Piripiri, Brazil

With a population of just 63,162, Piripiri is a sleepy backwater in Brazil's impoverished northeast. The city was founded in the 1840s by a Catholic priest seeking refuge, and has grown little since then. While the climate is tropical, the dry season lasts most of the year, making agriculture a constant challenge. Bureaucracy is also a persistent headache, with Piripiri only becoming a city as recently as 1910. This is a place for those seeking a tranquil, rustic lifestyle, far from the chaos of Brazil's major urban centers.