'Weird' small town near NYC named best in the US for 2025
An audacious new list crowning a Jersey burg one of the best small towns in America suggests its downtown — all but left for dead just decades ago — currently rivals the best NYC has to offer.
Chosen by the jet-setting experts at Travel + Leisure, the America's Best Small Towns 2025 survey chose ten lucky spots from coast to coast — settling on Asbury Park, NJ as a top pick.
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5 One of the 'best small towns' in America is just a quick ride from the Big Apple – and supposedly rivals the best NYC has to offer.
vin – stock.adobe.com
Barely an hour from the Holland Tunnel and not much longer via NJ Transit from Penn Station, this isn't the gym, tan and laundry-loving Jersey Shore reality star Snooki and her spray-tanned crew repped on MTV in the 2010s.
The once forgotten blue-collar city of roughly 15,000 full-time residents gained national attention in 1973 when Bruce Springsteen released his album 'Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.,' and remains a hub for music lovers — much thanks to beloved music venue The Stone Pony.
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5 The Stone Poney gained national attention in 1973 when Bruce Springsteen released his album 'Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.'
Aristide Economopoulos
It was also recently rated as the third safest vacay hub in the US, according to fresh data that ranked travel spots by danger.
The magazine credited the town's turnaround to investments made by the LGBTQ+ community, restoring real estate and supporting local businesses to grow the community into a diverse dream destination.
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'There's a raw, creative energy that's hard to describe unless you've spent time here,' Shauna Lagala, a local hotel manager, told Travel + Leisure.
'It's weird in the best way — a mix of old-school Jersey, artists, punks, surfers, and people who just don't want to live anywhere typical. It's the kind of town where you can grab a cold brew at a café run by someone in a band, then walk five minutes and end up in a tattoo shop or an art gallery,' she said.
5 'There's a raw, creative energy that's hard to describe unless you've spent time here,' Shauna Lagala, complex hotel manager at the Asbury Collection, told Travel + Leisure.
Stephen Yang
Surf and sand, among the main attractions in Asbury Park, were not mentioned in the listing — beach passes in the now-popular town range from $7 to $10 daily, and are required from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
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Anyone, however, can enjoy the revitalized beachfront, a string of restaurants, amusement park games, carnival rides, playgrounds, music venues, retail shops and more.
'The historic boardwalk has been completely reimagined and rivals the coolest street in Brooklyn,' Travel + Leisure claimed.
5 The surf and sand were not mentioned in the listing and are not open to the public.
Jin – stock.adobe.com
Asbury Park was the only town in the Northeastern US to make the list — a repeat of last year, when New Hope, Pennsylvania, was recognized.
In order to be considered, each town must a full-time population under 45,000 — a big increase from last year's qualification of 25,000 — and a solid reputation for one specific activity. Asbury Park was named as the country's 'best small beach town.'
The towns needed to offer 'a variety of activities, accommodations, and a timely reason to visit — be it a notable new festival, hotel, restaurant, attraction, or tourism initiative,' the experts explained.
5 'The historic boardwalk has been completely reimagined and rivals the coolest street in Brooklyn,' Travel + Leisure wrote.
Jin – stock.adobe.com
America's Best Small Towns of 2025
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America's Best Small Beach Town: Asbury Park, NJ
America's Best Small Mountain Town: Boone, NC
America's Best Small Lake Town: Ogallala, NE
America's Best Small Desert Town: El Centro, CA
America's Best Small Arts & Culture Town: Sewanee, TN
America's Best Small Food & Drinks Town: Bardstown, KY
America's Best Small Spa & Wellness Town: Mineral Wells, TX
America's Best Small Retirement Town: Panama City Beach, FL
America's Best Small Family Town: Frankenmuth, MI
America's Best Small Shopping Town: Taos, NM
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