Kennesaw, Georgia

A mid-sized community in rural Cobb County northwest of Atlanta, Kennesaw was once selected by Family Circle magazine as one of the nation's Best Small Towns for Families. With a population of just over 34,000, the city tries hard to live up to that accolade. It boasts good schools, a relaxed suburban lifestyle, open space, and a mix of housing. It's also one of the fastest-growing small cities in Georgia and in the nation.

Kennesaw is a pedestrian-friendly community, with a downtown tunnel that runs under above-ground railroad tracks to connect city streets. There is a citywide network of trails, paths through an outdoor "art forest," a modern skate park and a dog park. Kennesaw is also "connected," with four public wireless areas: two in public parks, one at the local community center and another near the city's popular railroad and history museum. Kennesaw Mountain represents the peak, literally; it's the highest point of land in the Metropolitan Atlanta area, and a popular recreational destination.

Kennesaw has an eclectic vibe and a small-town flavor, but it's close enough to Atlanta to be a part of city culture. At home, though, life is slower paced, with activities centering around the Depot, the Smith-Gilbert Gardens with more than 3,000 varieties of plants, local small business and shopping, and school sports. The local summer farmers' market and food truck season begins in May, offering a place where neighbors get together to be neighborly.

In its early days, Kennesaw was known as Big Shanty, a construction camp for large numbers of railroad workers. The city still has ties to its railroading past, and looks back in time with a mixture of pride and awe. The Smithsonian-affiliated Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History has a large collection of railroad artifacts collected from around the state, and is a resource center for information about the "iron horses" of the Civil War.