Vote Norwich Coolest Small Town in America

Each year, Budget Travel holds a contest in which it tries to find the coolest small town in a America. It has to be a town with fewer than 10,000 people, yet offers something unique and awesome, like Norwich, NY!

All you have to do is vote and leave a comment here to put Norwich on the national map. Owego was a recent winner (and we can do better than Owego, can't we?), and Hammondsport won last year.

But what does Norwich have to offer, you ask? Um, everything, duh!

For starters there's the internationally-known Chobani plant and corporate headquarters. It's only the largest yogurt company in the country and it got its start in nearby New Berlin, where the plan is located. Corporate offices are in Norwich.

Chobani has revitalized and reinvested in the community through donations to the local hospital, sponsoring a 5k run/walk and making the local residents feel at home even with the once-small business developing into a massive corporation.

Or how about the Gus Macker basketball tournament every July that brings teams in from all over the state? This two-day event has grown so large organizers had to cap the number of teams. More than 400 participated last summer. It just adds to the rich history of basketball in the community. The high school boys basketball team was back-to-back state champions in the mid-1990s.

Sports not your thing? Well there's the county's largest farmer's market every weekend in the summer.

And let's not forget about all the festivals.

Pumpkin Fest features such a large amount of pumpkins -- all donated and featured by community members -- that it once called in Guinness World Records for a pumpkin count! That giant scaffolding outside the courthouse was freaking awesome.

Music? There's Blues Fest every summer that attract national acts and is FREE to the public. This celebration of great music is one of the most well-attended events of the year. And leading up to it, the Blues Fest Association holds weekly free concerts in the park all summer!

Norwich also has a glorious history in the medical industry, starting in the late 1800s with Norwich Pharmaceuticals, which manufactured Pepto-Pismol. Pharmacy is still a mainstay in Norwich with Proctor and Gamble maintaining a presence. Also, Chenango Memorial Hospital is the county's largest and most-respected hospital.

Oh, but there's more! Like the Northeast Classic Car Museum, which is a renowned destination for classic car enthusiasts. There's even an annual classic car showcase at the fairgrounds. The museum was founded as a non-profit in 1997 and has since grown immensely in popularity. Who doesn't love looking through the evolution of cars?

Where is norwich?

Norwich is nestled between Binghamton, Utica, Ithaca, Oneonta in the heart of Chenango County with gorgeous vistas and within a quick drive of any number of awesome activities.

Head here and give the Norwich a thumbs up!

And one of the last awesome things about Norwich is, of course, Chenango Lake.