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This Arizona destination was named one of America’s best small towns of 2024. Here’s why

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This Arizona destination was named one of America’s best small towns of 2024. Here’s why

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Bisbee is having another moment in the national spotlight.

The Cochise County city that once was the center of Arizona’s mining industry was declared one of America’s best small towns of 2024 in a new unranked list from Travel + Leisure.

The feature from Travel + Leisure adds to a growing list of nationwide and worldwide attention on Bisbee in the last year. Travel Lemming named it one of the 50 best U.S. places to visit in 2024. Atlas Obscura included Bisbee on its inaugural Wanderlist, the only U.S. destination featured.

Bisbee was also included in The Arizona Republic’s Best Arizona Road Trip Bracket, though it lost in the first round to the eventual winner, Flagstaff.

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How Travel + Leisure selected the best small towns

Travel + Leisure’s list of America’s best small towns of 2024 was compiled by a 10-person panel based on suggestions from the magazine’s contributors and travel industry experts. Small towns included on the list must have a population below 25,000 residents according to the most recent Census data, excel in its category and offer a variety of activities, accommodations and a timely reason to visit like a notable new festival, hotel or restaurant.

The list includes 10 towns, each represented by a distinguishing feature. For instance, Round Top, Texas, was selected for its outstanding shopping, and Island Park, Idaho, nestled along the Yellowstone Peaks, was considered the best small town in the mountains.

Why Travel + Leisure editors like Bisbee

The panel declared Bisbee the best small town in the desert.

In a summary of Bisbee accompanying Travel + Leisure’s list, contributor Evie Carrick described Bisbee’s historic downtown as “straight out of a storybook” and complimented the town’s walkability, its local shops and hotels, and the narrow stairways “including some that have been transformed into alfresco art galleries.”

Bisbee’s identity as a mining town is also part of its allure, as tours of the Copper Queen Mine give visitors a look at what it was like for miners to venture beneath the Earth’s surface as they searched for precious metals. Visitors wear hard hats and headlamps and ride a mine train on the tour, where guides describe the mining experience.

Carrick wrote that the historical sites in Bisbee are “enhanced by a lively, artistic community that provides the community with creative cuisine, galleries, and near-constant live music.”

Travel + Leisure’s Best Small Towns of 2024

  • Best Small Beach Town: Paia, Maui, Hawaii.
  • Best Small Mountain Town: Island Park, Idaho.
  • Best Small Lake Town: Harbor Springs, Michigan.
  • Best Small Desert Town: Bisbee, Arizona.
  • Best Small Arts + Culture Town: New Hope, Pennsylvania.
  • Best Small Food + Wine Town: Elk, California.
  • Best Small Spa + Wellness Town: Ouray, Colorado.
  • Best Small Retirement Town: Stuart, Florida.
  • Best Small College Town: Clemson, South Carolina.
  • Best Small Shopping Town: Round Top, Texas.

Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.

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