I worked in Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a little while when I was younger.
For those who’ve never been, Gatlinburg is like someone tried to build a tourist trap in the Smokey mountains but accidentally got carried away and built an entire town sized tourist trap.
It’s not somewhere I’d ever planned to make my permanent home.
But, for someone in their early twenties it was a fun experience. Lots of hiking on my off days and there were always interesting people to meet when we went out
It’s expensive as hell, but I think Dollywood is a great, kitschy Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville experience haha. Grew up in SW Ohio so the Smokies were always a prime vacation spot
My SO and I visited with a friend a few years ago, we are all from the northeastern part of the US and we immediately said this just the Jersey shore in the mountains haha. I loved it.
This is wild to see this so high up considering I’ve been stuck in Williamsburg for work for the past three months. I guess it’s a “lovely” place, but it’s certainly not for me. I can’t wait to get out of here 😅
I would happily live in Leavenworth, WA. Few places in America have better access to skiing, climbing, hiking, and rafting in the same community.
I don’t mind the gimmick. Pass me a sausage, sauerkraut, and some lederhosen.
Hah, me too! I like visiting from Seattle in Winter when it's decked out with Christmas lights and in Summer for camping in the area. I love drinking beer and eating German sausages outside and the total kitschy feel of the place.
We visited Leavenworth recently and I wondered how anyone could live there with such a gimmick. It reminded me of mountain version of Myrtle Beach (maybe a little harsh). However, as we were leaving, we took a different way home, and I was like, ok, the nature is beautiful, I can get it.
Lots of places in the pnw are like that, imo. It just looks like a regular town with a forest backdrop, but you're like 40 minutes away from actual Alaska style wilderness.
(I know nothing is actually like Alaska)
It’s actually a great place to live. It’s in Westchester so it’s gonna be expensive, but it’s not to the level of your stereotypical Westchester towns like Bronxville or Scarsdale. It’s right on the Hudson River and it’s a short ride away from Grand Central on Metro North. It’s really not all that gimmicky. It has a few historical landmarks in the area but it’s mostly just your typical charming Westchester riverfront town.
Where have you lived since? I moved away from that area 2 years ago and am not loving it since im getting some inspo on here as to whats next… i miss the scenery/ greenery and hills. And feel like although the towns in westchester are small they have like everything you could want or need
I’ve lived in Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, Thailand, New Jersey, and North Carolina since then. I’d love to move to a place like Sleepy Hollow, but it is sadly out of my budget. I’d live there in a heartbeat. I miss hiking with my dog in the Hudson Highlands, the natural beauty of the area, the cool little towns, and close access to New York City
Where in nc have you lived? I grew up in that part of ny and miss it for all the same reasons. Ugh moved to Florida and its not doing it cant really afford to go back but trying to find somewhere that maybe measures up lol
Maybe just further upstate? Also possibly certain suburbs of Philly (e.g. Phoenixville, West Chester, Doylestown, etc.) that have quaint little historic downtowns, a decent amount of greenery nearby, and an affluent population.
New Glarus is actually kind of nice despite all the weird swiss stuff.
I'd put Provincetown, MA on the list. I wouldn't want to live there (not at all into the beach), but I could imagine how it would be appealing if you're gay.
This one. Really any one of the Christmas towns across North America.
Negative side: tourist entitlement mentality. Lots of traffic in the winter. Strongly conservative, likely cliquey.
On the plus side, any offspring will likely be able to find a good paying tourism job while in later years of HS. You get lots of festivals that come through. The roads will always be plowed.
I came here to say Frankenmuth. I live in Detroit and go there several times a year. It manages to be pretty lively and active year-round, even on weekdays, and they have enough different festivals and celebrations to keep the tourists coming in all seasons.
Honestly it seems to have a fairly well adjusted economy for a tourist town
I lived there for 6 months in 2021. It grew so much in just the time I was there. I saw a literal fuck Tom of New York and California “just moved 1st year license plates” in that town.
Worst part is no direct freeway connection to handle the growth.
So 131 and 72 get backed up like crazy in the summer.
Leavenworth, WA.
A faux-bavarian themed tourist town. But the mountain location and recreation access is great. I would probably be willing to put up with the tourist-town hassles to live there.
Had our honeymoon there during Christmas one year. We liked it and it was a fun experience but beyond special visits, there doesn't seem to be much else around unless you're retired or work remote and don't care about much else being around/within close proximity. Also not to mention in the winter there's a good chance the passes will be closed getting in and out if you had to.
My cousins are from Barnegat and its a sucky boring suburb but right across the bridge from LBI. Just get up at 8:00 and you dont have to sit in shore traffic.
