Livability ranks its Top 100 Best Small Towns in America; Lebanon, N.H., is at the top of the list

Lebanon, N.H., (right) is the best small town in America, according to Livability's inaugural list of the Top 100 Best Small Towns for towns with populations between 1,000 to 20,000. Towns were ranked based on eight categories: economy; health care; housing; social and civic capital; education; amenities; demographics and infrastructure.

Towns were judged by access to schools, hospitals, culture, recreation, transportation, arts, overall crime rate, climate and environment. Also considered were affordability, choices that make the town liveable for people of all ages and interests and whether or not residents utilized all the opportunities available.

Rounding out the top 10 are: Los Alamos, N.M.; Durango, Colo.; St. Augustine, Fla.; Bar Harbor, Maine; Louisville, Colo.; Hood River, Ore.; Spearfish, S.D.; Sebastopol, Calif.; and Port Angeles, Wash. To see the entire list, click here.