Annapolis is pretty as a picture, according to "Forbes Traveler" magazine, which for the second year in a row named Maryland's capital among "America's Prettiest Towns."
Annapolis was the only Maryland city to make the list, which highlighted 20 U.S. cities, including nearby Cape May, N.J.
"It's nice to have a publication say what we've known here for a long time. That it's strikingly pretty," said Connie Del Signore, president and CEO of the Annapolis and Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau.
Del Signore said international visitors are especially complimentary about the city's ambience.
"They just love the atmosphere and think it's beautiful," she said. "They think it's reminiscent of some of the water towns in Europe."
But pretty is as pretty does and Del Signore says the visitors bureau is putting together a marketing campaign centered on not only the prettiness of the city, but on the people who make the community beautiful.
"The heart and soul of what makes Annapolis pretty," she said.
In addition to Annapolis, the 19 other prettiest towns on the list include: Cambria, Calif.; Burlington, Vt.; Union, Wash.; Dillon, Mont.; Spring City, Utah, Crescent City, Calif; Lanesboro, Minn.; Deadwood, S.D.; Rockport, Maine; Guttenberg, Iowa; Cape May, N.J.; Lake Placid, N.Y.; Sedona, Ariz.; Portsmouth, N.H.; Marfa, Texas; Savannah, Ga.; Aspen, Colo.; and Santa Fe, N.M.