The 100 Best Small Towns in America [Paperback]

Norman Crampton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1996 | Series: 100 Best Small Towns in America

An updated guide to America's best small towns analyzes and rates each on scenic location, economic base, population diversity, health care, crime rate, and education and includes information on job possiblities, history, and recreational and cultural opportunities.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A coast-to-coast tour of small towns chosen for scenery, viable economics, diversity, and low crime will excite any who long to escape the big city for a more viable living situation. Included among the many statistical references to these 100 selected areas are details on income levels, schools, health care and housing, and quotes from residents. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 442 pages
• Publisher: Arco Pub; 2 edition (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028605772
• ISBN-13: 978-0028605777
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,099,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing collection of statistics, May 29, 1998

By 

[e-mail] John Melody (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 100 Best Small Towns in America (Paperback)

This book is a collection of about 20 different statistics for each of the 100 towns. It would be time-consuming to do this research on your own, so I suppose some people will find it worthwhile as a starting point.

However, I imagine that most people interested in the subject are looking for a book that describes communities in ways that are more illuminating.

The only other information Crampton provides are quotes from town residents. But these residents are typically town boosters, such as members of the Chamber of Commerce and local politicians. The responses seem as though they were the result of a cursory phone interview or perhaps a survey form. The statements they provide are almost as uninformative as the statistics.

If you're looking for a book that will give you some idea of what it's like to actually live in these towns, look elsewhere. A town might look great on paper and still be a dreary place to actually live. It would have been nice if Crampton had at least visited the towns he promotes.

One final criticism. The book jacket advertises that diversity is one of the criteria upon which the towns were chosen. But the only thing that comes close to that is a statistic about the percentage of the population comprising youngish adults. There is no data on race, ethnicity, age (other than the one group mentioned), or income distribution. I believe Crampton should either include information on population diversity or stop advertising content that he doesn't provide.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointed!, November 27, 2004

By 

S. (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The 100 Best Small Towns in America (Paperback)

I was looking forward to getting this book. Well, I just got it in the mail and am extremely disappointed with the information. Many of the towns I am very familiar with because I have either visited or done research on my own. The bottom line with this book is this: the information is not just old it is "very old"! Save your money, buy a different book, or just do internet searches. I wish I had.

29 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Author never visited my highly rated town!, May 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The 100 Best Small Towns in America (Paperback)

My town, Elko, NV, was rated #1. Mr Crampton did not bother to visit here. If he had it would never have made any good list. It was a boom town of trailers, pick ups, and four wheelers, populated by trashy people. It is now a bust town. Elko is only good if you want to buy a trailer the bank has repoed.