This North Carolina tourist spot is a top small city in US, report says. Here’s why
A North Carolina vacation destination is among the best small cities in the country, a new report finds.
Asheville, in the mountainous western part of the state, was named the No. 5 place for residents and visitors, according to the report by Resonance Consultancy that was shared Tuesday.
To come up with its ranking of 100 cities, the tourism and real estate advising company says it analyzed U.S. government and online data for metro areas with populations between 100,000 and 500,000. It then evaluated each city for metrics related to environment, diversity, prosperity, attractions, entertainment and online presence, according to the report.
Asheville wasn’t the only North Carolina city that made it onto the list. Wilmington ranked No. 26, and Burlington — roughly 20 miles east of Greensboro — ranked No. 82, according to the report.
Asheville shined in the entertainment category, beating out all other cities on the list, results show. Within that category, the city ranked No. 1 for nightlife and snagged a No. 2 spot for shopping, Resonance said.
“Unsurprisingly, the after-hours scene is a launching pad for musicians, offering what artists of all ages crave in a city: affordability, local beer and good eats,” the company said in its rankings. “Live music born of the region’s bluegrass roots harmonizes with new talent and innovative sounds to the tune of almost $400 million in the region’s tourism economy.”
But the coronavirus pandemic could deliver a “staggering” economic blow to the region, Resonance says.
Asheville’s entertainment scene has been on the national radar in the past, with one of its restaurants making it onto Yelp’s list of top restaurants in 2020, The Charlotte Observer reported.
On the latest list, Asheville also earned a No. 2 ranking for its museums, part of the category that weighed attractions. Another high score went to the city’s online presence, which looked at social media, Google and Tripadvisor data to determine the number of times a city is mentioned or recommended on the internet, results show.
Overall, the top-ranked small city was Reno, Nevada, followed by Naples, Florida; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Savannah, Georgia; and Asheville.
Coming in at No. 100 was Bremerton, Washington, west of Seattle.
This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 3:46 PM with the headline "This North Carolina tourist spot is a top small city in US, report says. Here’s why."
