Friendly neighbors, family-run businesses, and quaint restaurants serving comforting diner fare--these are the images conjured up by the phrase "Main Street USA." Even in this fast-paced era, many small towns have held onto their historic roots and preserved their central thoroughfares. From a harbor town on the west coast with ornate Victorian architecture, to Key West's colorful Duval Street, visitors can find unique cultural attractions and warm, welcoming communities in small towns across the country. A few steps along each of these main streets prove that small-town America is alive and well--and can hold its own against larger, neighboring cities. Here are our picks for America's best main streets.--Emily Wasserman
Main Street, Galena, Illinois
Flickr: mpwillis
Water Street, Port Townsend, Washington
WikiMedia:
Main Street, Denton, Texas
Center Street, Woodstock, Vermont
Michael Shake/Dreamstime.com
Broad Street, Charleston, South Carolina
Khanrak via Wikimedia Commons
Broadway Avenue, Saratoga Springs, New York
Flickr/Rob Ketcherside
Front & Centre Streets, Bath, Maine
Dirk Ingo Franke via Wikimedia Commons
South Main Street, Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Peter Guttman
Main Street, Littleton, New Hampshire
Lostarts/Dreamstime.com
Main Street, Paducah, Kentucky
Flickr: calebism
Main Street, Richmond, Indiana
Flickr:
Beverly Street, Staunton, Virginia
Flickr:
South Main Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Susan Montgomery/Shutterstock
Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, California
Adeliepenguin/Dreamstime.com
Duval Street, Key West, Florida
Daniel Korzeniewski/Shutterstock.com