20 Most Popular Towns In Northeast US In 2017

Our list of Most Popular Towns Northeast 2017 may be just the ticket for finding a weekend getaway nearby.

Getaway Mavens is 4 years old. With over 400 destinations from Virginia to Maine, it has garnered plenty of worldwide attention. Proving that readers are a romantic bunch, the most searched and read post by far is “Most Romantic Destinations in the Northeast USA.” But what were those destinations exactly?

The following Most Popular Towns in the Northeast 2017 – according to number of page views as reported on Google Analytics – indicate either enormous pride or outsized interest or both.

There are some surprises this year. Not the least of which is that the often overlooked state of Connecticut had the strongest showing in 2017. -It represents a whopping 25% of the Top 20.

Is your town or city on the list? How do you get there? Granted, it’s part luck, but you can help that along by sharing widely and often on social media.

We’ll be compiling the Top 20 each year, so stay tuned.

The following 20 destinations garnered the most page views on Getaway Mavens from January 1 2017-December 31, 2017

Most Popular Towns Northeast 2017

1. BEACON NY: Having fallen to second place last year, Beacon is back on top as the Getaway Mavens most searched destination. Tens of thousands of people remain curious about this former mill town on the Hudson, a trendy home to DIA:Beacon, plenty of great restaurants and one stunning boutique hotel.
2. NE CT Quiet Corner CT. Published just a few months ago, this little known section of Connecticut apparently has many fans. Or at least curious researchers. Connecticut’s Northeastern-most section, bordering Rhode Island and Massachusetts – has been dubbed the “Quiet Corner.” But there’s an energy here that’s driving positive changes, mostly of the artistic and culinary sort, in the small towns of Putnam, Pomfret, Woodstock, Brooklyn, and Killingly/Danielson.
3. BOYERTOWN PA. Moving up from 4^th to 3^rd position, tiny Boyertown PA has more heart and soul than many larger towns – with a new nostalgic luxury Tourist Railroad, art and history.
4. Cecil County MD. Another destination that just made the Most Popular Towns Northeast 2017, Cecil County is on the C&D Canal (the “world’s 3^rd busiest shipping canal” linking the Chesapeake Bay with the Delaware River) and encompasses the towns of Chesapeake City, North East, Elkton, Rising Sun, and Port Depot – all potential hot spots just waiting to be explored.
5. SENECA LAKE NY: Interest in New York’s Finger Lakes (and locally sourced wine) remains strong. This wine region rose to 5th place from last year’s 6th. The region will get another boost in September 2018, when T-BEX – the world’s largest Travel Blogging Conference – takes place there.
6.  MARTHA’S VINEYARD MA: Moving down a few notches from last year’s 3^rd place, this Massachusetts island still has lots of fans
7. FREDERICK MD. Number One last year, Maryland’s second largest town is still a contender. With  a stunning downtown canal-walk that swarms with locals on balmy days and nights, brick row homes, adorable boutiques, and growing culinary scene, Frederick feels like a mini-Philly but has a charm all its own.
8. Stony Creek/Thimble Islands CT. Another first on this list, Stony Creek, with its offshore Thimble Islands, has garnered an outsized share of interest this year. Exit I-95, hug the coastline, and witness what artists and writers admired and continue to admire about the Connecticut waterfront. 
9. Somerset County NJ: This Northern NJ region shows up for the first time on this list. Millionaires and billionaires (at least one of the Presidential variety) have been escaping to Northern New Jersey since the Gilded Age. Both the US Golf Association and US Equestrian Team Foundation are headquartered in Somerset County NJ. It’s where rich people have died and left lavish gardens and “Green” farms –beaucoup land – for the rest of us to enjoy
10. Provincetown MA. Though one of the Getaway Maven’s first posts in 2013, there apparently was a resurgence of interest in this “edge of the world” town last year. On the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown is high energy and gay in all definitions of that word. It’s beautiful, fun and free-spirited and perfect for like-minded souls.
11. Laurel Highlands PA. There’s plenty of renewed interest in The Laurel Highlands region of Western PA, about an hour southeast of Pittsburgh, first published several years ago. The area is so spectacular, it proved the ideal setting for several Frank Lloyd Wright masterpieces. And it’s where you’ll find a Truman-Show-esque small town and one of the most unusual yet luxurious resorts so quirky, it could serve as Poster Child for the offbeat Getaway Mavens.
12. SLEEPY HOLLOW NY. Home to Washington Irving – author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to connect with the Headless Horseman in this Hudson River NY town. Especially around Halloween. Moving up from the #20 spot, there’s still lots of curiosity about Rip Van Winkle’s home town. 
13. ONANCOCK VA: Holding steady among the Top 20 (it was No. 9 last year). Onancock, near the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula, is a quiet, romantic escape from the world.
14. CT River Towns CT. New to this list this year, travelers will discover performing, fine, and culinary artists in these mesmerizing Connecticut River towns. Come to Chester, Haddam, and East Haddam to see what the fuss is about.
15. HERSHEY PA: Though moving a few ticks down from 7th place last year, interest in this chocolate town stays constant.
16. Kent County MD. One of the biggest surprises on this list, Kent County MD on the upper Chesapeake encompasses some tiny towns with outsized characters. Among them, a Bobby Flay/James Beard House/NY Bistro Philly born Chef with her own restaurant in a population-300 beach town. Everyone seems to have a backstory in this achingly beautiful region. 
17. Northwest CT Corner. New to the list this year, the Northwest area of Connecticut, in and around the Litchfield Hills, is called “The Secret Corner.” (As opposed to the Northeast section of CT, which is dubbed the “Quiet Corner”). This hilly, lake-studded region of Connecticut is home to the glitterati who prefer to leave their glitter in Hollywood or New York. No Hamptons scene for them.
18. LAKE GEORGE NY: In 10^th place last year – this New York State lakeside town and region seems to be a favorite among many.
19. ROCKPORT MA: This small fishing town is often confused with the one on Maine’s coast. At #8 in 2016, it remains one of the most searched towns on Getaway Mavens.
20. CLINTON/MADISON CT: The redone Madison Beach Hotel, phenomenal independent R.L. Julia Bookstore, and “best lobster roll” Lobster Landing keeps ‘em coming to these Long Island Sound set towns.

Top 10 Lodgings In The Northeast 2017

New this year are the Top 10 most searched hotels, inns, and B&B’s featured on Getaway Mavens according to number of page views as reported on Google Analytics:

1. Inn By the Sea, Cape Elizabeth ME
2. New Hope PA Inn at Bowman’s Hill
3. Inn Boonsboro, Boonsboro MD
4. J-House, Greenwich CT
5. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, PA
6. Turnbridge Point, Denton MD
7. Hidden Valley B&B, Washington CT
8. Pleasant Valley Inn, Hammondsport NY
9. Lodge at Woodloch, Hawley PA
10. Inn at Montchanin Village, Montchanin DE

And finally, though they may not have shown up on 2017’s Most Searched List,

The following towns and cities have had the highest number of searches from Getaway Maven’s inception (June 2013) to date:

1. Beacon NY
2. Buffalo NY
3. Martha’s Vineyard MA
4. Frederick MD
5. Boyertown PA
6. Seneca Lake NY
7. Hershey PA
8. Onancock VA
9. Butler County PA
10. Northeast Corner CT

Annual List Of Most Popular Towns In The Northeast

• 2015 20 Most Popular Towns In The Northeast
• 2016 20 Most Popular Towns In The Northeast
• 2018 20 Most Popular Towns In The Northeast