The arts and culture thrive in this community south of Boston, formerly rough and destitute. Westminster Street is home to design boutiques, artisan businesses, galleries.

Think of St. Louis as multiple charming communities with unique personalities. We enjoy Soulard, a French area with bistros, farmers' markets, and beautiful streets. Central West End.

Portland is one of the most fascinating culinary cities in the nation.More than lobster rolls (though they have them). Portland is a pioneer of the eat-local movement, with restaurants

Granola, Birkenstocks, and Bernie Sanders bumper stickers are abundant in this hippy community, but it's also sophisticated or eat at local favorite Hen of the Wood. 

San Antonio deserves some attention, but Austin seems to receive all the attention. The seventh-largest city in the nation is tranquil and slow with the greatest huevos rancheros.

This mid-Atlantic city has one of the nation's most promising art scenes. Visit Station North for great urban street art or the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM), which self-taught artists.

Revitalization in Detroit: In the 1950s, it was an industrial powerhouse, but in the 1970s, it declined. In the last decade, it has become a hipster hot place with industry.

This desert community is sometimes overshadowed by Santa Fe but has a distinct arts-and-crafts culture, farm-to-table Southwestern food, and an annual balloon festival.