What Small American Towns Left an Impression On you?

[Herknav]

Most of these have already been mentioned before, and it's debatable if some are "small":

Homer, AK
Talkeetna, AK
Cimarron, NM
Fredericksberg, TX
Greune, TX
Terlingua, TX
Cody, WY

 

[Iggy]

Up to about 50 years ago, I would have said Jackson Hole WY. The view, the people, was plumb outstanding.

Word got out and now the billionaires are crowding the millionaires out it ain't the same place.

Same thing with Central City CO. Wonderful, quaint, isolated, and pretty much abandoned gold rush town.
I use to make pretty good money there panning gold in the summer time when I was a kid. Gold was going for $32.00 an ounce.

They turned the whole town into a casino and plumb ruint it.

Dave Keith mentioned Rock River WY. Don't quite know what he saw there. Been through it hunderds of times and must have missed something.

 

[Cpo1944]

Silverton Co.

 

[BE Mike]

I was favorably impressed with Cody, WY. When we visited and stayed a couple of nights, we found the people to be very friendly, especially when they found out that we weren't just passing through. The museum and "Old Town" were terrific. We ended up spending an extra day mostly because we felt so welcome.

I went into an Orvis store in Jackson Hole. I found a sports jacket that I was interested in and would have purchased. I was ignored. It was very apparent that unless one wreaked of money, they weren't concerned. Went to the Gun Barrel Restaurant. It was a neat experience, but very pricey. I'll probably pass on Jackson Hole on our next trip out west.

 

[mtgianni]

Up to about 50 years ago, I would have said Jackson Hole WY. The view, the people, was plumb outstanding.

Word got out and now the billionaires are crowding the millionaires out it ain't the same place.

Same thing with Central City CO. Wonderful, quaint, isolated, and pretty much abandoned gold rush town.
I use to make pretty good money there panning gold in the summer time when I was a kid. Gold was going for $32.00 an ounce.

They turned the whole town into a casino and plumb ruint it.

Deadwood SD is another that fits that bill.

 

[Herknav]

Same thing with Central City CO. Wonderful, quaint, isolated, and pretty much abandoned gold rush town.
I use to make pretty good money there panning gold in the summer time when I was a kid. Gold was going for $32.00 an ounce.

Sounds like Cripple Creek, CO. Despite the casinos, it's still worth the drive in the fall just to watch the aspens turn.

 

[feralmerril]

I was a regular in jackson 50 years ago. Worked for the NPS in the tetons at beaver creek up the road in 1961. There were about 20 of us boys all around 20 years old. Maybe 4 of us owned cars. They were pressing me to drive to jackson almost every night! Jackson had a lot of illegal gambling back then. About 3 or 4 of the bars had blackjack tables. They had quite a good warning system to tip them off somehow. Some nights would be roaring and other nights you couldnt find a game. I have a lot of good memories of jackson. I have been back and it isnt the same.

 

[Marshwheeling]

Sounds like Cripple Creek, CO. Despite the casinos, it's still worth the drive in the fall just to watch the aspens turn.

The reason to go to Cripple Creek is to ride Phantom Canyon and the Shelf Road.

I won't spend a nickel in Deadwood ever since I watched a guy roll up on a Harley sidecar rig into a handicap parking spot, use his hands to lift his legs over into the wheelchair on the chair, and roll the wheelchair down the ramp to join the party. A cop watched the whole thing, walked over to the bike and wrote a ticket for no handicap sticker. A town like that doesn't need my money.

 

[feralmerril]

Back in the 60s I rode my harly dresser to hollywood to see the sights. I came back to my bike as a young rookie looking lapd was ticketing my motor. I asked him what for? With enthusiasm he put a finger or two between the curb and my rear tire. He informed me that the tire was to touch the curb. That was the first and last time I went there too. I better quit while I am ahead-------

 

[Herknav]

The reason to go to Cripple Creek is to ride Phantom Canyon and the Shelf Road.

That's how I go. Is there any other way?

 

[David LaPell]

Rouses Point, NY where I grew up. The town is situated between Vermont and the Canadian border. My first house you could see Canada from my backyard. You could walk anywhere you wanted to go. My dad was a cop in the local police department, and it was so like Mayberry I used to ride in the front seat of one of the town's 3 police cars. (2 were white and 1 blue which was the Chief's car). I remember when we went to get that car and then watched my dad put the decals on the door in our driveway. It was a fun little town where everyone knew each other. The two big events in town were the 4th of July parade and when Lake Champlain froze for the ice fishing.

