Best Waterfront Towns? (Nat'l Geographic)

[Steve Paskey]

The September issue of National Geographic's "Adventure" magazine has a feature on the 50 "best" cities and towns for outdoors activities. They include a list of the best waterfront towns, as follows:

Top Waterfront Towns
Waimea, Hawaii
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Newport, Rhode Island
Rockland, Maine
Mystic, Connecticut
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Annapolis, Maryland
Beaufort, South Carolina
Lewiston, Idaho

I've been to only 4 of these places: Rockland, Mystic, Grand Rapids, and Annapolis. I'd certainly include Mystic on any such list, and Rockland's a good choice but not my favorite coastal town in Maine.

It's hard for me to fathom why they included Grand Rapids. Granted, I haven't been there since I was in high school, but it qualifies as a "waterfront" town only because it's on a rather modest river. Maybe there's something about Grand Rapids I don't know, but off the top of my head I'd take South Haven over Grand Rapids, if only because of the lake and the maritime museum.

As for Annapolis, I know it better than the others and I'm not sure I'd include it on my list -- the waterfront is dominated too much by tourists and by recreational sailors with big plastic boats. (Though it's not the only factor, I'm more fond of blue-collar towns where there are still people who earn a living on the water.)

I'm interested in hearing any comments on these towns ... and any nominees for your favorite waterfront town.

[Woxbox]

And how can they be serious about Newport? A definition of a good place to live ought to include "not overrun with tourists" and "housing that at least makes a pretense of being affordable."

Agreed Mystic is good. Rockland I buy, too. I used to go up there when it stunk of processed fish and you could buy a house for a song. Hopefully, it won't go too far in the other direction.

I think Annapolis belongs on the list. How about Portland, Me? Or how about Seattle, for that matter? Too big?

[rbgarr]

During her last year at college near NYC my daughter worked as an intern at Nat'l Geographic Adventure Magazine and was given assignments like this one.

"Come up with a list of the best XXXXX", they'd tell her. Some were in areas way outside any conceivable area of her experience (and we had a good laugh about some of the lists), so it's probably not a survey. A sample off the top internet google hits spread representatively around the country was what they wanted. It was an appeal to rack buyers who looked at the cover at the news stand: "Hey, I've been there!! I must be an adventurer!!"

[glenallen]

Lewiston, Idaho?
I can't believe it!
This is the worst case of Chamber of Commerce exagerated BS I've seen since "Mount Saint Helen: Perfect Place For A Barbecue".

Lewiston is on the opposite bank of the Snake River from Clarkston, Washington. Should not even be listed in the top 1000 best waterfront areas.

I know of twenty better places on the Texas coast alone, including my favorite, Port Isabel. Add Galveston, Kemah, Aransas Pass, Matagorda, Sabine Pass, High Island.
I better rethink my trust in National Geographic!

[Bruce Hooke]

And how can they be serious about Newport? A definition of a good place to live ought to include "not overrun with tourists" and "housing that at least makes a pretense of being affordable."

It is not clear to me that they are talking about places to live versus places to go as a tourist.

The difficulty I have with the whole idea of this list is that to me the best places to live and visit are often the places that are a bit off the beaten trail. This may mean that it is a good place for the particular kind of recreation I enjoy, but not a good place for all sorts of different types of outdoor recreation, which is probably what you need to make it onto one of these top places lists. It also matters a lot whether you are talking about people who need to rent a boat (since they are talking waterfront I assume boating is a major focus) or people who have their own boat (of whatever sort).

In Maine, Acadia National Park (I suppose if you had to list a town you'd say Bar Harbor) has a lot of outdoor recreation options, including many on the water options. I think I'd rate that area higher than Rockland.

[Steve Paskey]

As it happens, they are talking about towns in which to BOTH live and "play." Here's a blurb from the web site.

For our September 2007 issue, contributing editor Dan Koeppel spent months tracking down and compiling a list of this year's top adventure towns. With an ideal mix of terrain, activity, and opportunity, each of the action hubs he found could inspire a complete and total life change. Here's a preview of our first ever guide to the best mountain, urban, coastal, wilderness, and small towns in every state, where you can live the adventure dream daily. Pick it up on newsstands starting on August 14.

I forgot to mention the real kicker. Their absolute top, number one "adventure" town? Las Vegas.

[glenallen]

"adventure" town" Las Vegas.
UhOh!

[Lew Barrett]

This list doesn't have a single west coast locale; not one. It's a landlubbers list, not a boaters list.

[glenallen]

This list doesn't have a single west coast locale; not one. It's a landlubbers list, not a boaters list.

Exactly!
And only the dumb landlubbers at that!

[Steve Paskey]

I've realized where a big part of the problem lies. Notice that they chose exactly FIFTY towns? They insisted on including ONE, and only from, from EACH of the fifty states.

Once you start from that premise, there's no way that you can generate a serious list. As Dave suggested, the list is more about selling magazines than anything else.

I subscribed to the rag for a time a few years back ... I'm glad I canceled.

[WX]

That should read, the best US waterfront towns, :D

[bholderman]

That list is definitely ignoring the West Coast. Granted San Diego is expensive and not the typical waterfront, and Im not saying it should be there. But between here and Seattle, there has to be something, even in Alaska for crying out loud.

And how can they be serious about Newport? A definition of a good place to live ought to include "not overrun with tourists" and "housing that at least makes a pretense of being affordable."

