Congratulations Duluthians for being voted the best outdoors town in America. Thanks to the use of social media, Duluth citizens swarmed to the voting website. The #VoteDuluth hashtag played a part in spreading the word and directing people to the voting website.
Provo, Utah; Ithaca, N.Y.; Asheville, N.C. were the three cities that rounded out the top four along with Duluth.
Duluth offers many outdoor activities.
“I think it's a well deserved win,” said Duluth citizen Nathaniel Smith. “I have lived here my whole life. I was reading comments the other day and some of them wrote that this town is too cold to be considered for this.”
Duluth came off a brutal winter. It wasn’t the snowiest, but one record was broke according to a National Service website, Duluth broke the most consecutive days with lows below zero.
“The temps might get cold in the winter but that doesn’t mean nobody is outside. In the winter two ski areas are close by, and you will rarely see no kids skating on the ice. This town offers everything. On summer days Park Point offers an amazing beach, numerous people can be seen walking in Canal Park and walking along the Lakewalk. Summer evenings there are local sports leagues, everything from kid leagues to the Duluth Huskies. Streams that have great fishing are located all around. I could go on with a long-list of activities to do outside but it all comes down to the same point, Duluth deserved to win."
Mayor Don Ness expressed his thoughts on Duluth winning this competition on his Facebook page.
"Now I think we all recognize that there is nothing earth-shattering about winning an online voting contest," he wrote. "But it's a big deal for Duluth."
Ness went on to describe why this is a big step for Duluth.
"This contest has been an effective measure of city pride and enthusiasm and people invest in cities that they are confident and optimistic about-they invest in their home, their business, their own skill sets, their careers, etc."
Along with the the events and activities, as well as the importance this competition has to the town. Duluth has one thing everyone can agree on, it's simply a beautiful city.
"My family and I visit Duluth multiple times every year, even in the winter we come up here for a few days," said Tracy who is from Albert Lea. "I happened to see on the news Duluth won the competition for the best outdoors town. I couldn't agree more, there are many things for my family and I to do here. The city and the lake are beautiful which had to play a part in Duluth winning."
The list of the results and other information regarding the print article for Duluth can be found at Outsideonline.com.
If you are looking for activities and events to attend in Duluth visit Perfect Duluth Day.