Durham. North Carolina

Just miles apart, Durham and Chapel Hill are linked by their rival basketball teams and liberal leanings. Chapel Hill is a quaint Southern college town whose cultural makeup is defined by the nearly 30,000 students of the University of North Carolina, the nation's first state university which was founded in 1789. A quirky, forward-thinking city, Chapel Hill is famous for its indie rock scene and hippie culture. Durham was once a gritty, tobacco and railroad town whose wealth dried up in the '60s and only recently began to make a comeback. Though still basically a working-class area, the presence of prestigious Duke University has brought progressive types and Durham is now becoming a hot spot for foodies, artists and the LGBT community. Civic life is centered around the renovated brick tobacco warehouses of the downtown: Brightleaf Sqare and the American Tobacco Campus are worth a visit for shopping and outdoor dining.