Lodi in the Central Valley is known for a couple of things. It makes wine, of course, and is the subject of an eponymous Creedence Clearwater Revival song. The beginning of “Cool Hand Luke” was also filmed there, with Paul Newman cutting the heads off parking meters.
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Well, the burg about 1.5 hours northeast of Oakland has a new claim to fame: It is America’s Favorite Small Town, according to a contest by Parade magazine and travel app Steller. To celebrate the country’s 250th birthday, these companies held a nationwide vote to rank popular li’l places, and who could guess? No. 1 is Lodi.
The city of roughly 66,000 souls impressed voters with its hiking trails, river paddling, birdwatching and a Mediterranean climate that makes it the “most diverse winegrowing region in the U.S.” with innumerable wine awards, according to Parade.
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But you don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to love Lodi, the magazine explains. “Its agricultural roots are memorialized in the San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum in the town’s highly walkable historic downtown,” Parade writes. “Lodi is home to numerous dairies, cattle ranches and chicken farms, too, all of it fueling a vibrant farm-to-table dining scene and a farmer’s market abundant with fresh, local foods.”
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Parade and Steller’s favorite small American towns of 2026
1 Lodi, Calif.
2 East Aurora, N.Y.
3 Montpelier, Vt.
4 Dunedin, Fla.
5 Rayne, La.
6 Galena, Ill.
7 La Crosse, Wis.
8 El Reno, Okla.
9 Silver City, N.M.
10 Bend, Ore.
Source: americasfavoritesmalltowns.parade.com
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