After More Than 10,000 Votes Cast, the Winners Are...

Wow! We just finished Round 1 of the Strongest Town contest, and we were blown away by how brisk the voting was. We received over 10,000 votes—2,000 more than last year—and yet most of the contests were separated by less than 170 votes.

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who cast their votes, and, of course, to the towns and cities who were this year’s finalists. From a funky, artistic college town to Missouri’s quilting mecca; from a thriving port city in Israel to a mountain village in Virginia that’s played host to U.S. presidents and a king of France; a Chicago suburb where music literally fills the streets and a Canadian city where more than half the workers get to work without a bike—these are just a few of the sixteen amazing communities featured in Round 1.

There was much to celebrate. But, unfortunately, only eight can advance to the next round. And so, after thousands of votes cast, here are the results of Round 1:

Highland Park, IL (55%) vs. Victoria, BC (45%)
Sylvania, OH (55%) vs. Abingdon, VA (45%)
Hamilton, MO (53%) vs. Lander, WY (47%)
Watertown, SD (64%) vs. Streator, IL (36%)
Beloit, WI (56%) vs. Wytheville, VA (44%)
Winona, MN (61%) vs. Chubbuck, ID (39%)
Athens, OH (70%) vs. Haifa, Israel (30%)
Pittsburg, KS (56%) vs. Sharon, PA (44%)

The eight winning communities will return on Monday with a new challenge: They will each share five photos from their communities and explain why they think the photos demonstrate their community's strength and resilience.

Make sure to resume voting on Monday to help choose this year’s Strongest Town.

Here is where the bracket stands now:

The winner of this year’s Strongest Town contest will be invited to accept the award at the 2020 National Strong Towns Conference and Celebration, on April 30-May 1, in Pensacola, Florida. This gathering is a chance for people from across North America to get the tools and resources they need to make their communities more resilient and prosperous…and to connect with hundreds of others engaged in this same all-important work. Will we see you there?