2023 Strongest Town Contest: Elite Eight Set for Second Round

The first round of voting is over and eight communities are moving on in the 2023 Strongest Town Contest. Congratulations to Port Washington, Wisconsin; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Flossmoor, Illinois; Saranac Lake, New York; Hershey, Pennsylvania; Jackson, Tennessee; Selma, North Carolina; and Brattleboro, Vermont, for advancing to Strong Towns’ Elite Eight. 

A new round of voting begins March 27. For the next phase of the contest, the eight winning communities will share five photos from their towns/cities and explain how the images demonstrate their community's strength and resilience. You can see the bracket matchups for round two below. 

Even though they didn’t advance, we hope you’ll take another look at New Cumberland, Pennsylvania; Oviedo, Florida; Los Altos, California; Dunellen, New Jersey; South Bend, Indiana; Valemount, British Columbia; Fate, Texas; and Franklin, Massachusetts. Their contest entries about local efforts to improve their communities show that they’re all strong towns.

We’ll halve the selection each week until we crown the 2023 Strongest Town on April 14. This year’s winning delegation will also be flown to the Strong Towns National Gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, where it will receive the award in person on May 31.