Two near-opposite Twin Cities suburbs are among the municipalities across the country duking it out for the coveted title of All-America City.
Columbia Heights, a century-old working-class immigrant city just north of Minneapolis, and Woodbury, a sprawling white-collar suburb in pastoral Washington County, are both finalists for the National Civic League's top honor.
Ten of the competition's 20 finalists will be named winners at the league's annual convention in Denver this June. It's possible that both cities could walk away with the title.
"That would be great for Minnesota," said Woodbury Mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens.
The National Civic League, a nonprofit think tank, has hosted the competition since 1949. It offers mostly bragging rights and a chance to learn from other places; the idea is that cities as different as Columbia Heights and Woodbury can both represent the all-American ideal.
"It's really nice to hear the communities are so different. We do want a diverse group of communities," said Sarah Lipscomb, All-America City program director.
Although they're competing for the same prize, the two communities couldn't be more different by nearly every measure.
Blue collar, white collar
Woodbury, in the midst of a prolonged growth spurt, has created and maintained a sense of community in a suburban landscape, its city leaders boast.
"This sense of community greatly enhances residents' quality of life," according to Woodbury's application. "It feels safer; it makes life more enjoyable to know that one's neighbors have a sense of pride and ownership in the city and its welfare."
"People who live and work in Woodbury … come together and they work on some amazing projects," Stephens said.
Columbia Heights, an aging inner-ring suburb that once was home to largely Polish immigrants, has worked to reinvent itself and welcome a wave of new immigrant families from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Its application calls the city a "model of success, a blueprint of productivity, in a time where progress seemed impossible."
"Our city has turned around in all aspects, "said Columbia Heights Mayor Gary Peterson. "Our infrastructure has improved. Our housing is improving. Businesses are coming in and improving … Schools are doing excellent. Our crime is down."
The median household income in Columbia Heights is $48,900, half that of Woodbury's $98,700, according to recent census data.
"We are a blue-collar town," Peterson said. "We are not a wealthy town. You can't spend money haphazardly. Sometimes you a have to push it a bit to get things accomplished."
Older, younger
Woodbury is younger than Columbia Heights. Children make up 28.4 percent of the residents in Woodbury, and seniors 9.6 percent. Columbia Heights' population is graying; 21.8 percent of its residents are kids, while 14.5 percent are seniors.
Woodbury is made up of newly developed neighborhoods on winding streets, with pockets of farmland and forest. There's plenty of room to grow.
In contrast, many of Columbia Heights' houses were built in the 1920s and '30s, most of them on the small side, and planted on an urban grid less than 5 miles from downtown Minneapolis.
Each city highlighted three projects in its application.
In Columbia Heights, a strong city-school collaboration has helped lower youth crime and improve police-community relations. Officers and city staffers work with schoolchildren as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. A new city library is under construction.
"Why would the poor community of Columbia Heights give such a resounding yes to the extra financial burden? … Opportunity. Pride. Connectedness," its application said.
In Woodbury, the Madison Claire Foundation partnered with community groups and businesses to raise $830,000 for an accessible playground at Bielenberg Sports Center. More than 100 volunteers installed the playground with the help of Habitat for Humanity; that same month, a Woodbury city event drew more than 20,000 volunteers to raise money and pack more than 4 million meals for the Feed My Starving Children charity.
"We really wanted to showcase the amazing things people can accomplish when they love were they live," said Woodbury spokesman Jason Egerstrom.
To ensure that the more well-heeled cities don't have a leg up at the competition, presenters are allowed to use only a microphone, boombox and whatever props they can carry on stage.
But cities can bring boosters to the event. Columbia Heights is trying to charter a coach to get residents there and is hosting fundraisers to do it.
"We want to make it as inclusive as possible," Lipscomb said.
Shannon Prather • 612-673-4804