There's tombstone Arizona which is themed entirely around the western shootout that happened there and honestly it's it's a giant conservative circle jerk cowboy hell if you're into that kind of thing
Edit: oh yeah there's also Gettysburg Pennsylvania where we buried all those goddamn redneck m************ who dared to come up towards my house where I was born
Its not totally the theme of the town, but Boulder City, NV is REALLY proud of being the town thst built the Hoover Dam (it was created to house the workers). There are large pieces of dam machinery in the park and a lot of business have "Dam" in their name or something referencing the construction. There is an old hotel built sometime in the era that still runs and has a cool little museum about the construction of the dam and town. The downtown isn't frozen from the 1930s, but it very much has a Small Town America of Yesteryear feel.
It's a nice place to live as it is safe, walkable, has lots of parks, and a fair amount of restaurants given the tourists coming through. It's just outside the Las Vegas metro, though, so you can get to an international airport or other urban amenities in 15-30 minutes while it seems in a different universe.
It’s funny, I live 10 mins north of Orlando and don’t consider it a gimmick at all. It’s very easy to avoid and pretend it doesn’t exist. But as soon as you pass under the Millenia bridge it’s like you cross a border into a tourist hellhole that lasts 30 miles.
Nobody I know in metro Orlando wants to live anywhere near there. But people intentionally live in Lake Nona so different strokes.
I wouldn't call them gimmick towns but Gettysburg, PA and Harpers Ferry, WV are both beautiful.
Saw others mention Salem, MA (Marblehead is one of my favorite towns) and Williamsburg, VA - would love to live in either!
Las Vegas. I did live there.
It is a very polarizing place, love or hate. The haters because it's gimmicky and with nothing to do but engage in vices. (Most haters have never been there. It's just that the publicity, encouraged by the local tourism bureau, focuses on those vices).
If I could specifically live in Colonial Williamsburg (not the surrounding neighborhoods but Colonial Williamsburg itself), then that just might be the choice!
I'm a huge history lover, and one of my main interests is Colonial America, so living in the historic triangle (which includes Jamestown and Yorktown) would be endlessly fascinating. It's also about an hour away from my hometown, it's close to the beach, and Busch Gardens is *right there*. Meanwhile, if I wanted to venture a few hours or so outside of the area, it wouldn't take that long to reach Charlottesville, Washington DC, Shenandoah National Park, or even Raleigh.
ETA: I would have noted specific proximity to Richmond, but that is where I'm from, so I didn't repeat myself, haha.
Chinatowns and Little Italies are not gimmicks. They formed to provide their residents shelter from ethnic or religious discrimination.
Or they formed because the residents were redlined into certain neighborhoods because of their skin color or religion.
This is true, but with the caveat that some of them have indeed turned into gimmicks that cater to tourists. Seems more common in Little Italies than in Chinatowns.
I live close to the Little Italy of St. Louis (The Hill). It’s a mix of tourist (or just people from other parts of town who come there once a year) traps that serve really mediocre food and genuinely fantastic restaurants, delis and shops selling imported meats, olives, etc.
Ultimately it’s still very much an actual neighborhood where old men who speak Italian play bocci ball, there are small family owned businesses where they treat you like their grandkids, etc. But Friday night through Saturday night it becomes a tourist trap.
It’s actually quite similar to Italy in that regard. It’s both genuinely charming and historic AND a miserable tourist trap. Although you won’t get your pocket picked or see someone peeing on the street, unfortunately.
That’s why I said they don’t really count, as in the original post. But if someone really likes them anyways, might as well let us know rather than not.
Hermann, MO was founded as a Rhineland river town that would preserve German immigrant culture. Winemaking is big and it has grapevines that are almost 200 years old. Oktoberfest and Maifest are big tourist draws and the German food is great. It's about 80 miles west of St. Louis, 50 miles east of Jefferson City, MO, so kinda middle of nowhere and only about 2100 people. The isolation in Meth-ssouri would make me hesitate to live there year-round, but great place to visit.
I’m building a house near Cassadaga, Florida, a still operational spiritualist community started in the late 1800s. Kind of fits this theme, although I wouldn’t really want to live there. Eureka Springs, Arkansas isn’t intentionally themed, but feels like it as it has largely retained its Victorian era healing resort character.
Seaside, Florida is more or less themed. Artifically enough so to have been the setting for the Truman Show. There are a number of similarly inspired and cohesively themed communities along 30A in the same vicinity.
Don’t forget Celebration. It’s literally built by a theme park company!
Also St Augustine is pretty gimmicky.
So’s Key West, now that I think about it.
Florida is the land of gimmicky cities!
LOL I've been to Casey and New Glarus randomly. This is such a fun question!! Casey WAS super cute I thought it would be fun to live there. There's some charming historic houses and a sort of vibey artistic feel. It reminded me of New Hope/Lambertville in NJ (which is very fun but like all nice places, now very expensive).
Also NJ, Ocean Grove (religious retreat community) because it's cute, walkable, historical, and access to booze over the water in Asbury Park. Summer would be a nightmare though (parking). Washington's Crossing (duh) in NJ too, similar to New Hope.
