Magazine says Joseph is one of the nation’s most beautiful towns
Published 11:00 am Wednesday, February 8, 2023
- A panoramic view of the city of Joseph. Travel + Leisure magazine has tabbed Joseph one of the nation's most beautiful small towns.
JOSEPH —A national travel magazine has included Joseph on a list of the 20 most beautiful small towns in the United States.
And, while Allison Keeney, manager of global communications for Travel Oregon, was delighted at the listing in Travel + Leisure magazine, she wasn’t all that surprised.
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“It’s one of the most undiscovered, beautiful areas of the state, surrounded by the Wallowa Mountains and Eagle Cap Wilderness, alpine lakes, rivers and easy access to Hells Canyon National Recreation Area,” she said.
Keeney described Joseph as an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. But she said that it also has a wealth of history and a rich heritage of arts and culture, with connections to the Nez Perce Tribe, events like the Joseph Artwalk, venues like the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture and the Maxwell Heritage Interpretive Center, along with shops, art galleries and restaurants.
Keeney said she worked with Carrie Dennis, who wrote the story for Travel + Leisure. The article was published online on the Travel + Leisure website on Jan. 29.
“We were thrilled to see (Joseph) included in the story among so many other great small-town destinations,” Keeney said in an email to the Chieftain. “It’s always great to see lesser-known Oregon destinations featured in national media outlets. While Oregonians may be familiar with Joseph, most Travel + Leisure readers are not.”
Dennis’ story quotes Keeney as saying that “Joseph, surrounded by snowcapped mountains, pastoral green fields, and the beautiful Wallowa Lake — offers one of the most stunning views in Oregon.”
Dennis added in the story: “That’s not to say human-made items don’t deserve their own moments, too: Main Street, which runs through the center of the town, features centuries-old buildings and epic bronze sculptures of historic figures, including members of the Nez Perce Tribe.”
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Joseph was No. 13 on the Travel + Leisure list, although the list didn’t seem to be organized in any particular order. Joseph was the only Oregon town on the list, which included only towns with fewer than 20,000 people. Joseph’s population as of 2021 was 1,189.
Jennifer Piper, executive director of the Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce, had this to say about the article, “This isn’t the first time Travel + Leisure has featured Joseph as a top small town and it’s great to see Joseph recognized again amongst other beautiful places throughout America,” Piper said. “I think Joseph is one of the most beautiful small towns in the country — I am glad a well-respected publication like Travel + Leisure does too.”
County Commissioner John Hillock is always pleased that people recognize the beauty and the diversity of Wallowa County.
“Other publications have touted our excellent medical facilities. Wallowa Memorial Hospital has been in the top 10 of the 1,100 small rural hospitals evaluated. Last year, US News and World Report rated us high in the category of liability. While another publication called us one of the healthiest counties.”
He said the publicity does raise some flags. He questioned if the county has the infrastructure or the land to handle an influx of people that accolades like this bring. History and the 2020 census show the population of the county is 7,042, is well below the high of 9,800 in 1920. “Our beauty hasn’t changed in the last 100 years, but our population remains fairly small,” He said.
He went on to discuss that one of the consequences of the publicity is the increase of property values. He said that’s good if you’re trying to sell a house, but “It really hurts our workforce housing inventory and makes housing unaffordable for our workforce.”
“I have seen this kind of publicity in the past and it doesn’t worry me,” he said. “I haven’t seen Learjets backed up at the Joseph airport yet.”