Port Townsend, Washington is located on the extreme northeastern tip of the Olympic Peninsula, just across Puget Sound from Seattle. Port Townsend was a thriving port settlement before Seattle was founded.Unfortunately, the Union Pacific Railroad bypassed it, sending the thriving community into an economic tailspin. While bad for the people who lived here then, this event was serendipitous for the…...

Alamo is a rapidly growing town of about 17,000 on the southernmost tip of Texas, just west of Brownsville. It has nothing to do with and is far away from the Alamo mission in San Antonio.   About 3/4 of the population is Hispanic, but many retirees live near here, attracted by the climate and proximity to the Gulf. The…...

Frisco, located in Collin and Denton counties in Texas, is a bedroom community for those who work in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It was considered the fastest-growing city in the country from 2000 to 2009, and had a population of about 161,000 in 2017. Due to its growth the city built Frisco Square, a mixed-use development that has become the…...

A small, rural town dating from the 1800s, Beckley is located is south central West Virginia. It is a quieter, modest community that has experienced some businesses closing in recent years. The Appalachians, and its many troves and rivers, offer plenty by way of outdoor recreation here. The downtown, while now a little economically weaker than it once was, is…...