Duluth continues to lead Minneapolis in an all-Minnesota battle in the latest round of voting in Outside magazine’s annual “Best Towns” contest.
Which one is the better outdoors town? Thousands of online voters are deciding that in the final showdown in the competition’s Midwest Division, with balloting set to close Tuesday at 10:59 p.m. Central time. The winner will advance to the final four.
As of mid-morning Monday, Duluth had received about 50,000 votes to about 35,000 for Minneapolis. As of midday Tuesday, Duluth had extended its lead with about 57,500 votes to about 38,700 for Minneapolis. Duluth has more votes than any other city remaining in the contest, leading second-place Provo, Utah, by about 10,000 votes.
For those involved in outdoors activities in the Northland, the choice is clear.
“I love Minneapolis, it’s a great metro area and there is so much to do in their downtown. But this contest isn’t about tall buildings and professional sports, it’s about outdoor recreation and amazing natural areas,” Duluth Mayor Don Ness said Friday. “I’ve had a lot of friends from Minneapolis who are voting for Duluth. They love Minneapolis, but they understand that Duluth is the better choice for outdoor living.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Duluth crushed La Crosse, Wis., in Round 3 of voting, which ended late Thursday night. Duluth was again the top vote-getter of any city left in the contest, receiving 26,958 votes to La Crosse’s 14,867. Minneapolis trounced Houghton, Mich., 24,528 votes to 10,802.
Duluth built a large early lead in Round 4 thanks in large part to an active social media campaign, with a “VoteDuluth” tag being used on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The two cities see-sawed over the weekend before Duluth reclaimed the lead overnight Saturday into Sunday. To vote and to see the current standings, go to www.voteduluth.com , which directs people to the Outside magazine ballot.
The outdoors and adventure-oriented magazine’s annual “best place to live in America” winner is being chosen by online voting this year, with 64 communities starting head-to-head competition earlier this month. Duluth knocked off Columbia, Mo., in the first round; then Athens, Ohio; and now La Crosse.
After Round 4 ends, there will be one more five-day round of voting before the two remaining towns go head-to-head in a weeklong showdown ending June 15.
The other towns remaining are:
* South Division: Louisville, Ky., and Asheville, N.C.
* East Division: Ithaca, N.Y., and Burlington, Vt.
* West Division: Provo, Utah, and Anchorage, Alaska