Agreed Mystic is good. Rockland I buy, too. I used to go up there when it stunk of processed fish and you could buy a house for a song. Hopefully, it won't go too far in the other direction.

I think Annapolis belongs on the list. How about Portland, Me? Or how about Seattle, for that matter? Too big?

[huisjen]

Bodega Bay. Tillimook. Astoria. Eureka/Arcada. I hear Newport and Coos Bay OR are both nice but I've never been. Friday Harbor. Port Townsend.

Rockland isn't too bad, but Somehow I like Belfast better, and home better yet.

Grand Rapids is a waste of real estate.

[brad9798]

Salem, MA.

New Buryport, ME.

Marblehead, MA.

[Yeadon]

I'd venture that the 50 best waterfront towns in America are basically unknown little dips in the road that will happily never make anybody's list.

In a previous life, I worked at a handful of newspapers across America. Whenever a holiday or extended weekend was upcoming, then we knew that we'd need some copy to fill the space (because we wanted to take a few days off). So, we'd slap together some sort of "lists story." They're fun (easy) to do, easy to read and most obviously, they spur discussion among readers. That said, they're mostly bunk.

[Gary Bergman]

We're doing a pirate festival in Alexandria Bay, NY, and it sure gets my vote..lotsa woodies around, and boathouses everywhere..

[TimH]

Grand Rapids ????

[Matt J.]

I don't mind Annapolis being on the list... even accounting for my local bias, I think it's a great waterfront/boaty/yachty/historic town. SWMBO and I have even spent a weekend there for fun - and we've always lived nearby. It's got a certain feel, and enough history, to remain appealing. It's got the USNA fer goodness' sake! ;) Orginal capital of the US, too.

Anyway... Finding the best "small" waterfront towns would be impossible. Too many subjective variables.

Oxford is great. Essex was nice. Milwaukee (surprisingly nice). Boothbay Harbor. Portland (ME). St. Michael's and Chestertown, MD. I hear great things about St. Augustine (not from Mrleft8, of course).

[BrianW]

Nope, nothing in Alaska. Don't look here, it's no good.

;)

[brad9798]

From your pictoral essays, I would have to add Sitka, Brian!

I would also ventur Cold Spring, NY looks pretty nice, except for the closeups of that same guy that shows up in all the nice pictures!!! :D

There are some nice little river towns on the Mississippi ... Kimmswick, MO; Grafton, IL; Alton, IL; Hanibal, MO (Mark Twain) is pretty neat too!

[TimH]

no good here either...thats why we didnt make the list.

everyone had best stay away...especially Californians.

[David W Pratt]

RI is pretty nice.

[Tom Lathrop]

All lists of the best this or that are just prattle to fill out copy or enticement to sell something. I can think of many that I prefer to those listed for one reason or another. The criteria on which the choices are based usually reflects the bias of the list maker.

Since none of us could ever agree on the best ten ports, you can bet that their list is no better and looking at the experience of most media list makers, their lists are not as good.

[landlocked sailor]

Yeah, and Oriental is pretty nice too, but don't tell anybody ;) Rick

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

There's nowhere good in Wales or Scotland - try Grimsby.

[Pericles]

The Town of Grimsby is situated on the south shore of Lake Ontario at the western edge of the Niagara region in Ontario, Canada. Nestled between the cities of Hamilton and St. Catharines, it is also convenient to both Toronto and Niagara Falls via the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW). The maps below show where we are: A) in relation to those cities, and B) where in town the greens are located.

http://home.interlynx.net/%7Emullers/grimsby.gif


Or take your choice.:D
http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=Grimsby&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

Pericles

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Grimsby?

http://www.ports.org.uk/portimages/grimsby.jpg

Possibly, but I think Immingham deserves its chance:

http://www.ports.org.uk/portimages/Immingham.jpg


Not forgetting sunny Tilbury, where Queen Elizabeth the First made her speech about having the body of a weak and feeble woman, but the heart and stomach of a Prince, and a Prince of England, too, and thinking foul scorn of Parma and any such:

http://www.ports.org.uk/portimages/tilbury.jpg

Anyway, not here:

http://www.visit-suffolkcoast.co.uk/files/imagecache/story_pics_thumb/files/autumn%20tide%20mill.jpg

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Andrew has it, perhaps a tour of the east coast - Dundee, Grangemouth , Berwick (and history too), Immingham..... Ramsgate?

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Dundee:

http://www.ports.org.uk/portimages/dundee.jpg

Grangemouth:

http://www.ports.org.uk/portimages/grangemouth.jpg

Berwick:

http://www.ports.org.uk/portimages/berwick.jpg

Ramsgate:

http://www.ports.org.uk/portimages/Ramsgate.jpg

[Bob Smalser]

Outdoor activities?

They left out Seabeck and Brinnon. :confused: Sister cities across the ditch from each other.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17599197/274013853.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17599197/274013851.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17599197/274013897.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17599197/274017927.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17599197/274017931.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17599197/274017925.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17599197/274017919.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17599197/274018622.jpg

Some pics courtesy of Ed Book.

[James McMullen]

Cut it out, Bob Smalser! Do you want everyone else moving here? Shhhhhh! Remember, we're supposed to tell outsiders it rains every single day here in the Pacific Northwest. . . .

[TimH]

looks pretty cold and desolate there Bob. And nothing lives in that canal. Either because of the depleted oxygen or an accident at the nuke base.

Actually that foggy drizzly look in the pix is exactly how it is out right now.

And Brinnon gets abou 65" of rain per year....all drizzle.