Making Your Move to One of America's Best Small Towns: How to Find a Great Little Place as Your Next Home Base [Paperback]

Norman Crampton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2002

For those looking to raise a family in a storybook American town, or a change of pace from hectic city life, this book is the answer.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is a pleasant little book to help you find a pleasant little place to live. Crampton (From the Airport to the City), who defines the essential institutions of a small town as a high school and a hospital, warns against living in towns that have allowed big-box stores to suck the vital juices out of the downtown area and instead advises choosing places that have figured out how to renew resources and provide a sense of community. He offers one page of information for each of the 120 towns listed, including geography, climate, schools, recreation facilities, sales tax rates, per capita income, the cost of electricity, and the average cost of a home. Sections such as "Finding a Job" and "Paying Your Dues" are interesting from a sociological standpoint and will prove helpful to a reader weighing the benefits of small-town living. Though not as data-intensive as comparable books, including Places Rated and America's Top-Rated Smaller Cities, this work is adequate considering the affordable price. Recommended for libraries in towns listed in the book as well as some public libraries.
Sylvia Andrews, Indiana State Lib., Indianapolis
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: M.Evans & Company (November 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871319888
• ISBN-13: 978-0871319883
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Urban Planning & Development > Environmental Planning

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Part of the story, March 11, 2003

By 

J. C Dickey-Chasins "jcdc" (Grinnell, IA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Making Your Move to One of America's Best Small Towns: How to Find a Great Little Place as Your Next Home Base (Paperback)

This book is a good place to start if you're thinking of moving to a town of 15,000 or less. It will point you to many interesting communities. However, having used his previous book to guide my last move, and as a resident of one of the towns highlighted in this book (Grinnell), I can honestly say that data only carries you so far. Crampton could provide readers with a great benefit by lengthening the amount of description and flavor for each town. In particular, one key element missing is the 'dynamic' of a town: is it progressive? conservative? excited about education? quick to vote down taxes and bonds? These elements form the 'culture' of a small town, and believe me, the culture of a small town will be *very* important to you!

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Make that 3 1/2 stars, March 27, 2005

By 

Neon Night (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Your Move to One of America's Best Small Towns: How to Find a Great Little Place as Your Next Home Base (Paperback)

Actually, I would have given "Making Your Move" 4 stars had I found the descriptions of the individual towns more interesting. But, what I did find was a witty style of writing, some laugh-out-loud moments, and some very down-to-earth advice on the pearls and perils of small-town life. One might apply Norm's smart and insightful guidelines to just about any sparsely populated area in the quest for new habitation. So even though his selections failed to fire me up, they did make me realize that I may not be cut out for small-town living after all. And that, in itself, is worth far more than the price of a book. Thanks, Norm, and make that four stars.

51 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good guide to start, January 7, 2003

By 

Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Making Your Move to One of America's Best Small Towns: How to Find a Great Little Place as Your Next Home Base (Paperback)

As a resident of one of the 120 "best small towns" recommended by Norman Crampton, I was delighted to see Silver City on the list.

While Crampton's book is a good place to start your search for small town living, it is important to realize that each small town offers a unique personality. Some generalizations simply do not apply to Silver City. For example, it is not necessary to join a church (or country club) in order to fit in here. Even a small community like ours has diverse sub-populations: recent retirees, most of whom have some affinity for the arts; old-timers, most of whom are the conservative church-goers Crampton describes; and Hispanic families, many of whom have worked in the mines.

These groups rarely interact, although we usually get along very peacefully. We also have a number of folks who teach at the university -- and we rarely see them around town.

To learn about Silver city, you won't get much information from the Chamber of Commerce or the editor of the newspaper. You'd do better to spend some time hanging out at the AIR cafe, talking to whoever comes in. The morning and afternoon groups are quite different and everyone is friendly.

The author gives some nuts and bolts about each small town. Unfortunately, with the exception of weather, much of this information will change by the time the book is printed. And your decision may well be made by factors that can't be added up.

The best part of the book is the section on economics of small town living. Here, he's right on. You have to budget for travel to a large city now and then. Air travel will be more costly and you need time to drive to a large airport. His view of housing prices seems optimistic. If you move to a desirable city (such as Silver City) expect to pay more for a house than he allows.
And if you move to retire, your economic picture will be quite different. Many newcomers to Silver City are beginning a second career as an artist or writer. Moving without a job is scary -- and I do not recommend it unless you fit the profile I describe in my own book, Making the Big Move.