Awards and Recognition for the City of St. Cloud in 2016

The City of St. Cloud is GREATER for many reasons. We often boast that our community is a fantastic place to live, work, and play. In 2016, we were lucky enough to be awarded several prestigious achievements from several different organizations.

St. Cloud received the following list of livability recognitions and awards in 2016:

• Best City For Women in the Workforce 2016 (#39 of 529 U.S. cities) based on wages, unemployment, rent, and participation rate – Nerdwallet.com
• 2016 Innovation in Planning - Comprehensive Plan – MN American Planning Association
• 2016 Clean Energy Community Award, for the City of St. Cloud’s Renewable Energy and Efficiency Initiative (REEI) – MN Dept. of Commerce
• Best Tasting Tap Water In MN – American Water Works Association
• Top Small Town for Eco-Friendly Apartment Living, with help from the Minnesota GreenStep program – ApartmentAdvisor.com
• 12th Healthiest City in the Nation (#12 of 24 U.S. cities) – 24/7WallStreet.com
• St. Cloud Fireworks – Best Fourth of July 2016 Fireworks Displays in Minnesota
• Best Place for Teachers (#4 of 917 MSA's) based on affordability, school ratings, job completion, and amenities – Goodcall.com
• Munsinger Gardens named Minnesota's Top Outdoor Attraction – OnlyInMinnesota.com
• St. Cloud to Host 2017 Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener
• Top 20 Most Vibrant Arts Communities in America (#16 of 900 cities) – National Center for Arts Research
• Best City for Young Entrepreneurs (#28 of 181 MSA's) – NerdWallet.com
• 2015 Best-Performing Small City (#47 of 201 U.S. cities) - #1 small city in MN) – Milken Institute
• 5th Best City For Singles (Who Like Being Single) – SmartAsset.com
• 8th Best Hockey Town In Country (#8 of 123 U.S. cities) – SmartAsset.com
• Top 100 Smartest City (#42 of 100 U.S. cities) – Venturebeat.com
• Smartest City in MN To Live In (#3 of 11 MN cities) – OnlyInMinnesota.com

There you have it; from the best tasting drinking water to one of the best cities to work in for women, to the 8th best hockey city in the country, there are many reasons that St. Cloud is Greater year after year!