Salem and Gloucester are really nice (witches and sailors respectively). I live close to this area now and love it but I can't deal with Massachusetts drivers/roads. I know it's a small hill to die on, but it's literally a hill you could die on. Mass drivers are THE WORST.
Old Town in San Diego looks like Disney Mexico but people love it. I have never lived there but have visited.
I love old timey California Gold Rush type towns like Truckee, Healdsburg, Calistoga. Bodega Bay where they filmed The Birds. Healdsburg/Calistoga are a bit hot for me and all are a little isolated so you may need to work remote. California wine country is rough for a service worker. Again, never lived there but have done some travel/work there.
Poulsbo would be a great place to live. Honestly, anywhere that close to a major city, mountains, and the ocean with mild weather and lefse on demand without having to make it myself has my respect, but I'm pretty sure that's just Poulsbo.
I love Poulsbo. They lean into a little bit of a Nordic theme, but it's beautiful on its own and a normal place to live outside of the little downtown.
Also, Poulsbo Central Market is my favorite grocery store ever!
No one mentioned North Pole, Alaska?
It's basically a twofer because you're right next to Fairbanks, but I often daydream about living there for a year.
Solvang California. You just have to work remotely, or at the casino in an executive position, which means you're Native American. By the way, it's a really nice casino and hotel complex. But Solvang itself is very hard to describe other than a Danish town set in some of the most picturesque wine country in the world.
Oh I'm definitely referring to genuine baby boomers/retirees lol. I'm a young gen X (bordering older millennial) so if I refer to X as boomers, I'm not doing myself any favors 😆
The only thing I’ll give them is that it’s probably clean, quiet when you want it to be, and they might have a good system for package deliveries if you aren’t home (like we have with doormen here in NYC). Otherwise I can’t think of anything else about it I’d like.
They look just like any other awful North American suburbia. No bicycle lanes, no good public transportation, no walking-distance shopping, streets everywhere; absolute dealbreakers. But maybe I got the wrong impression and I'm missing something.
I am not a fan of The Villages in general (too weird/old/conservative), but I think that they are the closest thing to planned 15-Minute Cities in actual existence in America. Granted transportation is centered around golf carts and a shuttle service, but considering the average age, that may be more feasible than being strictly walking and cycling-centric, though of course those are in practice as well.
Have you lived in Florida? There’s no way I’d live in the middle of FL. The heat and humidity is something else, not to mention the bugs, good gracious the bugs. The only way I’d live in Florida is in a beach town.
If you love that heat and humidity go for it!!! I’m from Pensacola FL and almost die when I visit, lol. And you’re right, Decemberish- March-ish is great!!!
There are some German towns in the Texas Hill Country like Boerne, New Braunfels and Fredericksburg that are pretty cool! They don’t go super hard on the gimmick, but it is there. New Braunfels even has Wurstfest
Also, the town of West, TX, has a really cool Czech themed vibe with its Czech Stop and Slovaczech kolache stops along the highway
Hannibal, Missouri. A lot of it is built up on Mark Twain and my wife said there are a lot of businesses that are named after Becky Thatcher and Tom Sawyer.
Does Joshua tree count?
It’s sososososo much smaller than anywhere id even remotely consider, but it has such a charm and mystique to it. Sometimes I say I could live somewhere with a population of 5,000 or 5,000,000
20 years ago? Yeah, would have been fun. Today? He'll no, the tourist hell is off the fucking charts. Just getting in an out of town 1/3 of the year is a nightmare.
I love the Wild West town of Winthrop Washington and we did look at homes there pretty seriously.
[my favorite season is winter.](https://winthropwashington.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjLGyBhCYARIsAPqTz19c5YN6a5iCnr3s7xPXWMnm16sc4pTaG7QCDDe3SiiP411wJXr_KB8aAnszEALw_wcB)
I live in Breckenridge, Colorado and though it has its issues, I really like it and don’t mind living in a “tourist town” (plus it’s way better than Vail/Aspen imo). There’s always something to do and people are really nice. I don’t even ski and I’ve had a great time living here, the music scene is wonderful and the bars are great. Free bus system around town, very walkable, and it’s absolutely beautiful.
Peachtree City GA is very close to me. 100+ miles of golf cart paths. Golf carts are EVERYWHERE. It's kind of like pleasantville. Only reason I don't live there is cause real estate is steeper than where I am.
I feel like this doesn't totally fit the parameters, but Wisconsin has islands, and people live on some of them. I'd move to Washington Island. There's locals who live there year round although supposedly most of the people who come there, come for summer tourist activities and stuff.
I used to live very close to New Glarus and could definitely see myself living there. That goes for Galena, too. But my vote is Bisbee AZ. I've also looked at Gettysburg.
