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    Home » Everything Amish » Plain Culture

    Thoughts on Downtowns: 5 Favorite Small-Town Downtowns

    Published: Sep 23, 2016 · Updated: Sep 23, 2016 by Kevin Williams | 3 Comments

    My hometown downtown probably wouldn't make my list, but it is improving

    My hometown downtown probably wouldn't make my list, but it is improving

    By Kevin Williams

    Admittedly, this list is very subjective, but I've traveled a lot over the years and have had a chance to sample many small towns, more small towns than large.  And I can sort of quickly gauge whether I like the place or not, what sort of color or character it has, etc.  Some places like Lima, Ohio just have glum downtowns, while other cities the same size have seemingly vibrant downtowns teeming with activity.  Ugh, Jackson, Michigan (admittedly, it's been years since I was there) was another town where I just saw the downtown and went "ugh."  So, here is a very subjective list of 5 favorite downtowns of cities under 50,000 people.

    Traverse City, Michigan:  You just can't beat a lak front, the touristy shops, a giant bookstore (Horizon Books).....I have visited a ton of small-town downtowns over the years and Traverse City would top my list.  Only drawback in the newspaper there, not a fan of the Record Eagle, but otherwise I am a big Traverse City fan.

    Quincy, Illinois:  Love the quaint, clustered, bustling downtown.   Quincy is the largest city for miles in all directions which gives its downtown the feel of a much larger city than it is....

    Parkersburg, West Virginia:  Another rivertown, hemmed in by smokestacks, etc, maybe not most peoples' choice, but there a bustling downtown, an historic home district, I've been to P-burg numerous times and there's just something appealing about its downtown.

    Ionia, Michigan:  I don't remember much about the downtown, but I remember the main road being a beautiful red brick one and that makes it stick out

    Elkins, West Virginia:  Just a picturesque mountain town with a beautiful, bustling downtown...

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    About Kevin Williams

    Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kathy Barnes

      September 24, 2016 at 5:12 pm

      We have family in TC and it is a lovely town. We live in a small town and I love it, Niles,MI. We have a great Fall festival call the Apple Festival. This year it's the last weekend in September. We also have a great Scream park. It's open from the end of September through the end of October. I moved here from Lansing,MI and I must say I like the small town feel.
      Kathy

      Reply
      • Kevin

        September 27, 2016 at 5:35 pm

        Kathy, I know Niles well...I gave a talk at the library there once...had a good turn-out. That was probably six or seven years ago

        Reply
    2. J

      September 24, 2016 at 9:16 pm

      Bad, no awful newspaper for sure. No Amish either, however, not to far away there is a very, very small community . Growing up there was fantastic, however, it is not the same city it was in the 50's, 60's, 70's or 80's. Oh, well, there are always the memories.

      Reply

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    Kevin Williams - The Amish Editor Amish Cook Column

    Hi There, I'm Kevin!

    Welcome to Amish365, where I share my knowledge of Amish cooking and culture! I’ve spent almost three decades exploring Amish settlements and kitchens from Maine to Montana and almost everywhere in between. I’ll occasionally throw in stories of my travels, journalism adventures (I’m a Pulitzer prize-nominated journalist), fascination with grocery stores and Kmarts, and much more!

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