Santa Barbara and Healdsburg crack Condé Nast Traveler's top 10 small cities in the US

California landed two spots in Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards for best small cities in the United States — Santa Barbara at No. 5 and Healdsburg at No. 8 — based on 798,867 reader votes rating destinations on food, culture, and architecture.

The two cities offer sharply different versions of a California getaway. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barbara is a Central Coast city of about 86,000 residents whose Mediterranean-like climate, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, and more than 300 sunny, temperate days a year have combined to give it the nickname the 'American Riviera.' US Census Bureau data put its median household income at $106,182.

Healdsburg, a Sonoma County town of about 11,000 with a median household income of $103,554, tells a different story. Once a sleepy community, it has evolved into a culinary and wine destination while retaining a more relaxed character than neighboring Napa Valley. Its historic downtown plaza packs galleries, shops, restaurants, and wine-tasting rooms into a walkable area, with a farmers' market running on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The local food scene draws on Pacific Coast seafood and produce from nearby farms.

Charleston, South Carolina, took the No. 1 spot on the list. Rounding out the full top 10 are Alexandria, Virginia; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Greenville, South Carolina; Lexington, Kentucky; Savannah, Georgia; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and St. Augustine, Florida. Final scores were calculated by averaging the percentage of 'excellent' and 'very good' ratings each destination received.

Why it matters — The ranking gives travelers a reader-vetted shortlist of under-the-radar California destinations and signals that smaller cities — not just major metros — are drawing national recognition for food, culture, and livability.

Reported by nypost.com, desertsun.com