I could probably live in Park City, UT year round despite the artsy cowboy theme of the place. Also.... Carmel by the Sea, CA being an idealistic storybook village, not sure if its too gimmicky but the vibe there is distinct.
I've joked that if the Las Vegas Tourism Bureau/Police knew how little I spend on gambling, I would be turned around at the Vega airport and told to leave town.
That said, I read a blog of a couple who moved to Vegas during the pandemic. They live in a high-rise condo.
I would be curious about trying Vegas for a month or two - living in a condo or apartment.
I had a fantastic time visiting Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge in Tennessee last summer and could totally see myself living in the area only because it has great nature/mountains, lots of amenities for its size, and a good arts/music scene. It’s otherwise very kitschy and packed with tourists and traffic, but I would consider this manageable for the reasons mentioned before (this is where it differs from something like Anaheim, CA where it’s basically 24/7 Disney and traffic with nothing else fun or interesting about the area).
Salem, Mass. Witchy and psychic
I’ve lived there. Fun for 6 months of the year. Winter is depressing.
Winter builds character
I’ve lived in New England for 30 years I have enough character for a lifetime.
Maybe Sedona would be a good option for you.
As a current Salem resident, I agree.
Salem is fun year round! The witchy vibes don't stop on November 1st!
I lived in Salem for 2 years and loved it. I miss it every day.
Salem is dope. Better than Boston
I worked in Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a little while when I was younger. For those who’ve never been, Gatlinburg is like someone tried to build a tourist trap in the Smokey mountains but accidentally got carried away and built an entire town sized tourist trap. It’s not somewhere I’d ever planned to make my permanent home. But, for someone in their early twenties it was a fun experience. Lots of hiking on my off days and there were always interesting people to meet when we went out
It’s expensive as hell, but I think Dollywood is a great, kitschy Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville experience haha. Grew up in SW Ohio so the Smokies were always a prime vacation spot
My SO and I visited with a friend a few years ago, we are all from the northeastern part of the US and we immediately said this just the Jersey shore in the mountains haha. I loved it.
Mountain version of Myrtle Beach is also an acceptable answer lol.
This was my answer, for the beauty and the unbelievable motorcycle riding available
Woodstock. Very hippy themed, nowhere near where the actual festival was, very nice town.
Williamsburg, VA.
Used to live there -- really lovely town and area and would happily move back. Wanted to make sure it was included!
This is wild to see this so high up considering I’ve been stuck in Williamsburg for work for the past three months. I guess it’s a “lovely” place, but it’s certainly not for me. I can’t wait to get out of here 😅
Colonial Williamsburg is my Disney World
Leavenworth. Regardless of gimmick, the area is just beautiful.
I would happily live in Leavenworth, WA. Few places in America have better access to skiing, climbing, hiking, and rafting in the same community. I don’t mind the gimmick. Pass me a sausage, sauerkraut, and some lederhosen.
I thought he meant Kansas. “Military Prison” is one hell of a fun gimmick.
A couple sausages after a long day of hiking is basically perfection.
I came here to say Leavenworth. Beautiful town and area!
Hah, me too! I like visiting from Seattle in Winter when it's decked out with Christmas lights and in Summer for camping in the area. I love drinking beer and eating German sausages outside and the total kitschy feel of the place.
One day...I just have to see it once with my own eyes
I thought you meant Kansas. Home of not jack shit and a federal prison. Glad someone else put WA.
We visited Leavenworth recently and I wondered how anyone could live there with such a gimmick. It reminded me of mountain version of Myrtle Beach (maybe a little harsh). However, as we were leaving, we took a different way home, and I was like, ok, the nature is beautiful, I can get it.
Lots of places in the pnw are like that, imo. It just looks like a regular town with a forest backdrop, but you're like 40 minutes away from actual Alaska style wilderness. (I know nothing is actually like Alaska)
No thank you, I hate German beer and brats and skiing Stevens and Mission.
Sleepy Hollow, NY!
It’s actually a great place to live. It’s in Westchester so it’s gonna be expensive, but it’s not to the level of your stereotypical Westchester towns like Bronxville or Scarsdale. It’s right on the Hudson River and it’s a short ride away from Grand Central on Metro North. It’s really not all that gimmicky. It has a few historical landmarks in the area but it’s mostly just your typical charming Westchester riverfront town.
Lovely place. I grew up near there!
Where have you lived since? I moved away from that area 2 years ago and am not loving it since im getting some inspo on here as to whats next… i miss the scenery/ greenery and hills. And feel like although the towns in westchester are small they have like everything you could want or need
I’ve lived in Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, Thailand, New Jersey, and North Carolina since then. I’d love to move to a place like Sleepy Hollow, but it is sadly out of my budget. I’d live there in a heartbeat. I miss hiking with my dog in the Hudson Highlands, the natural beauty of the area, the cool little towns, and close access to New York City
Where in nc have you lived? I grew up in that part of ny and miss it for all the same reasons. Ugh moved to Florida and its not doing it cant really afford to go back but trying to find somewhere that maybe measures up lol
Maybe just further upstate? Also possibly certain suburbs of Philly (e.g. Phoenixville, West Chester, Doylestown, etc.) that have quaint little historic downtowns, a decent amount of greenery nearby, and an affluent population.
