Paragould, Arkansas

Paragould, established in 1884 when railroad commerce created a boom town, retains its devotion to trains with an annual Loose Caboose Festival in May and a colorful 200-foot-long railroad mural in the downtown district. The town has preserved the old business district, including its 1888 courthouse and restored 1925 movie theater. Paragould is served by Crowley's Ridge College. The Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center is 33 miles north, offering tours of the totally restored home and studio where Ernest Hemingway lived and worked for extended periods of time during the 1920s and 30s.