Fairhope named among 12 best downtowns in the South, only Alabama town on list

Fairhope was the only Alabama town included in a national travel ranking of the 12 best downtowns in the Southern United States, with praise for its walkable streets, art center and pier sunsets.

By James Bullard

October 28, 2026 · 9:40 am Updated October 30, 2026 4 min read

Shops and flower planters line a downtown street in a small Southern town.

FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Fairhope has landed on yet another national list of standout small towns, this time as the only Alabama community named among the best downtowns in the South in a travel ranking of the “12 best downtowns in the Southern United States.”

The ranking praised the Eastern Shore city for its history, its tree-lined streets and its views of Mobile Bay.

Small towns over skylines

The list’s authors framed their picks around the idea that the South’s character is found less in its big cities than in its town centers.

“The big cities get the skylines, but it is the small-town squares and main streets, the brick sidewalks, porch-fronted cafes, courthouse lawns, and the occasional Bavarian bakery, where the region’s personality really shows up,” according to the ranking.

For Fairhope, which has long marketed its downtown shops, restaurants and flower-filled sidewalks to visitors, the recognition fits a familiar theme. The city draws day-trippers from Mobile and travelers headed to and from the Baldwin County beaches, along with a steady stream of new residents.

What the ranking said about Fairhope

The ranking opened its Fairhope entry with the city’s unusual origins.

“Fairhope began in 1894 as a utopian single-tax colony, an earnest experiment that mellowed into one of the most likable small towns on the Gulf Coast,” the ranking said. “Downtown is almost suspiciously pretty, with tree-lined streets, overflowing flower planters, and a walkable grid made for aimless strolling.”

It also pointed to two local landmarks.

“Art lovers have the Eastern Shore Art Center and its rotating exhibits and workshops. And at the end of the day, the Fairhope Pier reaches out into Mobile Bay for what may be the finest sunset view on the entire Gulf Coast.”

A town built on an idea

The single-tax colony mentioned in the ranking is a well-documented part of local history. Fairhope was founded by a group of settlers, many from Iowa, who followed the ideas of economist Henry George. George argued that a single tax on the value of land could replace other taxes and share the benefits of rising land values with the whole community.

The colonists set up what became the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation, which holds land and leases it to residents and businesses rather than selling it outright. The corporation still exists today, and a significant portion of downtown Fairhope sits on land leased through it. The founders also set aside land along the bluff and bayfront for public use, which helps explain the city’s parks and open waterfront.

That early emphasis on shared public space is part of what visitors notice today, from the green space near the bay to the pier at the foot of Fairhope Avenue.

Landmarks named in the ranking

The Eastern Shore Art Center, cited in the list, is a nonprofit art center in downtown Fairhope that hosts rotating exhibitions and offers classes and workshops for adults and children. Its presence is one reason Fairhope has built a reputation as an arts town, along with its galleries and its long-running spring arts and crafts festival.

The Fairhope Municipal Pier stretches into Mobile Bay at the end of Fairhope Avenue and is one of the city’s best-known gathering spots. People walk it at all hours, fish from it and gather at its end in the evening to watch the sun set across the bay toward Mobile.

The company Fairhope keeps

Fairhope was the only Alabama city on the list. Other towns named in the ranking include:

Fredericksburg, Texas
Oxford, Mississippi
Dahlonega, Georgia
St. Augustine, Florida
Paducah, Kentucky
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Asheville, North Carolina

Several of those towns are known for history that predates Fairhope by a century or more. St. Augustine, founded by the Spanish in 1565, is the oldest continuously inhabited city of European origin in the continental United States. Natchitoches is the oldest permanent settlement in the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. Dahlonega was the center of the first major gold rush in the United States, in the late 1820s and 1830s, and Fredericksburg is known for the German heritage that likely inspired the ranking’s nod to the “occasional Bavarian bakery.”

Others are known for culture and scenery. Oxford is home to the University of Mississippi, Hot Springs sits beside the national park of the same name, and Asheville is known for its arts scene in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Paducah has been recognized by UNESCO as a Creative City for crafts and folk art.

Why lists like this matter

National rankings can give a boost to tourism and local business, especially in towns that depend on visitors who come to shop, eat and stroll. Fairhope’s downtown is made up largely of locally owned stores, restaurants and galleries, and attention from travel writers can bring in new visitors who might otherwise pass through on the way to the beach.

For residents, the ranking mostly confirms what many already say about their hometown: that an evening walk downtown, ending with the sunset at the pier, is hard to beat.