This Picturesque Mountain Town Was Just Named the 'Most Charming' in the U.S.

Red Lodge, Montana, sits at the entryway to Yellowstone National Park.

There are plenty of places that could be considered "charming," but one small town in the American West has the privilege of saying it's scientifically the most charming of all: Red Lodge, Montana.

In early August, InsureMyTrip released its list of America's most charming small towns. To come to its conclusion, the team collected data on small towns with populations between 1,000 and 6,000 people, with the 75 municipalities with the highest search volume included in the final calculation. The team then measured each town through a variety of conditions, including its "peacefulness" score, which is an overall score given "across quantitative and qualitative indicators across each state" using data from the Global Peace Index, along with a "spaciousness" score calculated by the population density of each town.

Towns were also measured by their physical size, their safety, the quality of hotels, the number of festivals held in each destination, the number of cafes available, and the overall restaurant ratings in each spot. The data was then calculated, and each town was given a normalized score between one and 10. Red Lodge came out on top with a score of 7.6.

"This charming mountain town offers an abundance of outdoor activities for nature lovers," the findings noted. "For those planning on visiting Yellowstone National Park, the Beartooth Highway that runs from Red Lodge to the national park is considered one of the most scenic roads in the U.S."

Additionally, Red Lodge took home the No. 1 spot thanks to its wide-open spaces, with just 371 people per square mile, and its small size at a mere 2.7 square miles, making it a highly walkable town. Hotels here also have fantastic ratings, with an average of 8.90 out of 10, while cafes and restaurants have average reviews of 4.51 out of 5.

Coming in a close second is the coastal community of Cannon Beach, Oregon, which took the runner-up spot with a score of 7.54  thanks to its plethora of festivals, small population size, and the fantastic ratings for its cafes and restaurants.

Red Lodge and Cannon Beach were joined by Cape May, New Jersey, with a score of 7.5 in third; Sun Valley, Idaho, with a score of 7.38 in fourth; and Panguitch, Utah, with a score of 7.33, in fifth.

See the complete top 10 list at insuremytrip.com. 

Related: Travel + Leisure Readers’ 5 Favorite Resorts in Montana of 2024

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