NORTH CAROLINA -- Two North Carolina cities have been named by National Geographic as two of the top small cities in the United States.

In no particular order, Hickory and Asheville are both named in the list of 30.

For Asheville, they cited the city's craft breweries and brewpubs (the most per capita of any U.S. city), the views of Mount Pigsah and Grovewood Village. 

For Hickory, the city's "hipster-friendly offerings, from tattoo parlors to vintage clothing boutiques" were noted.

Columbia, South Carolina, just under 100 miles south of Charlotte, is also on the list. 

For the report, National Geographic identified "unconventional metrics" that lead to happiness, including "green spaces, galleries, coffee shops, breweries, music venues and Instagrammable moments," utilizing data from Yelp, Instagram and other sources. 

View the list in full here