Fruita is a small town on the west central edge of Colorado. The Colorado National Monument towers over the town and the Colorado River borders it, as does the Uncompahgre Plateau. The town started out as a fruit producing region, but is now know for the outdoor sports it offers, especially mountain biking and rafting.  Fruita is popular with paleontologists…...

Home to a top and well-respected liberal arts college, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, is a quaint, small town located just east of Philadelphia. Swarthmore College was founded in 1864, by Quakers who were granted land by William Penn, but it has no religious affiliation today. During the late 1880's, passenger trains from Philadelphia made stops in Swarthmore which encouraged its development in…...

Harrisburg is the capital and almost geographical center of the state of Pennsylvania. Once depressed and down, Harrisburg had a resurgence thanks to the money being spent by the state in development. Unfortunately in 2010 the effect of that spending caused severe financial problems (see What is Not Special About Harrisburg below). Its geographical setting is spectacular, located as it…...

Solvang is a small town of about 14,000 people in the Santa Ynez mountains of Southern California. Solvang, which is Danish for "Sunny fields", is about 35 minutes inland from coastal Santa Barbara. Nearby towns include Lompoc, Buellton, Ballard, and Los Olivos.  The area  was made famous when “Sideways”, a dark movie about 2 wine-loving bad boys, was filmed here. …...