on the wrong side of Puget Sound when the railroads connected to Seattle. It’s been reborn as an arts center around the main drag, Water Street. Second chances are just as American as a homespun Main Street, and with the recent economic downturn have come do-it-yourselfers seeing opportunity in cheap abandoned storefronts and converting them into bakeries or boutiques.

.....

Galena, IL

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...main-streets/2






Paso Robles, CA

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...main-streets/3






Port Townsend, WA

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...main-streets/4






Staunton, VA

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...main-streets/5






Denton, TX

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...main-streets/6






York, PA

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...main-streets/7






Wallace, ID

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...main-streets/8






Woodstock, VT

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...main-streets/9






Ann Arbor, MI

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...ain-streets/10






Silver City, NM

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...ain-streets/12






Natchitoches, LA

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...ain-streets/13






Eureka Springs, AR

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...ain-streets/14






Littleton, NH

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...ain-streets/15






Bath, ME

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...ain-streets/16

[summersm343]

York, PA?? Get out of here... there are a dozen better Main Streets in PA than York.

[10023]

I think including Ann Arbor is a little unfair. It's a college town. Every college town has an awesome main street, because students don't drive and enjoy bars.

[ardecila]

Ann Arbor is better than most college towns, though. Maybe not Madison, but it's a hell of a lot better than Gainesville, State College, Champaign, etc.

Even Austin didn't really have a good main street - for sure, it had tons of great establishments, but not much concentration on any given street IIRC.

[the urban politician]

Just curious, is Galena worth the three hour drive?

[M II A II R II K]

They said it's worth the detour if you're already around there on the highway, same for the others.

[Centropolis]

No Massachusetts street, Lawrence, KS. List is bunk (insert meme).

I still haven't been to Eureka Springs.

[jodelli]

Originally Posted by 10023

I think including Ann Arbor is a little unfair. It's a college town. Every college town has an awesome main street, because students don't drive and enjoy bars.

Originally Posted by ardecila

Ann Arbor is better than most college towns, though. Maybe not Madison, but it's a hell of a lot better than Gainesville, State College, Champaign, etc.

Ann Arbor gets some additional attention from Metro Detroit as an interesting place to visit. The developed areas of the two metros nearly touch at Willow Run so it isn't far to travel.

[BevoLJ]

nm

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by 10023

I think including Ann Arbor is a little unfair. It's a college town. Every college town has an awesome main street, because students don't drive and enjoy bars.

Definitely...I'm pretty sure Chapel Hill, Athens, or Charlottesville can hold their own against Ann Arbor.

[uaarkson]

Originally Posted by 10023

I think including Ann Arbor is a little unfair. It's a college town. Every college town has an awesome main street, because students don't drive and enjoy bars.

Ann Arbor actually has two main streets in this sense. State St. is directly adjacent to the core of UofM and is completely geared toward students, whereas Main St. is more like a traditional mainstreet, with more shops and high end restaurants, offices, etc. They're both ultimately college oriented though, of course.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by jodelli

Ann Arbor gets some additional attention from Metro Detroit as an interesting place to visit. The developed areas of the two metros nearly touch at Willow Run so it isn't far to travel.

Ann Arbor really shouldn't be included in this list for reasons alluded to already, but while it is an outstanding city for its size, my 2 issues are:

1. It's a College town. An outstanding example of one for sure, but it's still a College town

2. Its proximity to Detroit really gives it more buzz and energy. Being from Michigan, I have generally always felt that with Detroit's decay and crime, a lot of the yuppies in metro Detroit have turned to other cities like Ann Arbor to become their playground

[Nowhereman1280]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Just curious, is Galena worth the three hour drive?

It's worth doing once, but unless you really enjoy shopping it's only worth spending a day there to check it out. I'd find another thing to do in conjunction with visiting Galena like camp at Mississippi Palisades State Park or something.

[Lyly]

Glad to see Denton on the list. However, it's also a bit disappointing that the Square is about as good as it gets, at least according to the people who compiled the list. But oh well, I think the list actually misses a lot of good things about places. For example, the only thing in particular on the item about Denton was Rooster's Roadhouse, which is really not that great.

[kool maudit]

i really want to shout out abbot kinney...i mean, i know, LA, but still. it feels separate.

[texcolo]

There are better Main Streets in Texas than Denton, Fredricksburg for one.

[Derek]

This list sucks. Everyone knows that this "Main Street" is the best:








(Source: http://bgavideo.wordpress.com/2008/1...d-perspective/)

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by texcolo

There are better Main Streets in Texas than Denton, Fredricksburg for one.

Denton really surprised me too. Denton is nice, but there are much better Main Streets in Texas and you mentioned a great one!

[hudkina]

Ann Arbor certainly benefits from being a college town, but like the urban politician said, it is probably more successful due to its status as a playground for the 4+ million people in the Detroit area. Ann Arbor is unique in that it is far enough away from Detroit that it can't be considered a traditional suburb, but it is close enough to Detroit that a huge chunk of the metro area lives within a 30 to 45 minute drive.

[McBane]

I think the top Main Streets in the Philadelphia area are:

1) Main Street, New Hope, PA
2) Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ
3) Gay Street, West Chester, PA

Sorry, no pics.