Elko

With 18,000 residents, Elko has the largest population on this list, but at heart it’s still a cowboy community. Case in point: for the last 31 years, thousands of spur-toting cowboys from all over the nation have descended on Elko’s Western Folklife Center for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, when cowboy culture and the Old West are celebrated through literature, music, and other arts. Elko’s first pioneers are paid further homage at the California Trail Interpretive Center, where you can learn how the adventurous settlers made their way to the Western frontier in the mid-1800s. There are workshops at the Tuscarora Pottery School, Basque-style cuisine at the historic Star Hotel, and genuine cowboy gear for sale at J.M. Capriola.
Sitting at 5,000 ft on the edge of northern Nevada‘s Ruby Mountains, Elko’s high desert climate makes for 4 seasons of outdoor recreation. In summer, hikers, climbers, and mountain bikers hit nearby trails with quick access to high alpine lakes, granite cliffs, and spectacular views of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. In winter, grab some snowshoes or tear up the backcountry slopes on a heli-ski trip. The hot springs at Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge are also nearby.