See the 20 picturesque Main Streets competing for best in US

Across the US, 'Main Street' isn't just the literal name of the street. It represents a long history of traditional values, the growth of small businesses, and the perks of local life over living in a big city. 

Main Street is getting a lot of attention following the COVID 19 pandemic when big cities lost a lot of people moving to small towns because they were able to work remotely.

Often, Main Street, the road that runs through the heart of town, consists of a row of three and four story brick front buildings. They often include a cafe, a post office, a drugstore and sometimes a local movie theater.

Now, 20 Main Streets across the US are being showcased and a top one will be chosen by a panel of USA Today travel writers.

'Main Street has always had that quintessential American feel,' says Piero Ribelli, a photographer who traveled across the country to snap a different Main Street in each state for his coffee table book, '50 Main Street: The Face of America.' 

He says he found that 'Main Street' represented a slower, friendlier way of life. 

'For instance, a local hardware store that sits on Main Street will have repeat customers constantly because they've spent 45 minutes talking with the owner about a drill bit and they're friends.' 

Ribelli, an Italian immigrant, who has lived in New York for decades, says he was inspired to do the book after a desire to explore the rest of the country. 

'I thought of a place that could could gather the concept America and I thought about Main Street,' he says.

'Regardless of one’s ideological position, Main Street serves as a symbol that is central to the ethos of the nation.' 

Here are the top 20 main streets that were selected by the panel of experts. 

1. Bethlehem, PA, has a walkable Main Street that has multiple dining options and bars.

2. Cooperstown, NY is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and  Main Street continues the baseball theme with baseball-themed stores and a batting range. 

3. DeLand, FL, sees lots of foot traffic on their Main Street, which is filled with boutiques, and restaurants, theaters and galleries.

4. Emporia, KS, main drag is Commercial Street, located in the historic district, with antique shops, a local brewery, coffee shops, and bars and restaurants serving barbeque and pizza. 

5.  In Texas, Fredericksburg's Main Street houses more than 150 shops, restaurants, and bars. No chains or franchises exist in the National Historic District, where Main Street is located.

6. This downtown stretch of Grapevine, TX, has dozens of galleries, boutiques, and dining options and is only a 15-minute ride from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. 

7. Grand River Avenue is the main strip in Howell, MI, and features the famous Howell Opera House.

8. In the middle of Key West, FL is the mile-long Duval Street, which is the southernmost point of the continental United States. The iconic Hemingway Home and Museum is there, along with lots of seafood restaurants and key lime pie kiosks. 

 9. The main street in Lake Placid, NY, is filled with stores stocked for outdoor activities bed and breakfasts and plenty of restaurants. 

10. Manitou Springs, Colorado, is located just five miles west of Downtown Colorado Springs and is filled with day trippers and summer vacationers who want to enjoy its historic downtown.

11. McMinnville, OR., sits in the heart of Oregon's Willamette Valley wine country, and has many wine bars, tasting rooms, boutiques, restaurants, and galleries. A popular farmer's market also comes to Main Street in the summer . 

12. Ocean City, NJ, has Asbury Avenue as its main street. Located five blocks inland from the Atlantic Ocean, it's lined with ice cream parlors, surf shops, and a seashell museum.

13. Ogden, UT, has 25th Street, which features art galleries, restaurants and shopping that draws over one million people a year. 

14. Paso Robles, CA. has a stunning downtown with lots of restaurants and the historic Paso Robles Inn.

15. Safety Harbor, FL, Main Street has shops, a resort and spa. Safety Harbor also has a public market that's open on Sundays.

16. The history of the Salem Witch Trials still attracts visitors from around the world to Salem, MA. They often visit the main drag, Essex Street, which has The Witch House at Salem and Peabody Essex Museum. 

 17. Solvang, CA, features Mission Drive, the main street that has shops heavy on local crafts and souvenirs. 

18.Virginia City, NV, has historic two-story buildings filled with shops and restaurants along C Street.

19. Winchester's Old Town is less than an hour from the Pennsylvania border and its main drag has pizza shops and George Washington's Office Museum.

20. Woodstock, VT, sits on the border of New Hampshire. Its Central Street, has ice cream shops and cafes. 

Meanwhile, more people than ever are moving out of big cities and into the suburbs. 

In 2024, Kildeer, IL, a suburb of Chicago, topped a list of best small town to raise a family. 

Its charming streets and modest population of 4,133 were a big factor.  

Another is the stellar education system, with Kildeer home to some of the finest public schools in the country.

There is also an incredibly low crime rate. This is in stark contrast with Chicago, which is only about 40 miles away.

The safety of towns like Kildeer explain why so many parents choose to raise their children in suburbs rather than in cities.