Dedham, Mass., in Contention for All-American City Awards

Downtown Dedham, Mass. (photo by Eric)

Nice to hear that the National Civic League has chosen Dedham, Mass., as a finalist for the All-America City Awards.

The only community in New England to make the finals, Dedham is the only community in New England to make the finals. This mid-sized town, southwest of Boston, is one of 26 communities nationwide competing for the honors.

We're not surprised about Dedham ending up in the finals. Ask anyone in these neck of the woods about community spirit and participation in Dedham and you'll get glowing reports. People really seem to care about their town -- you can see it in everything from the residential and commercial landscaping to community involvement. Additionally, not too many towns we know can maintain and improve an impressive traditional downtown while forging into the 21st century with a state-of-the-art open air shopping complex like Legacy Place.  Downtown, you'll find the Dedham Community Theater, Blue Bunny Books, the independent HR Wardle Pharmacy, several restaurants, some fabulous historic municipal buildings and a beautiful town common. The Dedham Square Improvements Project should make things even better, most notably creating better crosswalks and overall pedestrian safety. Legacy Place has many familiar stores and restaurants like L.L. Bean, Whole Foods Market. and P.F. Chang's. Without doubt, Dedham is a business-friendly town!

The National Civic League All-America City Awards uses the following criteria in its mission: "...each community must demonstrate innovation, inclusiveness, civic engagement, and cross sector collaboration by describing successful efforts to address pressing local challenges."

This year’s event will be held June 15-17 in Kansas City, Miss., where 10 winners will be announced.  Good luck to Dedham in the finals!