Earlier this week the National Civic League named Decatur one of 10 communities to receive the 2018 All-America City Award, the first Georgia community so honored since Acworth in 2010, and only the seventh Georgia recipient overall since the award’s inception in 1949.
A city, county or region is eligible to become “All-America,” with Decatur the smallest among this year’s 10 winners, or indeed among the 20 finalists.
“There were 15 [city representatives] who traveled to Denver (NCL home) to make our presentation,” said Mayor Patti Garrett. “We called it a ‘human power point presentation,’ with all of us contributing.
“We presented Saturday morning [June 23],” she added, “and the winners were announced 8 p.m. [June 24]. It was like the Oscars. Somebody had an envelope and walked to the podium. We were the second city named. I don’t think I could’ve lasted if we came down to the last city named.”
This year’s NCL theme was equity and civic and community engagement. The city’s presentation focused on community policing, the diversity-driven program called “Better Together,” and a collection of photographs and short stories from local artist Beate Sass called “I Am Together.”
Later this summer Decatur will receive a number of “All-America,” signs though Garrett is still unsure how many and where they’ll be posted.
The other winning communities are Springdale, Ar., Stockton, Ca., Longmont, Co., Las Vegas, Nv., Charlotte, NC, Kershaw County, SC, Mount Pleasant, SC, El Paso, Tx. and San Antonio, Tx.
The only Georgia communities to receive All-America recognition besides Decatur and Acworth are DeKalb County (1998—one of the last DeKalb All-America signs stands in the Emory Village), Toccoa (1976), Savannah (1955, 1968) and Atlanta (1951).
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