Voting started last month and final results were released on Thursday. Tubac, Ariz. took the top spot for the second year in a row:

1. Tubac, Ariz. (1)
2. Taos, N.M. (7)
3. Gatlinburg, Tenn. (3)
4. Rahway, N.J. (2)
5. Manitou Springs, Colo. (9)
6. Lucas, Kan. (4)
7. Cody, Wyo. (6)
8. Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif. (NR)
9. Yellow Springs, Ohio (NR)
10. Stockbridge, Mass. (10)

Compared to last year’s results, Taos, N.M. jumped Rahway, leaping from seventh to second, while Gatlinburg, Tenn., remained at No. 3. Two of the 20 nominees that made this year’s top 10 did not make the final cut in 2021: Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif. (near Pebble Beach) and Yellow Springs, Ohio (outside Dayton).

If it’s any consolation, Rahway was the top vote-getter among nominees from the East Coast and among very few located east of the Mississippi River. Geographically, the closest other towns among the top 10 finishers were Stockbridge, Mass., in the Berkshires (home to the Norman Rockwell Museum) and Yellow Springs.

In announcing the results, Best10 said: “This sleepy town specializes in colorful arts and crafts,” and described in its nomination as follows:

Tubac was founded in 1726 as Arizona’s first European settlement. Today this sleepy town and artists colony just outside of Tucson is a popular destination for shoppers, who come for the 80-some shops and galleries specializing in colorful arts and crafts. The Tubac Golf Resort was featured in the Kevin Costner film, Tin Cup (1996).

If you like polls, be sure to check out the monthly reader polls, sponsored by the Rahway Special Improvement District (SID). This month’s reader poll asks: What’s your favorite bar in Rahway? Vote today!