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Abingdon recognized as a 'dream
town'
by Heather
B. Hayes
for Virginia Business
July 2006
Abingdon is a picturesque place with a touch of sophistication.
The Southwest Virginia town is filled with historic buildings
and is home of the 73-year-old Barter Theatre and the
elegant Martha Washington Inn.
Now Abingdon’s charms have gained national recognition.
It has been named winner of the national American Dream
Town Competition for 2006, beating out 150 other towns
in an online vote.
The title is given to a town of less than 5,000 residents
that stands out for being pretty, patriotic and pristine.
Abingdon was nominated by Bruce Northam, a National Geographic
travel writer.
Abingdon Mayor Lois Humphreys believes
the award will boost tourism, the town’s principal industry. “That’s
our bread and butter, of course, so any way that we can
get the word out that we’re here and we’ve
got a lot to offer, then we’re happy,” she
says. “And we expect a lot more people to know
about us after this.”
Three towns from each state are nominated for the award.
Votes for each nominee were collected over a six-week
period. This year, 50,000 people voted, with Abingdon
getting more than 20,000 votes. Locust Grove, Okla.,
finished second with 5,589 votes, followed by Celebration,
Fla., with 4,850. Braselton, Ga., won the title in 2005.
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