National Geographic has rated over 100 destinations in its 5th annual survey of sustainable destinations.

Austria's Wachau Valley and Melk Abbey got top honours with a score of 88 for excellent preservation of both landscape and structures. One of the best U.S. ratings: a 78 for Columbus, Indiana, is renowned for its modern architecture.

Many U.S. destinations score well—Charleston, SC, Port Townsend, WA, Red Wing, MN, Asheville, NC. Some owe their success to downtown revitalization programs like Main Street, a well-respected initiative of the National Trust. In other cases, like Charleston, the citizenry as a whole has developed a sincere interest in protecting the character of the community.

Traveler and the National Trust for Historic Preservation publish these annual surveys in part to promote public discussion and action in support of destination stewardship. They encourage communities to take measures that will, in effect, raise their scores, and so become even better places to visit and live.

Historic Places Rated: The List

1. Austria: Wachau/Melk Abbey (score: 88)

2. Ontario: Rideau Canal corridor (score: 84)

3. Belgium: Historic Center of Ghent (score: 81)

4. Japan: Nikko historic areas (score: 81)

5. Austria: Graz (score: 80)

6. Sweden: Stockholm's Gamla Stan (score: 80)

7. France: Aix-en-Provence (score: 80)

8. Germany: Potsdam historic areas (score: 80)

9. France: Dijon and Bourgogne region (score: 80)

10. Argentina: Mendoza wine estancias (score: 79)

11. Indiana: Columbus (score: 78)

12. Japan: Ancient Nara (score: 78)

13. Mexico: Querétaro City & Sierra Gordo (score: 78)

14. France: Lyon historic areas (score: 77)

15. South Carolina: Charleston (score: 77)

16. Czech Republic: Medieval Cesky Krumlov (score: 76)

17. Scotland: Edinburgh historic areas (score: 76)

18. Brazil: Paratí, RJ (score: 76)

19. Oregon: Ashland (score: 75)

20. England: York (score: 75)

21. Australia: Sydney Harbor (score: 75)

22. Croatia: Korcula (score: 74)

23. Minnesota: Red Wing (score: 74)

24. Washington: Port Townsend (score: 74)

25. Japan: Kamakura (score: 74)

26. New Hampshire: Portsmouth (score: 73)

27. Nova Scotia: Lunenburg (score: 73)

28. Greece: Meteora (score: 73)

29. Italy: San Gimignano (score: 73)

30. Germany: Munich historic areas (score: 72)

31. Virginia: Charlottesville and Monticello (score: 72)

32. Quebec: Montréal historic areas (score: 72)

33. North Carolina: Asheville (score: 71)

34. Georgia (U.S.): Savannah (score: 71)

35. Arizona: Hopi Villages (score: 70)

36. Germany: Dresden historic areas (score: 70)

37. Massachusetts: Historic Boston (score: 70)

38. Florida: Winter Park (score: 70)

39. Italy: Bologna historic areas (score: 70)

40. Mississippi: Natchez (score: 70)

41. Maine: Portland historic downtown (score: 70)

42. Estonia: Medieval Tallinn (score: 70)

43. Germany: Aachen old town (score: 69)

44. Lithuania: Vilnius historic center (score: 69)

45. Illinois: Galena (score: 69)

46. Kentucky: Old Lexington, horse country (score: 69)

47. Virginia: Alexandria (score: 68)

48. Alaska: Sitka (score: 68)

49. Ecuador: Cuenca (score: 68)

50. Mexico: Morelia historic areas (score: 68)

51. West Virginia: Harpers Ferry (score: 67)

52. Ontario: Niagara-on-the-Lake (score: 67)

53. Poland: Warsaw Stare Mjasto (score: 67)

54. Guatemala: Antigua (score: 66)

55. Turkey: Istanbul historic areas (score: 66)

56. Colombia: Colonial Cartagena (score: 65)

57. Mexico: Colonial Campeche (score: 65)

58. Kenya: Lamu (score: 65)

59. England: Canterbury (score: 65)

60. Indonesia: Ubud (score: 65)

61. Greece: Olympia (score: 65)

62. Hungary: Budapest historic areas (score: 64)

63. Australia: Ballarat, Victoria (score: 64)

64. India: Khajuraho (score: 64)

65. New Jersey: Cape May (score: 64)

66. Pennsylvania: Philadelphia historic areas (score: 64)

67. Sri Lanka: Galle (score: 64)

68. Malaysia: Georgetown (score: 64)

69. Peru: Colonial Arequipa (score: 64)

70. Massachusetts: Lowell (score: 63)

71. Syria: Old City of Damascus (score: 63)

72. Ireland: Dublin historic areas (score: 63)

73. France: Fortified Carcassonne (score: 63)

74. Maryland: Annapolis (score: 63)

75. New Mexico: Santa Fe (score: 62)

76. Italy: Verona historic areas (score: 62)

77. Connecticut: Mystic Seaport (score: 62)

78. Rhode Island: Newport (score: 62)

79. India: Medieval Orchha (score: 61)

80. Uzbekistan: Bukhara (score: 61)

81. Virginia: Richmond historic area (score: 61)

82. Vietnam: Hoi An (score: 61)

83. Florida: St. Augustine (score: 61)

84. India: Puducherry (Pondicherry) (score: 61)

85. North Carolina: Wilmington (score: 60)

86. New York: Lower Hudson Valley (score: 59)

87. Romania: Sighisoara & Saxon Transylvania (score: 59)

88. Uzbekistan: Samarkand (score: 59)

89. Laos: Luang Prabang (score: 59)

90. India: Blue City of Jodhpur historic areas (score: 58)

91. Colorado: Telluride Valley (score: 58)

92. South Africa: Cape Town historic areas (score: 57)

93. Massachusetts: Salem (score: 56)

94. Vietnam: Hanoi historic areas (score: 56)

95. China: Macao historic areas (score: 54)

96. England: Stratford upon Avon (score: 54)

97. Thailand: Ayutthaya (score: 53)

98. Malaysia: Old port of Malacca (score: 50)

99. India: Amritsar historic areas (score: 50)

100. Louisiana: New Orleans historic areas (score: 47)

101. India: Golden City of Jaisalmer (score: 46)

102. Georgia (U.S.): Atlanta historic areas (score: 46)

103. South Dakota: Deadwood (score: 45)

104. Pennsylvania: Lancaster County (score: 45)

105. Pennsylvania/Maryland/Virginia: "Hallowed Ground" US 15 corridor (score: 45)

106. Turkey: Hierapolis-Pamukkale (score: 45)

107. Arizona: Tombstone (score: 39)

108. Cambodia: Phnom Penh historic areas (score: 36)

109. Colorado: Central City (score: 34)


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