Rahway finished second in voting for Best Small Town Arts Scene, trailing only a tiny Arizona town in the final results.
Become a Patron of RahwayRising.com
The top 10 winners in USA Today‘s Best Small Town Arts Scene, announced today, were:
- Tubac, Ariz.
- Rahway, N.J.
- Gatlinburg, Tenn.
- Lucas, Kan.
- Eureka Springs, Ark.
- Cody, Wyo.
- Taos, N.M.
- West Rutland, Vt.
- Manitou Springs, Colo.
- Stockbridge, Mass.
“A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote,” according to the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice. The numbers of votes were not released.
Rahway fared well against the 19 other communities, including five from the Northeast, with the nearest towns finishing in the top 10: West Rutland, Vt. (8th) and Stockbridge, Mass. (10th). Voting opened about a month ago and ended April 26. Rahway consistently ranked first or second during the voting — usually flip-flopping with Gatlinburg as I remember — until tallies were not disclosed during the final weeks.
Tubac is a town of barely 1,000 people, located between Tucson and the Mexican border. USA Today described the town: “Tubac was founded in 1726 as Arizona’s first European settlement. Today, this sleepy town and artists colony just outside of Tucson is a popular destination for shoppers, who come for the 80-some shops and galleries specializing in colorful arts and crafts. The Tubac Golf Resort was featured in the Kevin Costner film Tin Cup.”
Other nominees in the Best Small Town Arts Scene voting were:
- Bandon, Ore.
- Berea, Ky.
- Carmel-By-The-Sea, Calif.
- Hudson, N.Y.
- Lincoln, Mass.
- Madrid, N.M.
- Marfa, Texas
- Sag Harbor, N.Y.
- Spring Green, Wisc.
- Yellow Springs, Ohio
The contest by the USA Today Network offers products and services to support marketing efforts ranging from logo licensing to hardcopy and electronic article reprints to plaques and other promotional merchandise.
If you like voting, check out the monthly RahwayRising.com reader poll each month sponsored by the Rahway Arts & Business Partnership (RABP). This month’s poll: What’s your favorite sandwich in Rahway?
If you enjoyed this post, please consider supporting RahwayRising.com by becoming a Patron.
I was hoping Rahway would get first place. A commendable second place finish nonetheless.