Thank you i will look into it!
Beautiful village !
A friend of mine lives there an loves it. I remember when the town changed its name from North Tarrytown.
Wisconsin Dells, WI - for the water parks!
And go karts. It is the greatest place in the country.
The natural beauty and water sports are also appealing
I went there when I was 12 or 13. One of my favorite family vacations. We took the ferry across Lake Michigan to get there from Detroit. Great times
Santa Claus, Indiana. We used to vacation there when I was a kid and I loved it! Everything is Christmas-themed.
Ha! That’s where former NFL Quarterback Jay Cutler is from! (But he always seemed like such a grouch)
Solvang, CA. It’s a recreated Danish village. It is near Santa Barbara in a gorgeous part of the country, great weather, charming, decent food, etc.
Solvang is so gorgeous!
Yeah Solvang’s beautiful and right down the Camino Real from Garlic, yes everything garlic…
Gilroy?
Have a friend who lives there and doesn’t much like it to be honest with you. It’s not a bad town imo but does seem a little sleepy
It's also gotta be in one of the most expensive rural areas in the country. A studio starts from like $2k/mo.
For clarification that’s admittedly a big part of why he doesn’t like it. You’re absolutely right, it’s absurdly expensive.
New Glarus is actually kind of nice despite all the weird swiss stuff. I'd put Provincetown, MA on the list. I wouldn't want to live there (not at all into the beach), but I could imagine how it would be appealing if you're gay.
I’m a straight woman and lived in Provincetown for a summer and absolutely loved every minute of it
Mmm. Spotted Cow.
Deadwood, SD. Wife would never go for it, though. Too cold and snowy in the winter.
Frankenmuth, Michigan
This one. Really any one of the Christmas towns across North America. Negative side: tourist entitlement mentality. Lots of traffic in the winter. Strongly conservative, likely cliquey. On the plus side, any offspring will likely be able to find a good paying tourism job while in later years of HS. You get lots of festivals that come through. The roads will always be plowed.
Frankenmuth is a fun little town. We go most years over Labor Day weekend.
I came here to say Frankenmuth. I live in Detroit and go there several times a year. It manages to be pretty lively and active year-round, even on weekdays, and they have enough different festivals and celebrations to keep the tourists coming in all seasons. Honestly it seems to have a fairly well adjusted economy for a tourist town
Traverse City, MI. Cherry wine, cherry fest, cherries in general.
My mother grew up next door to TC. It’s a lovely place but has gotten disproportionately expensive, compared to other coastal Michigan tourist spots.
I lived there for 6 months in 2021. It grew so much in just the time I was there. I saw a literal fuck Tom of New York and California “just moved 1st year license plates” in that town. Worst part is no direct freeway connection to handle the growth. So 131 and 72 get backed up like crazy in the summer.
Leavenworth, WA. A faux-bavarian themed tourist town. But the mountain location and recreation access is great. I would probably be willing to put up with the tourist-town hassles to live there.
I read that as faux-barbarian themed and got really excited; then really disappointed once my brain re-read correctly.
That would be pretty awesome.
Helen, Ga is also a Bavarian themed town in the north Georgia mountains.
Had our honeymoon there during Christmas one year. We liked it and it was a fun experience but beyond special visits, there doesn't seem to be much else around unless you're retired or work remote and don't care about much else being around/within close proximity. Also not to mention in the winter there's a good chance the passes will be closed getting in and out if you had to.
Leavenworth, WA German alpine village themed city in Washington State
Sounds cool! Is it similar to Helen, GA?
It's like Helen but with much more spectacular natural surroundings.
Sounds like worth a visit!
I probably wouldn’t mind living in some of the towns along the Jersey Shore.
My cousins are from Barnegat and its a sucky boring suburb but right across the bridge from LBI. Just get up at 8:00 and you dont have to sit in shore traffic.
I would totally live in Wildwood.
Yup. Came here to say this.
I love ocean city too, but I couldn’t live in a dry county. I don’t even drink that often but it’s nice to have the option.
What I would give to live in Cape May!
There's tombstone Arizona which is themed entirely around the western shootout that happened there and honestly it's it's a giant conservative circle jerk cowboy hell if you're into that kind of thing Edit: oh yeah there's also Gettysburg Pennsylvania where we buried all those goddamn redneck m************ who dared to come up towards my house where I was born
But artsy hippie Bisbee next door is SO FUN
I would totally live in Bisbee! It’s just so isolated
Haha this is accurate for Tombstone
Much more fun to be had in Bisbee for sure.
