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City of Distinction Honorees Show Innovation, Tenacity (Supplement)

2 min read

Arkansas’ cities and towns are determined to make better lives for their residents. They’ve done so through innovation, dedication and plain ol’ tenacity.

Arkansas Business Publishing Group is proud to honor these efforts with the inaugural City of Distinction awards program.

With the help of presenting sponsor Crews & Associates; the Arkansas Municipal League, a supporting sponsor; and an independent panel of judges from across the state, we’ve recognized 13 Arkansas cities in five categories: Quality of Life, Workforce Development, Main Street Preservation, Green Initiatives and Technology Advancements.

(More: View a digital edition of the Cities of Distinction supplement here.) 

Winning cities displayed some of that Arkansas tenacity with commitments to economic develop-ment, quality of life and more. Their residents are the real winners.

"The programs and initiatives they have developed and implemented are excellent examples of the success that can be achieved when community leaders work together," Arkansas Business President and Publisher Jeff Hankins said.

Communities were divided into two divisions – cities and towns with a population under 20,000 and those with a population exceeding 20,000.

We think all Arkansas communities are cities of distinction, but our judges had to narrow it down. Therefore, cities being recognized this year as a City of Distinction are Arkadelphia, Bentonville, Bryant, Conway, Dumas, El Dorado, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Heber Springs, Jonesboro, Little Rock, North Little Rock and West Memphis.

Winning projects range from the extensive sustainability efforts under way in North Little Rock and Conway to the massive revitalization taking place in downtown Bentonville.

Arkansas cities are special in so many ways – from communities like Possum Grape and Fifty-Six to the metros of central and northwest Arkansas. But the 15 cities recognized here are standing out in special ways.

"We are delighted that the City of Distinction program has been established by Arkansas Business to give much-deserved recognition each year to a few of Arkansas’ outstanding cities," Municipal League executive director Don Zimmerman said.

"As citizens of Arkansas, we are getting more in the way of municipal services and programs per dollar spent than probably anywhere in the nation. We are proud and appreciative that this program will recognize some of those Cities of Distinction."

More

Click here to read profiles of all the winning cities, and to find out just what these cities are doing in their communities to make such a difference – in essence, to make the patchwork quilt even stronger.

You can also view a digital edition of the supplement here.

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