Tarpon Springs Named 3rd Best Small Town In America For Culture

TARPON SPRINGS, FL -- Sponge divers wearing old-fashioned copper helmets, freshly baked baklava dripping with honey and Greek Orthodox teen boys diving for the Epiphany cross -- these are just a few of the Tarpon Springs cultural traditions that led the city to be named the third best small town in America for culture.

Tarpon Springs was lauded for its rich cultural scene in USA Today's 2019 10Best Reader's Choice Awards. The award comes on the heels of being named Best Historic Small Town in America during the 2018 10Best Readers's Choice Awards.

Tarpon Springs was No. 3 on the list of towns with populations of fewer than 30,000 people that have retained a rich cultural heritage.

In its announcement on Friday, USA Today highlighted Tarpon Springs' Greek heritage.

"Visit the small town of Tarpon Springs, and you might feel like you’ve been transported to the shores of the Greek Islands. The city’s Tarpon Arts Program features four cultural venues, the Cultural Center, Performing Arts Center, Safford House and Heritage Museum. Other cultural attractions include the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Historic Train Depot Museum and the Sponge Docks Fishing Village."

A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.

The list includes:

1. Doylestown, Pennsylvania
2. Point Pleasant, West Virginia
3. Tarpon Springs, Florida
4. Staunton, Virginia
5. Media, Pennsylvania
6. Paducah, Kentucky
7. Easton, Maryland
8. Traverse City, Michigan
9. Guthrie, Oklahoma
10. York, South Carolina