A riverboat cruise out of Hannibal, Mo.; a bluegrass band picking in a park in Danville, Ky.; a turreted 1898 Victorian near Nappanee, Ind., that just sold for $136,500--these are the warm enticements that draw suburbanites to small towns. But before such lures can work their magic, the towns must remake themselves into places where people want to live. To learn how, more than 1,200 communities since 1980 have turned to the National Main Street Center, a branch of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Best known for its work protecting landmarks, the trust also deserves credit for teaching local leaders how to revive dingy business districts and make specialty shops flourish in the age of big-box retailers. The 10 towns that follow were once struggling. Today, thanks in part to the Main Street project, they're going strong.
RANDOLPH, VT.
Population: 5,000
Median Housing Price: $85,000
Why It Didn't Die: After fires in 1991 and 1992 wiped out five landmarks in the 19th century downtown, Randolph wasn't sure whether to bother rebuilding. But people rallied, flocking to town meetings and raising cash to reconstruct in the period style. The newcomer-fueled housing market is the strongest in a decade.
Reasons to Move There: Skiing, hiking, country inns and an annual New England Mountain Bike Festival. Controlled growth, above-average schools and hospital, and plenty of Ben & Jerry's.
Reasons to Have Second Thoughts: Higher taxes than other area towns. Yankee reserve and mountain isolation make for long winters--but for those in need of a hip-city fix, Burlington is an hour away.
LEXINGTON, VA.
Population: 7,000
Median Housing Price: $90,000
Why It Didn't Die: Two colleges--Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute--kept the place afloat during lean times. Alumni moved back when the kids left the nest.
Reasons to Move There: Rolling Shenandoah Valley farmland surrounds the village--and fast-food chains are barred from the historic downtown. Students and townies get their sugar fix at the Cocoa Mill Chocolate Co., founded by transplanted New Englanders, that ships nationwide.
Reason to Have Second Thoughts: Urban refugees bemoan the lack of diversity.
DANVILLE, KY.
Population: 15,500
Median Housing Price: $93,000
Why It Didn't Die: Smart planning kept rapid commercial and industrial growth from choking off the town's charm. When Wal-Mart wanted in, Danville made the discounter downsize its signs and plant screens of trees around its big box.
Reasons to Move There: An unusually diverse racial mix, a first-rate cultural life (recent visitors: Wynton Marsalis, the Royal Philharmonic), and a rock-solid economy (tobacco, livestock, seven Fortune 500 companies) all wrapped up in streetscapes borrowed from Norman Rockwell.
Reason to Have Second Thoughts: David and Maggie Crain just sold their general store--an area gathering-place for generations--to interlopers from Ohio.
NAPPANEE, IND.
Population: 5,500
Median Housing Price: $85,000
Why It Didn't Die: Built its comeback on tourism--visitors drawn to the culture of the area's 2,500-member Amish community.