While many people outside of the state know New York for its bustling city, New Yorkers know the state’s beauty also comes from its many small towns. WorldAtlas recently selected New York’s most idyllic small towns you should visit this year, each picked for their rich history, natural beauty and variety of things to do.
Here’s everything you need to know about New York’s most idyllic small towns.
Montauk
Location: the east end of Long Island
Estimated 2025 population: 4,571 people
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Greenport
Location: Long Island’s North Fork
Estimated 2025 population: 2,537 people
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Cold Spring
Location: the Hudson Valley region, across the Hudson River from West Point
Estimated 2025 population: 1,997 people
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Beacon
Location: the Hudson Valley region, across the Hudson River from Newburgh
Estimated 2025 population: 15,493 people
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Lake George
Location: the southern Adirondack region
Estimated 2025 population: 1,003 people
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Ticonderoga
Location: the Adirondack region, south of Lake Champlain
Estimated 2025 population: 3,403 people
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Skaneateles
Location: eastern part of the Finger Lakes region
Estimated 2025 population: 2,503 people
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Corning
Location: New York’s Southern Tier, just over an hour west of Binghamton
Estimated 2025 population: 10,629 people
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Hammondsport
Location: New York’s Southern Tier, near the southern end of Keuka Lake
Estimated 2025 population: 578 people
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Medina
Location: Western New York, an hour away from Rochester and Buffalo
Estimated 2025 population: 5,837 people
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Ellicottville
Location: Western New York, about an hour south of Buffalo
Estimated 2025 population: 284 people
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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New York small towns to visit: 11 idyllic places with history, food, art
Reporting by Erin Jones, New York Connect Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect



