5 Best Small Cities to Visit in the US

The area in and around Charleston, SC, has had a rough year, but good news has arrived in the form of being picked best small city in the US. More than 128,000 Conde Nast Traveler readers weighed in on their favorite cities in America for the magazine's Readers' Choice honors—so many entries that the staff decided to break the category into two: big cities and small cities, with populations of less than 150,000. Charleston, with just under 90,000 people, nabbed the No. 1 spot with its brightly colored Georgian abodes, charming cobblestone streets, and dining that melds English, French, and West African influences.

The top five mini-metropolises:

1. Charleston, SC
2. Santa Fe, NM
3. Park City, Utah
4. Aspen, Colo.
5. Savannah, Ga.

Check out the top 15 at Conde Nast Traveler. (More US cities stories.)