While I can't vouch for everyone in our communities, I have to say that many of us are proud of and to live in one of many small towns dotted throughout the Southern Tier of New York and Northern Tier of Pennsylvania.

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There's a lot to be said about living in a small town. I used to think that living in a large city (and the larger the better) was more for me. Especially since I grew in a country setting where there was little to nothing to do.

Binghamton has been the largest city I've lived in, and I enjoyed the experience of having everything I needed, close by. But over the years, I've begun to think that living in a small town is where I'd like to end up at some point.

A small town may not have all the options of a city, but it more than makes up for it in many other ways. And one of our Southern Tier communities recently landed high on a list of the best small towns in America to visit.

The survey (using votes from readers) comes from the Travel Awaits website, listing '14 Best Small Towns To Visit In The U.S.' This list includes some really nice small towns including Key West, Florida, Sedona, Arizona, Newport, Rhode Island and Taos, New Mexico.

But the number 2 best small town to visit in the United States according to the Travel Awaits survey is just west of Binghamton, in the County of Steuben - Corning, NY. And that's the area I grew up in, so I'm proud of that fact!

The survey notes that Corning (which is actually a city), " oozes charm and its experiences far outpace its population of just about 11,000 residents." It's definitely a tourist destinations with many attractions including the Corning Museum of Glass, and the Rockwell Museum.

The downtown Corning District is a great place to walk around with so many different types of shops, eateries and pubs to visit.

This small town is the home of Corning, Incorporated, previously known as the Corning Glass Works where many of my past and current relatives work. If you don't have any Corning products in your home, I'd be surprised, whether it be any type of glassware like Pyrex to an electronic device that contains Gorilla Glass which is manufactured by Corning.

So, congratulations Corning, NY. Your #2 achievement is well deserved! Oh, and the number 1 small town? Travel Awaits gives that honor to Abilene, Kansas.

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