Annapolis Advances In Strongest Town Title Hunt

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Annapolis asked and you answered, advancing the capital city in the first round of the Strongest Town contest. City officials now urge residents to vote by Friday morning for their hometown in the next level of the bracket-style contest, which pits Annapolis against Morelia, Mexico. A thriving downtown district, diverse local employers and generally safe neighborhoods might win Annapolis another title.

Strong Towns, a national nonprofit working to build financial resilience in America's cities, towns and neighborhoods, is hosting the competition to determine the strongest town in the world. This is the third annual "Strongest Town Contest" and Annapolis is among the 16 towns vying for the recognition, defeating Tupelo, Mississippi, in the first round of voting.

Teams of applicants (including government staff, citizen activists and nonprofit leaders) were invited to apply to the contest by answering a series of questions about their community, and the communities were selected to compete in a bracket-based competition to determine which is the strongest, according to a news release. Towns are judged based on criteria like financial solvency, citizen engagement, transportation options and ability to adapt to new challenges. Learn more about Strong Towns' principles here: www.strongtowns.org.

Selling points for Annapolis, according to the folks in charge of the title hunt are:

Annapolis Boat Show: Each fall, typically in early October, the historic Annapolis City Dock and harbor features the United States Sailboat and Powerboat Shows. These annual events draw boaters and visitors from around the globe across two weekends to enjoy the largest in-water boat shows in the country. Annapolis has always been a very popular port of call for international sailors, who consider the city “America’s Sailing Capital.”

First Sunday Arts Festival: For the last fifteen years, this monthly arts festival running from the first Sunday in May to the first Sunday in November has grown from a fledgling art display to an acclaimed festival. Today it encompasses several blocks to allow sufficient space for 130 vendors down the stretch temporarily closed-off to vehicles.

Navy Graduation: The graduation ceremony from the United States Naval Academy, held inside the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on the final Friday of Commissioning Week, is a closing of one chapter in honor of enduring a rigorous four years at the world-renowned academy as graduates venture into their next chapter of active service.

Dining Under the Stars: During the summer months, Upper West Street is closed off to traffic every Wednesday night to allow for the outdoor dining takeover of the arts district.

The 16 towns selected for the initial competition were: Brewton, Alabama; San Bruno, California; Pensacola, Florida; Palmetto Bay, Florida; Twin Falls, Idaho; Westmont, Illinois; Mishawaka, Indiana; Annapolis, Maryland; Marshall, Michigan; Muskegon, Michigan; Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico; Tupelo, Mississippi; Niagara Falls, New York; Kent, Ohio; Greenville, South Carolina; and San Marcos, Texas.

You can vote for Annapolis here; the place to vote is at the bottom of that page.

The Annapolis entry was submitted by Eric Borchers, Sally Nash, and Hollis Minor.

What is your favorite thing about your town?

Through historic preservation and careful planning in neighborhoods that span the centuries, the City offers a unique small-town quality of life with historical and maritime charm, yet also provides big-City style and modern amenities. Annapolis offers a great variety of excellent dining and entertainment options but it is still small enough that it's easy to find a place for yourself in the community. From its earliest days as a colonial capital city, Annapolis was known as the "Athens of America" due to its wealth of cultural activities, a glittering social season, gracious hospitality and intellectual stimulation. More than 300 years of welcoming visitors has made our hospitality second to none. You will find the same welcoming atmosphere today, drawing more than 4 million people a year to the City's shores to indulge in our historic architecture, world-renowned cuisine, thriving maritime amenities and diverse cultural arts activities. Whether you come for the history, education, water or hospitality, there is always something happening in Annapolis for you to enjoy.

Through 11 a.m. ET on Friday, March 16, readers of the Strong Towns website will be invited to vote for the strongest town in daily bracket-based match ups, much like the NCAA's annual basketball tournament. First round voting will be based on answers to a short series of questions, and subsequent rounds will include photo essays, podcast recordings and a final webinar showdown for the championship.

Image by city of Annapolis