The other town is Tahawus, NY where my mother grew up. It was a mining town in the Adirondacks that was put up by National Lead. My grandfather worker for them until the 1970's. In the early 1960's a huge lead deposit was discovered under the town and in 1963 the whole town's population was moved out to nearby Newcomb and Long Lake. Some of the buildings like one of the churches and the general store were relocated, the rest was demolished. Now most of the town is gone including the mine buildings that were demolished. Only a few buildings remain.

This is a picture of the old YMCA from 1985, it wasn't long after that it was torn down. It was one of the last of the original buildings near the mine that was torn down. From 1958-1960 they held Sportsman shows there where the gun and ammo makers along with some celebrities of the time would show up. Thousands of people would show up for those. Somewhere I have an article of one and I have an old felt pennant from one.

 

[pharmer]

I was in Solvang California about 40 years ago. It felt like something out of the "Twilight Zone." Cost about $10 bucks for a burger and a beer. Joe

 

[JM4151]

Travel Info

I live in Pa and we have a lot to offer and see. One place that I really enjoyed was Springfield, Mass. You have the Springfield Armory there and the S & W plant, to tour. The plant tour you will need reservations in advance! Both are really neat places. The coast of New England offers nice sights too.
I just returned from Wild Boar hunting in Tenn. On the way down we stoped at the NRA museum in Fairfax, VA. You can spend a couple of hours there, They also have a range that opens in the afternoon. A lot to see in the south too.
John Murphy

 

[deralte]

Surprized that no one has mentioned the little town of Northfork, WV. 900 residents when I left in 1952 and one stoplite. Its mainstreet is US 52. Half the town is on one side of a small river and the other half is right on US 52. Its the shopping center for the surrounding coalfields. I think the population dropped to 899 when I left and has never recovered.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Surprized that no one has mentioned the little town of Northfork, WV. 900 residents when I left in 1952 and one stoplite. Its mainstreet is US 52. Half the town is on one side of a small river and the other half is right on US 52. Its the shopping center for the surrounding coalfields. I think the population dropped to 899 when I left and has never recovered.

I've heard of several small towns that have maintained a constant population because every time a baby is born, a man leaves town.

 

[OLDFED]

Fergus Falls, Minnesota
Port Townsend, Washington

 

[Marshwheeling]

Fergus Falls, Minnesota
Port Townsend, Washington

Fergus is a nice place, some interesting terrain in the area, and the Ottertail chain of lakes. In fact, that whole band of prairie lakes in west central Minnesota is pretty nice, much different from the north woods lakes that seem to get all the press.

 

[MK]

I've been through quite a few that were pretty interesting.
Hot Springs AR is one I've been around all my life, as my dad
was from there. Eureka Springs AR is kind of like a time capsule,
or at least the last time I was there.
Steamboat Springs CO had kind of the same feel to it.
Dodge City KS was fairly interesting back in the 60's. Lots of
history there. I remember going into the 60's version of the Long
Branch saloon. Had Marshall Dillons picture on the wall.
Fort Leavenworth had a lot of old stuff to see. I've been in many
old towns that probably look about the same now, as they did 70
years ago.
Hot Springs AR had a pretty wild history with all the gambling and
gangsters to used to hang out there, along with legitimate high
rollers probably including presidents, and even Rose Kennedy used
to hang out there way back in the 30's , 40's I think. :/

Al Capone used to like this place. He would take over the whole
4th floor when he was in town.

Here's a weird before/ after shot I took totally by accident/
coincidence. This is on the Hot Springs mountain drive downtown,
which is near the fountain area, and the Arlington is down the
street from the start of the drive.
Anyway, this is about halfway up the mountain on a switchback
turn. I just happen to see this curve, and stopped my car and took
a shot so you could see both sides.
Later on, I saw an old picture that said in the Hot Springs area,
and thought it looked kind of familiar. I finally put two and two
together and found that I had taken the same picture, from almost
the same location. Only I took mine in 2011, and I think the old one
taken in 1906, or thereabouts.. At least 100 years apart.
"cue Twilight Zone music.." :|

The 2011 version.

And the 1906 version.

I'll add another to show the contrast in different parts of
town. This is the view from the condo on Lake Hamilton
that we were staying in that trip.. It's a purty area..

 

[LOBO]

Cedar City, Utah

Ogden, Utah (John Browning Museum is a must see)

Rochester, MN (I went to the Mayo Clinic up there. Everyone we met in and outside of the clinic were exceptionally nice.)

Bessemer / Hoover / Birmingham, AL

Nashville, TN (Ryman Auditorium, Country Music Hall of Fame, Broadway Street, Wild Horse Saloon)

Pensacola, FL

 

[feralmerril]

Cedar City? Thats where I am typeing this!