NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: May 1, 2002
Contact: Gary Chandler
Phone: 303.571.4343
Fax: 303.571.4404
Email: gchandler@ncl.org

National Civic League Announces Finalists For
2002 All-America City Award

30 communities vie for nation's most prestigious civic award

Denver, Colorado - May 1, 2002, The National Civic League announced today the 30 Finalist communities for this year's All-America City Award, the nation's longest running and most prestigious civic recognition program.

The All-America City Award encourages and recognizes civic excellence, honoring the communities (neighborhoods, towns, cities, counties and regions) in which citizens, government, businesses and non-profit organizations demonstrate successful resolution of critical community issues. Since 1949, more than 4,000 communities have competed and nearly 500 have been designated "All-America Cities."

The Finalist communities that will be competing for the honor of being designated an All-America City are:

Fairhope, Alabama
Region of Tuscaloosa-Northport, Alabama
Vestavia Hills, Alabama
Anchorage, Alaska
Sunnyvale, California
Boulder, Colorado
Fountain, Colorado
New Haven, Connecticut
Lakeland, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Elgin, Illinois
Skokie, Illinois
Hammond, Indiana
Wichita, Kansas
Holyoke, Massachusetts		 Clayton, Missouri
Neosho, Missouri
Union, New Jersey
Roswell, New Mexico
Buffalo-Niagara Region, New York
Huntington, New York
Mohawk Valley Region, New York
Wilson, North Carolina
Clarksville, Tennessee
Beaumont, Texas
Weslaco, Texas
Bedford, Virginia
Hampton, Virginia
Everett, Washington
Casper, Wyoming

"These communities serve as models for the rest of the country," said Christopher T. Gates, president of the National Civic League. "They are tackling challenges that seem insurmountable and are producing positive and tangible results with ingenuity and collaboration."

The 30 Finalists will participate in a final round of the All-America City competition hosted by the greater Kansas City region in Kansas City, Missouri, June 13-15. A delegation from each Finalist community will present to a 10-member jury their innovative programs and local solutions addressing a wide range of social and community issues, including crime, education, poverty, housing and race relations. The ten 2002 All-America Cities will be named on June 15 during a special ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center.

The 2001 All-America Cities were: Santa Clara, California; Delray Beach, Florida; South Miami, Florida; Fort Dodge, Iowa; Howard County, Maryland; Ocean City, Maryland; Independence, Missouri; Bozeman, Montana; Fayetteville, North Carolina; and Brownsville, Texas.

For more information, please visit the National Civic League web site at www.ncl.org.

Sponsors of the 2002 All-America City Awards include: Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

The National Civic League is a 109-year-old non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to strengthening citizen democracy by transforming democratic institutions. NCL accomplishes its mission through technical assistance, training, publishing, research, and the All-America City Award. The National Civic League is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and has an office in Washington, D.C.

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