( CNN ) Ever heard of Grand Marais , Minnesota ? Located on the north shore of Lake Superior along the border of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , Grand Marais is Budget Travel 's Coolest Small Town in America for 2015 . Winner of the travel magazine 's 10th annual award , Grand Marais typifies the small American town that is both hip and humble , the magazine says . The population must be less than 10,000 people for winning towns . `` Budget Travel defines a 'cool ' small town as one with an energetic vibe , often blending community spirit with a vibrant arts scene , unique local history and gorgeous scenery , '' Editor in Chief Robert Firpo-Cappiello said in a statement . `` With a population of only 1,351 , Grand Marais is a great example of that something extra small towns often have -- in this case , a very happening outdoors scene right alongside music and contemporary art . '' High temperatures in Grand Marais right now are hovering in the 30s and 40s but are bound to warm up . The most romantic place to propose . After Budget Travel readers nominated 385 small towns across the country last year , the magazine 's editors picked 15 great spots they thought fit the bill of cool small towns . The public had the final say : The magazine 's website collected 103,961 votes in five weeks , with voting closing on March 4 . While not entirely immune to robo-voting , editors tried to prevent it by allowing just one vote per 24 hours per IP address . Previous winners include Berlin , Maryland ; Lititz , Pennsylvania ; Hammondsport , New York , and Beaufort , North Carolina ( a tie in 2012 ) ; Lewisburg , West Virginia ; Ely , Minnesota ; and Owego , New York . Top 10 Coolest Small Towns in America 2015 . 1 . Grand Marais , Minnesota ( population : 1,351 ) 2 . Chincoteague , Virginia ( population : 2,941 ) 3 . Hillsborough , North Carolina ( population : 6,087 ) 4 . Allegan , Michigan ( population : 4,998 ) 5 . Washington , North Carolina ( population : 9,744 ) 6 . Delhi , New York ( population : 3,087 ) 7 . Fort Myers Beach , Florida ( population : 6,277 ) 8 . Huron , Ohio ( population : 7,149 ) 9 . Snohomish , Washington ( population : 9,098 ) 10 . Old Orchard Beach , Maine ( population : 8,624 )
A small Minnesota town takes the top `` coolest small town '' award . Gorgeous scenery , an energetic vibe and a vibrant arts scene are key .