VOTE: Montgomery locked in tight race for USA Today’s “Best Historic City” crown

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April 9, 2014

Train station by the Alabama River in Montgomery, Ala. (Photo: Robert van Dalen)

The City of Montgomery, Ala. is a finalist in the race to be named America’s “Best Historic City,” a contest being presented by USA Today’s travel section.

“The USA has a rich and exciting history,” USA Today explains. “Because we could only have 20 nominees, it pained us to leave out some worthy contenders (Galveston, Concord, Memphis, Virginia City and Detroit among them). We also left out unincorporated cities which had historical significance (and sometimes larger populations) back in the day, like Lincoln, New Mexico, site of the Lincoln County Wars, or Gettysburg, which is a thriving city today but is most visited for the former battleground, now a national military park.”

After culling the list down, USA Today was left with these finalists:

Annapolis, Md.
Boston, Mass.
Charleston, SC
Charlottesville, Va.
Chicago, Ill.
Denver, CO
Honolulu, Hawaii
Kansas City, Mo.
Montgomery, Ala.
New Orleans, La.
New York, NY
Philadelphia, Penn.
San Antonio, Tx.
San Francisco, Ca.
Santa Fe, NM
Savannah, Ga.
St. Augustine, Fla.
St. Louis, Mo.
Washington, D.C.
Williamsburg, Va.

Downtown Montgomery, Ala. (Photo: John Tracy/Flickr)

Here’s what USA Today has to say about Montgomery specifically:

In 1819, two small settlements of cotton plantations merged together to form the town of Montgomery. During the Civil War, Montgomery was home of the First White House of the Confederacy, where Jefferson Davis and his family lived, but its most important historical contributions came during the Civil Rights movement as the site of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The city also had the first electric street car system, and the first flight school set up by the Wright Brothers.

Voting is open until April 28, and participants are able to cast one vote each day. If you’d like to vote, you can do so by clicking HERE. It only takes 30 seconds, and you’re not required to share your email address to cast a vote.

Montgomery is currently locked in a close race with Annapolis, Md. for the top spot, so vote early and often by clicking HERE.

Best Historic City