Yankee magazine has been celebrating New England for three-quarters of a century, but even after all these years, there's still room for surprise.

In its 75th anniversary issue, on newsstands Tuesday, the magazine named Kent, Conn., population 3,000, the best town in New England for fall foliage.

Kent trumped better-known destinations on Yankee's list such as Stowe, Vt., Camden, Maine, and Amherst, Mass., for the honor.

"It was really cool, frankly, to be able to say that the best place to go for the foliage experience might be a place you never thought to go," said Yankee magazine editor Mel Allen. "It's not what we expected."

The leaf-peeping destinations, showcased in Yankee's September-October issue, were judged in 14 categories - fall color, scenery, visas, water, drives, hikes, culture, farmers markets and farmstands, orchards, parks, covered bridges, whether they are "uncrowded," shopping, and a final combined category for food and lodging.

Kent scored 58 points out of a possible total of 70 (zero to five points per category, as determined by Yankee staff).

"Kent came out higher than any other town," said Allen in an interview. "It has one of the nicest scenic drives, Route 7; the Appalachian Trail cuts right through town; it has the Housatonic River and some of the best antiquing in New England, plus a famous inn," the Inn at Kent Falls.

The town of Kent had no advance warning of the honor, but first selectman Bruce Adams said the area is known for its autumn beauty.

"We do get a lot of people coming through here during what's known as leaf-peeping time," he said in a phone interview.