NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: July 31, 2002
Contact: Gary Chandler
Phone: 303.571.4343
Fax: 303.571.4404
Email: gchandler@ncl.org

White House Ceremony Today Honors
All-America Cities
DENVER - July 31, 2002 - Mel Martinez, Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development, today welcomed the 2001 and 2002 All-America City Award recipients to the White House and commended their innovation and example. Communities earn the prestigious award by exemplifying the spirit of grassroots citizen involvement and collaborative problem solving to address critical community issues.

"The Bush Administration is proud to recognize the accomplishments of these twenty All-America Cities," said Secretary Mel Martinez, US Department of Housing and Urban Development. "Their work has made their communities stronger and has strengthened the entire nation at the same time."

The All-America City Award, a program of the National Civic League, is America's oldest and most prestigious community recognition award. For over 53 years the All-America City Award has encouraged and recognized civic excellence, annually honoring ten communities of all sizes (cities, towns, counties, neighborhoods and regions) in which citizens, government, businesses and voluntary organizations work together to address critical local issues.

Since the program's inception in 1949, over 4,000 communities have competed and nearly 500 communities have been named an "All-America City."

The 2002 All-America Cities are:
Region of Tuscaloosa-Northport, Alabama
City of Anchorage, Alaska
City of Fountain, Colorado
City of Elgin, Illinois
City of Roswell, New Mexico
Buffalo-Niagara Region, New York
Town of Huntington, New York
City of Weslaco, Texas
City of Hampton, Virginia
City of Everett, Washington

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

Descriptions of the collaborative efforts of these All-America Cities are available on the National Civic League's website: www.ncl.org

"The communities honored here today demonstrate the measurable success that can be achieved when the citizens of a community join together to address today's critical issues," said Christopher T. Gates, President of the National Civic League. "Their accomplishments serve as an inspiration to all communities across the country."

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. For more information, call 303-571-4343 or visit www.ncl.org.

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