West Allis is America’s “Strongest Town”

West Allis, a town of almost 60,000 west of Milwaukee, defeated Madison as the nationwide winner of a contest sponsored by municipal consultancy Urban3 and Strong Towns.

The Strongest Town Contest promotes local governments or non-profits working to strengthen local economies and restore neighborhoods. Organizers say the competition doesn’t require pefection, but rather gives credit on progress and resilience.

A “strong town” was defined for the contest as a municipality taking real steps to address transportation, housing or financial challenges using what organizers call the “Strong Towns Approach.”

West Allis will receive a trophy, a visit from Strong Towns founder Chuck Marohn, a mini-documentary about the community, a screening event, and other prizes.

Here is a look at the bracket in which West Allis earned its victory.

In the March opening showcase, each of our 16 towns was seeded by votes. The top eight towns moved on. From there on out, they matched up head-to-head to determine the champion.

The collapse of Allis-Chalmers in 1999 was a gut-punch to the city, and not all locals have been in favor of some of the bold ideas civic leaders have floated. This is why Strong Towns focused on resilience, and not huge results.

The community is known for hosting the Wisconsin State Fair and is the eleventh largest city in the state.