By Maya Meredith
Special to The SUN
What makes the best town in America? To OUTSIDE magazine, it’s the kind of place with top-notch restaurants, vibrant farmers’ markets, friendly neighborhoods and unparalleled access to hiking and biking trails. In short, the perfect jumping-off point for adventure.
Each year, OUTSIDE hosts its Best Towns competition to find the top spots in the country to work, run, eat, sail, paddle, drink, ride and climb. Beginning with a bracket of 64 favorites — 60 chosen by the OUTSIDE team and four determined by wild card round of readers’ Instagram submissions — readers voted online through the month of May, whittling down the field to one winner.
Chattanooga, Tenn., came out on top, in its second Best Towns win since it took first prize back in 2011. Chattanooga receives marquee coverage in OUTSIDE’s September 2015 issue, along with other finalists from the Sweet 16.
“This year’s Best Towns competition was our most successful yet,” said Associate Editor Jonah Ogles. “The contest generated over 1.6 million votes over the throughout the course of the entire tournament...”
The Sweet 16 Best Towns include:
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