A bigger small town: galleries, shopping, a historic hotel, civic buildings, a university, churches, parades, restaurants, rodeos, a downtown mountain, athletic fields, saloons, an Amtrak station, and an actual traffic light (blinking only).
A less bigger small town: courthouse, galleries, motels, restaurants, stores, vistas, civic buildings, Victorian homes, the Chinati Foundation, the railroad, excellent grazing, an NPR radio station, two liquor stores, excessive minimalism, and the Marfa Lights.
The essential small town: downtown mountains & cliffs, a real cavalry fort, the actual Overland Trail, a historic hotel, the McDonald Observatory, dirt roads, assorted tall tales, and a drug store counter that still serves Sarssaparilla.
Not even a small town: just mountains, desert, scattered ruins, wacky homesites, a Ghost Town, outdoor recreation, a bank, a few places to eat, some motel type joints, a boot hill cemetery, a gas station, truly eccentric bars, a world-famous porch, sun-burnt old-timers, and two simultaneous International Championship Chili Cook-offs.
Barely a small town: the Rio Grande, a cemetery, some rocks -- plus an actual high-end resort with dining, shopping, an international airport of sorts, a deli, and exceptional golf. Mexico adjacent. It's the last stop on the fabled River Road before Presidio.
Classic cowboy small town: the railroad, a historic hotel, galleries, motels, a bookstore, churches, parks, vistas, two gas stations, a free-form hostel, a walk-in BBQ smoker, and an intersection.
Pure history. Fort Leaton, the Rio Grande, Spanish Missions, the Chihuahuan Desert, the Mexican Revolution, General Black Jack Pershing, and Pancho Villa. And, the International Bridge crossing into Ojinaga, Mexico.
Old-timey small town feel: civic buildings, motels, stores, mountains, parks, churches, railroad settings, an Open Road Race, and the obligatory water tower.
Population 217. The highway, the railroad, ranches, two cemeteries, a great school system, distinctive postmarks, the Aerostat, a Prada store (almost), and a spectacular Valentine's Day Celebration -- of course.