After More than 12,000 Votes Cast, the Winners Are...

Well, that was amazing.

Round 1 of the Strongest Town contest wrapped up yesterday, and we were blown away by the response: More than 12,000 votes were cast—that’s 2,000 more than last year, and 4,000 more than 2019.

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who cast their votes, and, of course, to the towns and cities chosen as this year’s 16 finalists. That so many people voted is testament not only to the finalists’ get out the vote efforts, but also to how great those cities are in the first place.

There’s much to glean from every finalist’s efforts to build a stronger, more financially resilient community. But, unfortunately, only eight of these cities can advance to the next round. And so, after thousands of votes cast, here are the results of Round 1:

• Kenmore, WA (57%) vs. Coaldale, AB (43%)

• Bentonville, AR (53%) vs. Norfolk, VA (47%)

• Oxford, MS (65%) vs. Ridgewood, NJ (35%)

• Yellow Springs, OH (52%) vs. Osakis, MN (48%)

• Middleton, WI (54%) vs. Sleepy Hollow, NY (46%)

• Lockport, IL (62%) vs. Bellingham, WA (38%)

• Bismarck, ND (52%) vs. Elkhart, IN (48%)

• Northfield, VT (65%) vs. Edmond, OK (35% )

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: