Best in the Midwest

EC reaches Final Four in ‘Best Town’ tourney

Eric Christenson |

ACROSS THE BOARD.  Visit Eau Claire put pen to whiteboard to outline its get-out-the-vote strategy.
ACROSS THE BOARD. Visit Eau Claire put pen to whiteboard to outline its get-out-the-vote strategy.

After blowing past towns like Evanston, Ill.; Rapid City, S.D.; Rochester, Minn.; and Spearfish, S.D., Eau Claire was finally bested by the farm-to-table restaurants and Class V rapids of Chattanooga, Tenn., in Outside Magazine’s Best Town Tournament 2015. Chattanooga went on to win the whole tournament, beating Port Angeles, Wash., in the final match-up.

Since the contest was sorted by region, Eau Claire’s spot in the Final Four (out of 64 towns) puts our lovely community at the top of the entire Midwest, something that Visit Eau Claire’s Executive Director Linda John says is nothing to shake a kayak paddle at.

“It means we have already achieved a certain level of recognition for our outdoor recreation assets and community culture that is viewed as the best in the Midwest,” she said in an email. “For those unfamiliar with Eau Claire previously, this competition put Eau Claire ‘on the map’ for a national audience, motivating them to find out more about our special town. The online comments revealed that many readers were doing exactly that, which is great exposure for Eau Claire.”

The tourney pits mid-sized towns and cities from all over the country against each other and leaves it to the public to decide which community is the “Best Town Ever” – with criteria ranging from accessible trails and parks to bustling neighborhoods to great restaurants to a thriving beer scene.

Obviously, social media played a substantial role in getting the word out and getting as many votes as humanly possible through Facebook and Twitter. Visit Eau Claire even tried to shore up some extra votes by tweeting at Gov. Scott Walker and various athletes and celebrities that have ties to Eau Claire.

Even though we ended up getting knocked out of the tournament, John said Outside Magazine is already planning some subsequent stories about Eau Claire, which will only help further establish our town as one that people all over the country will want to spend some quality time in.

All in all, Eau Claire ended up garnering more than 25,000 votes in the poll and a prestigious designation as Outside Magazine’s Best Town in the Midwest.

“That is a big fan club,” John said. “And we had the opportunity to share the great Eau Claire story with all of them.”