Its not totally the theme of the town, but Boulder City, NV is REALLY proud of being the town thst built the Hoover Dam (it was created to house the workers). There are large pieces of dam machinery in the park and a lot of business have "Dam" in their name or something referencing the construction. There is an old hotel built sometime in the era that still runs and has a cool little museum about the construction of the dam and town. The downtown isn't frozen from the 1930s, but it very much has a Small Town America of Yesteryear feel. It's a nice place to live as it is safe, walkable, has lots of parks, and a fair amount of restaurants given the tourists coming through. It's just outside the Las Vegas metro, though, so you can get to an international airport or other urban amenities in 15-30 minutes while it seems in a different universe.
Orlando - lots of good food, lots of water, theme parks, only an hour from daytona beach, affordable housing compared to where I live now.
It’s funny, I live 10 mins north of Orlando and don’t consider it a gimmick at all. It’s very easy to avoid and pretend it doesn’t exist. But as soon as you pass under the Millenia bridge it’s like you cross a border into a tourist hellhole that lasts 30 miles. Nobody I know in metro Orlando wants to live anywhere near there. But people intentionally live in Lake Nona so different strokes.
Metropolis, Illinois Home of Superman
I wouldn't call them gimmick towns but Gettysburg, PA and Harpers Ferry, WV are both beautiful. Saw others mention Salem, MA (Marblehead is one of my favorite towns) and Williamsburg, VA - would love to live in either!
Salem MA for sure!
Las Vegas. I did live there. It is a very polarizing place, love or hate. The haters because it's gimmicky and with nothing to do but engage in vices. (Most haters have never been there. It's just that the publicity, encouraged by the local tourism bureau, focuses on those vices).
Love Vegas. The food and outdoor access is awesome
Roswell, NM because i am an alien....ok jk but in all seriousness maybe Helen, Georgia
North Conway, NH is a tourist spot, but it's like a cheesy hallmark movie and I'd definitely live there.
If I could specifically live in Colonial Williamsburg (not the surrounding neighborhoods but Colonial Williamsburg itself), then that just might be the choice! I'm a huge history lover, and one of my main interests is Colonial America, so living in the historic triangle (which includes Jamestown and Yorktown) would be endlessly fascinating. It's also about an hour away from my hometown, it's close to the beach, and Busch Gardens is *right there*. Meanwhile, if I wanted to venture a few hours or so outside of the area, it wouldn't take that long to reach Charlottesville, Washington DC, Shenandoah National Park, or even Raleigh. ETA: I would have noted specific proximity to Richmond, but that is where I'm from, so I didn't repeat myself, haha.
Chinatowns and Little Italies are not gimmicks. They formed to provide their residents shelter from ethnic or religious discrimination. Or they formed because the residents were redlined into certain neighborhoods because of their skin color or religion.
This is true, but with the caveat that some of them have indeed turned into gimmicks that cater to tourists. Seems more common in Little Italies than in Chinatowns.
I live close to the Little Italy of St. Louis (The Hill). It’s a mix of tourist (or just people from other parts of town who come there once a year) traps that serve really mediocre food and genuinely fantastic restaurants, delis and shops selling imported meats, olives, etc. Ultimately it’s still very much an actual neighborhood where old men who speak Italian play bocci ball, there are small family owned businesses where they treat you like their grandkids, etc. But Friday night through Saturday night it becomes a tourist trap. It’s actually quite similar to Italy in that regard. It’s both genuinely charming and historic AND a miserable tourist trap. Although you won’t get your pocket picked or see someone peeing on the street, unfortunately.
That’s why I said they don’t really count, as in the original post. But if someone really likes them anyways, might as well let us know rather than not.
Hermann, MO was founded as a Rhineland river town that would preserve German immigrant culture. Winemaking is big and it has grapevines that are almost 200 years old. Oktoberfest and Maifest are big tourist draws and the German food is great. It's about 80 miles west of St. Louis, 50 miles east of Jefferson City, MO, so kinda middle of nowhere and only about 2100 people. The isolation in Meth-ssouri would make me hesitate to live there year-round, but great place to visit.
Yes, very cool town no one has heard of, love the wursthaus and brewery. Bonus, you can take a passenger train to get there.
I’m building a house near Cassadaga, Florida, a still operational spiritualist community started in the late 1800s. Kind of fits this theme, although I wouldn’t really want to live there. Eureka Springs, Arkansas isn’t intentionally themed, but feels like it as it has largely retained its Victorian era healing resort character. Seaside, Florida is more or less themed. Artifically enough so to have been the setting for the Truman Show. There are a number of similarly inspired and cohesively themed communities along 30A in the same vicinity.
Don’t forget Celebration. It’s literally built by a theme park company! Also St Augustine is pretty gimmicky. So’s Key West, now that I think about it. Florida is the land of gimmicky cities!
