Hamilton

St. George's and Hamilton are about 10 mi and 200 years apart. The latter wasn't even incorporated as a town until 1792; and by the time Hamilton became capital in 1815, St. George's had already celebrated its bicentennial. The age difference is apparent. The charmingly gnarled lanes of the island's first town straighten out here into proper streets, and topsy-turvy colonial cottages give way to more formal Victorian facades. As Bermuda's economic and social hub, Hamilton has a different vibe, too.

With a permanent resident population of 1,500 households, this city in Pembroke Parish still doesn't qualify as a major metropolis. Yet it has enough stores, restaurants, and offices to amp up the energy level. Moreover, it has a thriving international business community (centered on financial and investment services, insurance, telecommunications, global management of intellectual property, shipping, and aircraft and ship registration), which lends it a degree of sophistication seldom found in so small a center.