The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, a critical consequence of urbanization, is caused by elevated temperatures in urban and suburban areas compared to their rural surroundings. This phenomenon has significant implications across environmental, social, economic, and health domains. Understanding the relationship between land surface temperature and land use and land cover changes is essential for addressing UHI effects and guiding sustainable urban development and city planning. While UHI effects are well-documented in large cities globally, smaller urban areas remain understudied, with limited research into their unique UHI dynamics. Building on the success of a recent UHI study in Chattanooga, TN, this research expanded the analysis to several mid-sized US cities using Landsat imagery acquired from 2019 to 2021. The findings reveal notable UHI effects in Birmingham, AL; Eugene, OR; Omaha, NE; and Raleigh, NC, with consistently elevated urban land surface temperatures compared to rural surroundings. Conversely, cities such as Bakersfield, CA; Carson City, NV; Kansas City, KS; and Sierra Vista, AZ exhibited UHI effects inconsistently across the study period. This variability suggests that local factors, including urban development patterns, vegetation cover, and weather conditions, significantly influence UHI intensity. These results highlight the importance of extending UHI research to diverse urban contexts to develop tailored mitigation strategies and promote sustainable urban growth.