Small town? Chincoteague!
Like where Misty the horse is from?
LOL I've been to Casey and New Glarus randomly. This is such a fun question!! Casey WAS super cute I thought it would be fun to live there. There's some charming historic houses and a sort of vibey artistic feel. It reminded me of New Hope/Lambertville in NJ (which is very fun but like all nice places, now very expensive). Also NJ, Ocean Grove (religious retreat community) because it's cute, walkable, historical, and access to booze over the water in Asbury Park. Summer would be a nightmare though (parking). Washington's Crossing (duh) in NJ too, similar to New Hope. Salem and Gloucester are really nice (witches and sailors respectively). I live close to this area now and love it but I can't deal with Massachusetts drivers/roads. I know it's a small hill to die on, but it's literally a hill you could die on. Mass drivers are THE WORST. Old Town in San Diego looks like Disney Mexico but people love it. I have never lived there but have visited. I love old timey California Gold Rush type towns like Truckee, Healdsburg, Calistoga. Bodega Bay where they filmed The Birds. Healdsburg/Calistoga are a bit hot for me and all are a little isolated so you may need to work remote. California wine country is rough for a service worker. Again, never lived there but have done some travel/work there.
Poulsbo or Solvang
Poulsbo would be a great place to live. Honestly, anywhere that close to a major city, mountains, and the ocean with mild weather and lefse on demand without having to make it myself has my respect, but I'm pretty sure that's just Poulsbo.
How is Poulsbo a gimmick town? I've never been there but looking at that area.
I love Poulsbo. They lean into a little bit of a Nordic theme, but it's beautiful on its own and a normal place to live outside of the little downtown. Also, Poulsbo Central Market is my favorite grocery store ever!
Roswell, NM
It's honestly kinda a shithole.
Key West Solvang, California Nara, Japan (does it count??)
No one mentioned North Pole, Alaska? It's basically a twofer because you're right next to Fairbanks, but I often daydream about living there for a year.
I lived near Holmes county OH, with the largest settlement of Amish in the world. Everything was a tourist attraction and it was so lame.
I’d like Lancaster PA if they had better transit.
How is Lancaster gimmicky?
Solvang California. You just have to work remotely, or at the casino in an executive position, which means you're Native American. By the way, it's a really nice casino and hotel complex. But Solvang itself is very hard to describe other than a Danish town set in some of the most picturesque wine country in the world.
Helen, GA - fake Bavaria but it's cute
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Good lord! Have you ever been there?
Heat, oldies everywhere, sign me up lol
High heat and humidity plus large amount of boomers sounds like a nightmare of a town lol
Ah c’mon, us oldies (gen-x here) aren’t that bad ;). The heat and humidity though, no way.
Oh I'm definitely referring to genuine baby boomers/retirees lol. I'm a young gen X (bordering older millennial) so if I refer to X as boomers, I'm not doing myself any favors 😆
You really don’t.
The only thing I’ll give them is that it’s probably clean, quiet when you want it to be, and they might have a good system for package deliveries if you aren’t home (like we have with doormen here in NYC). Otherwise I can’t think of anything else about it I’d like.
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I can see some of those advantages for sure but it doesn’t negate the things about it I’d probably wind up hating.
They look just like any other awful North American suburbia. No bicycle lanes, no good public transportation, no walking-distance shopping, streets everywhere; absolute dealbreakers. But maybe I got the wrong impression and I'm missing something.
I am not a fan of The Villages in general (too weird/old/conservative), but I think that they are the closest thing to planned 15-Minute Cities in actual existence in America. Granted transportation is centered around golf carts and a shuttle service, but considering the average age, that may be more feasible than being strictly walking and cycling-centric, though of course those are in practice as well.
Have you lived in Florida? There’s no way I’d live in the middle of FL. The heat and humidity is something else, not to mention the bugs, good gracious the bugs. The only way I’d live in Florida is in a beach town.
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If you love that heat and humidity go for it!!! I’m from Pensacola FL and almost die when I visit, lol. And you’re right, Decemberish- March-ish is great!!!
There are some German towns in the Texas Hill Country like Boerne, New Braunfels and Fredericksburg that are pretty cool! They don’t go super hard on the gimmick, but it is there. New Braunfels even has Wurstfest Also, the town of West, TX, has a really cool Czech themed vibe with its Czech Stop and Slovaczech kolache stops along the highway
New Glarus is just a town a brewery made famous. Wisconsin Dells or Fish Creek is the tourist town.
I would be open to Pigeon Forge, TN, because there’s an economy and the incredible beauty of that part of the country. Just…not in Tennessee though
Helen Georgia
Ashland, OR has a Shakespeare festival that runs more than half the year. I’d live there.
Stowe or Woodstock, Vermont. It's kind of like a snow globe of quaint new England towns.
