For what it's worth I find that college towns are usually quite pleasant, though I'm not sure they match the small size the poster is thinking of here. New Engl

For what it's worth I find that college towns are usually quite pleasant, though I'm not sure they match the small size the poster is thinking of here. New England has some charming towns (example: Bath, Maine). But one of the elements of "charm" is narrow, walkable streets, and _those_ are rare in the US outside of New England. Where they once existed they've often been bulldozed. https://www.strongtowns.org/ https://www.strongtowns.org/ talks a lot about what makes towns great and as it turns out those characteristics also tend to make them charming.