Take Haight-Ashbury, add old growth redwoods, mountains and Pacific coastline, throw in Green Party political sensibilities, and you have the recipe for Arcata. Voted one of the 10 “Most Enlightened Towns in America” by the Utne Reader, you get the feeling, once you’re there, that they must have made No. 1. Bring your Birkenstocks and develop a taste for tofu. The locals are the real deal, and they are perfect hosts to the spectacular setting.