One Maine town is in the running to be named ‘America’s Coolest Small Town’

It’s not often that Maine’s quaint, small towns get big, nationwide recognition… oh, who am I kidding, yes it is.

Revelers watch fireworks on the sand in Old Orchard Beach during a New Year's Eve celebration in 2013. (BDN photo by Troy R. Bennett)

Revelers watch fireworks on the sand in Old Orchard Beach during a New Year’s Eve celebration in 2013. (BDN photo by Troy R. Bennett)

Only a month ago, Camden was named by lifestyle website Impulcity one of the country’s 19 most beautiful small towns, and places like Bath and the Kennebunks are frequently popping up on national “best of” lists.

Now Budget Travel is doing its 10th annual America’s Coolest Small Town contest, in which readers are being encouraged to vote for their favorite of 15 semifinalists. Again, this isn’t the first time a Maine town has been in consideration for the Budget Travel prize — the aforementioned Camden, Rockland and Belfast are among those named to this annual list in the past.

This time? Old Orchard Beach is in the running. Here’s what Budget Travel wrote about the roughly 8,600-person OOB:

“There’s more to this town than its namesake beach, though truth be told the seven-mile stretch of sand is awesome in its own right, with its legendary amusement park and nightlife that includes live bands and great seafood. But Old Orchard Beach is also a prime base for kayakers who want to explore area rivers, fishermen or day trippers who crave a cruise out on the Atlantic, and of course those of us who are content to contemplate beautiful lighthouses (like nearby Cape Elizabeth) and watch the tide roll in and out.”

Click here if you want to vote for Old Orchard Beach — the only New England town on the list this year, if you were curious.

Other semifinalists include Crested Butte, Colorado, and Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

The Pier at Old Orchard Beach. (BDN photo by Troy R. Bennett)

The Pier at Old Orchard Beach. (BDN photo by Troy R. Bennett)