Frankfort or Middlesboro: Which is the Strongest Town?
The first round of the 7th annual Strongest Town contest will determine which Kentucky town will represent the Bluegrass State moving forward in the March Madness-style tournament.
“We’re not necessarily looking for those communities that somehow already have it made; they probably don’t exist,” said Strong Towns Content Manager Jay Stange.
We’re more interested in highlighting towns and cities who are doing the hard work of becoming stronger, putting in place the processes, systems, and commitments that build enduring resilience and longterm prosperity.
Jay Stange, Strong Towns Content Manager and Contest Organizer
Each city is applying itself to overcoming different challenges using the resources at hand. Frankfort, as the state capitol, is a commuter city working to replace lost revenue after COVID-19 sparked a work-from-home culture. Middlesboro looks ahead to develop their downtown economy with the help of a friendly, invested community.
Highlights:
• The Strongest Town Contest is a celebration of communities that are putting their focus on townmaking practices that build resilience and prosperity.
• Contest begins with Sweet Sixteen voting on Monday, Feb. 28, and concludes with the announcement of the 2022 champion on Friday, April 8.
• The 2022 Strongest Town will be visited by nationally recognized author, engineer, and advocate for strong communities Chuck Marohn. This city will also be featured prominently on the Strong Towns website with a series of articles outlining their efforts to provide citizens with a good life in a prosperous place.
• Voting is open to anyone.
• Full Contest Details / Press+Partner Kit
• Contest begins with Sweet Sixteen voting on Monday, Feb. 28, and concludes with the announcement of the 2022 champion on Friday, April 8.
• The 2022 Strongest Town will be visited by nationally recognized author, engineer, and advocate for strong communities Chuck Marohn. This city will also be featured prominently on the Strong Towns website with a series of articles outlining their efforts to provide citizens with a good life in a prosperous place.
• Voting is open to anyone.
• Full Contest Details / Press+Partner Kit
A contest for progress
Cities across North America are using more and more resources while providing less for residents—less safety in transportation, less of a robust local economy, less commitment to sound public finance.
The Strongest Town Contest launched in 2016 to spotlight communities that are leading the way to a better future. No place is perfect, and most of them are fighting against inertia from risky finance and wasteful development practices adopted after WWII. But the 16 communities selected to compete in the contest are pushing forward with a tried-and-true approach toward restoration, one that:
- Relies on incremental investments (little bets) instead of large, transformative projects
- Favors resiliency of result over efficiency of execution
- Is designed to adapt to feedback, to evolve over time to meet the changing needs of the community
- Is inspired by bottom-up action and not top-down systems
- Seeks to conduct as much of life as possible at a human scale
- Is obsessive about accounting for its revenues, expenses, assets and long-term liabilities
Each round, a different aspect of participating communities will be featured on the contest website, and the public will vote on which towns are best applying the Strong Towns approach to create a thriving place.
Media Contacts:
Strong Towns - Lauren Fisher, Communications
lauren@strongtowns.org / 844-218-1681
Frankfort - Blair Owens Hecker - Community Engagement Manager
bhecker@frankfort.ky.gov / (502) 352-2180
Middlesboro - Joanie Beaver, Executive Director of Middlesboro Main Street
downtownmiddlesboro@gmail.com / 713-259-1382
Strong Towns - Lauren Fisher, Communications
lauren@strongtowns.org / 844-218-1681
Frankfort - Blair Owens Hecker - Community Engagement Manager
bhecker@frankfort.ky.gov / (502) 352-2180
Middlesboro - Joanie Beaver, Executive Director of Middlesboro Main Street
downtownmiddlesboro@gmail.com / 713-259-1382
Find logos and promotional images here.
Use #StrongestTown, #MiddlesboroStrong2022, #FrankfortStrong2022 on Social
Twitter: @strongtowns
Facebook: @strongtowns
Instagram: @strongtownspics
Past Winners:
2021 - Lockport, Illinois
2020 - Watertown, South Dakota
2019 - Pensacola, Florida
2018 - Muskegon, Michigan
2017 - Traverse City, Michigan
2016 - Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Strong Towns helps local leaders identify the cause of decline in our cities and take action to build a stronger, financially resilient future. The Strong Towns movement is reshaping the North American development pattern with a return to bottom-up, incremental growth.
