This year, as happens at the end of every year, CNN Money Magazine put out its annual list of the Best Places to Live in the United States. Although these cities may have a great deal of green space, strong community associations and affordable lifestyle, are any of these smaller towns that LGBT-friendly?
Number 1 on the Best Places to Live list this year is Sharon, Massachusetts. This small town of 17,946 is a former resort
town turned bedroom community just a half an hour north from Boston. It is naturally beautiful and also prides itself on a diversity that is evidenced by a churches devoted to nine difference faiths and a population of people from all races. The residents are well-educated, wealthy and progressive in attitude but if you want to visit a gay bar you will need to drive or take the train to nearby Boston.
Number 2 on the list is Louisville, Colorado that is a sophisticated small town of 18,376 with 26 city parks, 26 miles of hiking trails, a renovated historic downtown and housing prices that are 40% cheaper than the rest of the country. There are no gay bars here however it is only six miles east
of Boulder and twenty five miles northeast of Denver, which are towns that do have many LGBT hangouts and organizations.
Number 3 on the CNN list is Vienna, Virginia. This is a commuter community of 16,825 that is home to the School of Rock and the Wolf Trap Park for the Performing Arts. It is famous for its cherry trees, energy saving initiatives and monster homes built in retro Craftsman and Victorian styles. There is no gayborhood or LGBT community here, but the bars and lifestyle support system is about a half-an-hour away in Washington D.C..
Number 4 on the list is Chanhassen, Minnesota. This is a very accepting community for gays and the LGBT positive cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis are half an hour away. The perks of living here include affordable home prices, 34 parks, 90 miles of trails and many cultural and winter festivals.
Number 5 on the list is Sherwood, Oregon, which is a quaint small town just outside of LGBT-friendly Portland with affordable home prices and lots of surrounding majestic forest and park land. Vineries also surround this historic place and it is only a two-hour drive to the coast or east to Mount Hood to enjoy skiing.
As is true of most of the best places to live on this list, the communities are too small to really support a large “gayborhood” or LGBT support network but all of them are close enough to the big city downtowns and “gayborhoods” that do have this support. If you would like to look at the CNN Top 100 Best Places To Live in the United States go to http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/best-places/.