Happy Small Towns

Good news doesn’t only happen in big cities. Happy Small Towns spotlights the people, businesses, and stories making a difference in small communities across the country and beyond.

Because the world has enough bad news
Robuilt: He Turned 5 Acres in Rural New York Into a $6 Million Hospitality Brand Starting at $60 a Night

October 11, 2026

Chris Broomfield spent 35 years building custom homes for other people before buying five acres

Editorial Desk

Ghost Town Living: Inside the Big Horn Mine: California's $2 Billion Gold Vein That Will Never Be Touched

October 11, 2026

A 1985 Bureau of Mines report inferred over $2 billion in gold and silver still

Editorial Desk

Drew Binsky: Drew Binsky Hiked Into the Turkish Mountains to Find Mehmet, a Shepherd Who Has Lived Alone for 17 Years

October 3, 2026

Drew Binsky hiked into the mountains above Antalya, Turkey, with no address and a bag

Editorial Desk

Kara and Nate: Nate Clipped a Semi-Truck Mirror at the Georgia Border and It Cost Him $400

October 3, 2026

A retired Colorado school bus, nine passengers, and a spontaneous stop at a bright pink

Editorial Desk

Sky Life: Inside the Autumn Equinox Ceremony at Stonehenge With Druids, Bare Feet, and 6,000 Years of Ritual

October 2, 2026

At 4:41 in the morning, a line of cars stretched outside Stonehenge as druids, pagans,

Editorial Desk

Adam Stew: Adam Stew Figured Out How to Catch Walleye on His Remote Island (And Survived Winter Prep)

October 2, 2026

Adam Stew spent a frost-edged weekend on his remote island cabin chopping wood, mounting a

Editorial Desk

SmarterEveryDay: Inside a Nuclear Reactor Core: What Actually Keeps Browns Ferry from Melting Down

October 1, 2026

Inside the training center at Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant, instrumentation specialist Bill Ball dismantles

Editorial Desk

: Matt Damon Is Doing Something Deliberately Stupid to Get Your Attention for Water.org

September 28, 2026

Matt Damon calls the launch strategy for Get Blue 'sufficiently stupid' on purpose. The campaign

Editorial Desk

Dots on a Map: Inside Lofoten: The Arctic Island That Feeds You Cod Ceviche and Sends You Surfing

September 28, 2026

From a hail-stung hike on Senja to a three-course cod ceviche dinner in a Lofoten

Editorial Desk

CNBC Make It: This American Family Bought a House in Spain for $72K and Renovated It for $60K More

September 27, 2026

An American family left the US, paid $72,000 cash for a house in Gador, Spain,

Editorial Desk

Feli from Germany: Feli from Germany Takes on the First Day of Oktoberfest 2026 and It Did Not Disappoint

September 25, 2026

Feli from Germany arrived at Theresienwiese at 8:00 a.m. on the first day of Oktoberfest

Editorial Desk

Monolink: Monolink Played His Only Sunrise Set of 2026 at Burning Man and Turned the Desert Into a Group Hug

September 25, 2026

Monolink delivered his only 2026 sunrise set at Burning Man's Long Feng stage after nearly

Editorial Desk