I recently read the results of a poll in which Americans were asked what fictional city or town they'd most like to live in.

The 2000 or so people who took part in the survey named all sorts of different places like:

  • Metropolis (Superman)
  • Gotham City (Batman)
  • Stuckeyville, Ohio (from the TV series "Ed")
  • Eerie, Indiana (from the series of the same name)
  • Capeside, Massachusetts (from the series "Dawson's Creek")
  • Bikini Bottom (SpongeBob SquarePants)
  • Hooterville (from "Petticoat Junction" and "Green Acres")
  • Hawkins, Indiana (from "Stranger Things")
  • Mayberry, North Carolina (from the "Andy Griffith Show")
  • Cicely, Alaska (from "Northern Exposure")

Can you guess which one of these fictional cities/towns was voted number-one?

If you went with Mayberry, North Carolina, give yourself a pat on the back.

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Picking Mayberry As The Favorite Fictional City Or Town Goes To Show That Charming Places Rule Over Giant Metropolises Like...Uh...Metropolis

Let's forget about the fictional places that people would like to live and instead go with what the whole premise of this piece was all about: charming cities and towns in Illinois.

To be a bit more precise, 12 of the Most Charming Towns In Illinois, as compiled by WorldAtlas.com.

If you're a true Illinoisan, you know that we can't have a list of the 12 most charming towns in Illinois without mentioning the home town of President Ulysses S. Grant, also known as Galena. Any survey about charming towns, Christmassy towns, etc., would just not be complete without including Galena.

Old building on a street of Galena, Illinois
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In Their Piece, WorldAtlas.com Says That The 12 Illinois Towns On Their List Promise An Unmistakable Charm Of Small-Town America

If you've lived in Illinois for any length of time, or even traveled extensively through the state, you've probably got some opinions on the relative charm of certain places, so let's see if the WorldAtlas list meets with your approval. Here's their twelve picks for most charming towns in Illinois:

    • Rockton
    • Alton
    • Galena
    • Mount Carroll
    • Woodstock
    • Lebanon
    • Fulton
    • Bartlett
    • Geneva
    • Princeton
    • Nauvoo
    • Quincy

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