25 American Towns Where People Live Like They're in Europe

20. Stillwater, Minnesota: A River Town with French Flair

Stillwater, perched gracefully on the banks of the St. Croix River, offers the kind of romantic ambiance usually reserved for sleepy towns along the Seine or Loire. Historic brick warehouses and restored Victorian homes line the downtown, now home to quaint cafés, French-inspired bakeries, and boutiques that wouldn’t feel out of place in Provence. The city’s old lift bridge, now a pedestrian walkway, spans the water like a scene from a vintage European postcard. Paddleboats cruise the river, couples stroll along the promenade, and antique shops spill out onto flower-lined sidewalks. During autumn, the hillsides blaze with color, resembling French wine country. Whether you're enjoying a picnic on the bluffs, sipping wine on a terrace, or wandering into a poetry reading at a riverside bookstore, Stillwater wraps visitors in an effortlessly elegant, old-world charm that makes it one of America’s best-kept Francophile secrets.