Chester County town listed as best small U.S. town to live in

Residents of one local borough have a pretty remarkable reason to celebrate tonight. A major magazine has just deemed it the best small town to live in America. According to the Travel and Leisure, Phoenixville in Chester County tops the list of small towns to call home, listing a lot of reasons why. But two other towns in our region can also claim bragging rights tonight. And Action News' John Paul has the details. The streets of Phoenixville are closed to cars this weekend for the popular Inside Out event. This is where people can grab a drink, eat outside, and walk the streets of the former steel town. On the weekend, you'll see lots of people coming to visit. I think many of them probably wish they lived here. And now, a lot more people might want to live here. Travel and Leisure magazine just ranked Phoenixville the best small town to live in America. The list was created by real estate experts, and Stephanie Parker of Keller Williams agrees. Oh, it's very popular. It's very affordable, so a lot of people like to be here. It's got a big walkability sense to it. That's what drew Elizabeth Richards and her family. They've moved 31 times, and this is where they call home. It's just an easy place to live. That's why we picked it. It was like, if we can't live in the big city, at least we can be somewhere where you can walk out your door and be a bunch of interesting places. It hasn't always been popular, though. After the Phoenix Steel Corporation closed in the 70s, the town hit a rough patch. Phoenixville took its hit. It took it for about 30-something years. We talked to the borough manager today about what changed to help launch the town into the number one spot. He says town leaders put a huge emphasis on the atmosphere. And they started looking at, what can we do? And you start with quality of life. You look at what makes people tick. Is it walkable? Is it safe? Is it affordable? Walkability and affordability were both cited as reasons for the ranking, and residents we talked to love the downtown feel. It's definitely changed since I was younger. I mean, none of this was, some of these places were here, but much different today. Now, it is worth noting two other small towns in our area made the list. Lambertville, New Jersey, number four, and Lewis, Delaware, number eight. In Phoenixville, John Paul, Channel 6 Action News.