Grinnell Among Top Ten ‘Coolest Small Towns’ in US

Budget Travel Magazine Tabs City as 3^rd ‘Coolest’

 

GRINNELL, IOWA – Budget Travel magazine has unveiled its picks for the ten ‘coolest small towns in America,’ and Grinnell was #3 on that list.

 

The announcement, which was made on the CBS ‘Early Show’ program, ended a months-long process that featured nominations, the selection of 22 finalists, and online voting.  More than 101,000 votes were cast and Grinnell placed third with 9,233.  Ironically, that is number is almost identical to the city’s population.

 

(watch the CBS segment by clicking here)

 

 

Owego, NY, and Rockland, ME, were the top two vote-getters.  Grinnell was third, out-polling the next closest community by more than 1,300 votes.

 

“I’ve always known that Grinnell is a cool place to live,” said Mayor Gordon Canfield.  “We have history, great culture, entertaining activities, world-class architecture and – of course – Grinnell College.  I’m thrilled that Budget Travel magazine and the online voters share that sentiment.”

 

Budget Travel publisher Nina Willdorf said determining ‘coolness’ is not an exact science. But she said the magazine was looking for towns with populations of less than 10,000 that have ‘good food, more art galleries than country stores, and a realization among those who moved away that they made a mistake.’

 

Poweshiek Iowa Development executive director Bill Menner nominated Grinnell for the designation, citing the confluence of art, culture, history, architecture and education.  He said the contest reflects well on the entire state.

 

“Many of the attributes of our community extend across the state,” Menner said.  ‘Towns throughout Iowa also invest in art, theatre, live music, downtown revitalization and recreation, which were the reasons for Grinnell’s place among the coolest small towns.  I suspect the national attention we’re getting will draw tourists from around the US to Iowa and people will find out what a great state this is.”

 

The Budget Travel website is already highlighting the ten ‘coolest’ communities. The October issue of Budget Travel magazine will feature reviews and images of Grinnell and the other towns in the top ten.

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