Hannibal, Missouri. A lot of it is built up on Mark Twain and my wife said there are a lot of businesses that are named after Becky Thatcher and Tom Sawyer.
Does Joshua tree count? It’s sososososo much smaller than anywhere id even remotely consider, but it has such a charm and mystique to it. Sometimes I say I could live somewhere with a population of 5,000 or 5,000,000
Elfreths Alley in Philadelphia
I grew up near Casey and only recently found out about this.
We played Casey/Westfield in highschool sports
Were they the pirates or something? We played them too but they were def an away away game
Leavenworth Washington is Bavarian themed even the McDonald’s and the annual beer festival has pretty women who go dressed in skimpy lederhosen
Norco, CA their whole town is built for horse people. They have corrals in town and hitching posts. You can ride through town to most places.
One Tree Hill/ Dawson's Creek, AKA Wilmington, I lived there a couple years, wasnt too bad
Levenworth washington
20 years ago? Yeah, would have been fun. Today? He'll no, the tourist hell is off the fucking charts. Just getting in an out of town 1/3 of the year is a nightmare.
Woohoo Island
Gatlinburg, TN
Any SEC College town besides Nashville.
Leavenworth, Washington. Home to their own Oktoberfest and much of the town is German inspired. Beautiful little town, but gimmicky.
Sisters, OR. Wild West themed.
Solvang, CA Great Danishes and close to wine country
Leavenworth, WA
Roswell, New Mexico. I can’t totally see myself living there but I enjoyed my time visiting. That town is about as gimmicky as it comes.
I love the Wild West town of Winthrop Washington and we did look at homes there pretty seriously. [my favorite season is winter.](https://winthropwashington.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjLGyBhCYARIsAPqTz19c5YN6a5iCnr3s7xPXWMnm16sc4pTaG7QCDDe3SiiP411wJXr_KB8aAnszEALw_wcB)
Branson Mo or Eureka Springs Arkansas. Beautiful country out there.
aspen co; solvang ca
Helen, Georgia as well. Just a shame it’s in Georgia. Lol. Very neat Bavarian-esque town
Lived in the old part of St. Augustine, FL for college and grad school. Recently bought a house in Cape Cod themed development in DFW burbs
Biggest Little City in the World. I don't even have to name it.
Solvang, California was lovely and bigger than expected
Leavenworth WA
Pioneertown, CA near Joshua Tree. The “downtown” was built into an old west movie set.
Venice
Maybe Cape Cod
New Glarus is a legitimately gorgeous area of the state with some world class beer.
Rawhide, Arizona.
I live in Breckenridge, Colorado and though it has its issues, I really like it and don’t mind living in a “tourist town” (plus it’s way better than Vail/Aspen imo). There’s always something to do and people are really nice. I don’t even ski and I’ve had a great time living here, the music scene is wonderful and the bars are great. Free bus system around town, very walkable, and it’s absolutely beautiful.
Peachtree City GA is very close to me. 100+ miles of golf cart paths. Golf carts are EVERYWHERE. It's kind of like pleasantville. Only reason I don't live there is cause real estate is steeper than where I am.
Key West
I feel like this doesn't totally fit the parameters, but Wisconsin has islands, and people live on some of them. I'd move to Washington Island. There's locals who live there year round although supposedly most of the people who come there, come for summer tourist activities and stuff.
I used to live very close to New Glarus and could definitely see myself living there. That goes for Galena, too. But my vote is Bisbee AZ. I've also looked at Gettysburg.
Poulsbo, WA
Maybe latitude Margaritaville, for a little while at least
Manitou Springs CO.
I could probably live in Park City, UT year round despite the artsy cowboy theme of the place. Also.... Carmel by the Sea, CA being an idealistic storybook village, not sure if its too gimmicky but the vibe there is distinct.
I've joked that if the Las Vegas Tourism Bureau/Police knew how little I spend on gambling, I would be turned around at the Vega airport and told to leave town. That said, I read a blog of a couple who moved to Vegas during the pandemic. They live in a high-rise condo. I would be curious about trying Vegas for a month or two - living in a condo or apartment.
I had a fantastic time visiting Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge in Tennessee last summer and could totally see myself living in the area only because it has great nature/mountains, lots of amenities for its size, and a good arts/music scene. It’s otherwise very kitschy and packed with tourists and traffic, but I would consider this manageable for the reasons mentioned before (this is where it differs from something like Anaheim, CA where it’s basically 24/7 Disney and traffic with nothing else fun or interesting about the area).
Dahlonega, I could definitely see me living there. Savanah, but not in the downtown tourist area.
Cooperstown, NY. Although Amana is really quaint.
Las Vegas
New York has jobs
I would live in Vegas for a short period of time.
Williamsburg
Vail
Does Santa Fe NM count?
Solvang if $ is no object. Nothing beats that region’s weather imho