Kewanee has been named the Friendliest Small Town in America.
Rand McNally’s 2013 Best of the Road Contest dubbed Kewanee as America’s Friendliest Small Town, saying “where good cheer, genuine courtesy, and community service are cited as hallmarks.”
Kewanee was nominated in July, after hosting 200 wall muralists who came to paint historically-themed murals in the downtown. The muralists, called the Walldogs, were impressed by Kewanee’s “friendliness and gratitude.”
“We developed a social media presence during the Walldogs Meet and used that to rally the troops,” said Joy Hernandez, a Kewanee native. “Kewanee residents and former residents with a fondness for their hometown stepped-up and voted and posted comments like crazy”.
Kewanee received over 2,200 votes to be dubbed as Friendliest.
A video and essay were submitted on behalf of the town highlighting Kewanee’s attributes. Click here to watch the video.
Kewanee, whose population is nearly 13,000, will receive a custom online travel guide and iPhone app developed by travel company, Rand McNally for winning the Friendliest category. The town will also be featured in an online tool travelers use when planning trips called Good Sam’s Road Trip Planner. Lastly, Kewanee will enjoy being featured in many of the Rand McNally’s products including GPS and the flagship Road Atlas.
Keokuk, Iowa was in the top five Friendliest towns. Galesburg, Illinois was ranked in the top five Best for Food category and Quincy, Illinois was voted top five Most Beautiful.
Click here for the list of winners and click here for all category finalists.
