Clarkdale, Arizona: Founded in 1911 as the company town for the United Verde Copper Company, Clarkdale survived the collapse of the Verde Valley's mining industry in the mid 20th century to emerge as a haven for those who appreciate a true sense of community and value the simple pleasures in life. This is a place where the community pool truly is the most happening hangout in the summer; where the monthly town newsletter publishes a list of new library book arrivals; and where the sight of the nearly identical little cottages lining Main Street takes you back decades, if not a full century.

I lived in Clarkdale for a short time, moving there from Seattle, about as different an environment as you could find in this country. On my first day there, when I was ready for a break from unpacking, I walked up to the bar on Main Street, a dark hidey-hole where they served fries out of a literal hole in the wall and a small selection of dusty Avon products from behind the bar. I received a friendly welcome from Pressie, the owner. We chatted about the fact that I'd just moved to town, and she mentioned that she needed a bartender. I demurred, thinking of Cosmos and Sloe Gin Fizzes, offering the excuse that I'd never been a bartender and wouldn't know how. "Oh, it's easy," she assured me. "They order a beer, and you say, 'you want a large beer, or small beer?'"