HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - The City of Huntington won first place in America’s Best Communities competition, beating out 350 other communities that entered the contest.
Media outlets report Huntington was announced as the winner during an awards ceremony on Wednesday in Denver. The city received a $3 million check as a grand prize, which will go to its revitalization plan.
To win America’s Best Communities competition, Huntington was judged on how well it could implement and garner support for its revitalization plan which includes redeveloping abandoned factories into a modern technical center and expanding high speed broadband internet.
In his acceptance speech Huntington Mayor Steve Williams said the city has faced many challenges including a drug problem and financial struggles. He said that during the three-year competition, Huntington went from “worst to first.”
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