It was close, but Port Angeles managed to top Bainbridge Island in Outside magazine’s annual “Best Towns” competition.
Voting closed last night. The last time I checked (around 9 p.m.) Port Angeles was leading by about 250 votes. No other Washington cities had been selected for the competition by Outside’s editors.
It took a lot of clicking to stuff the digital ballot box.
“My fingers are so tired of 5 hours of voting,” wrote one Port Angelino on Facebook this morning. “We were 200 behind when I started at 3:30 and with everyone’s help, We WON!”
“We did!!! wheeew! good thing i had the house to myself and was watching crap tv while voting,” wrote another frequent voter on the Revitalize Port Angeles Facebook page.
“I love the way everyone’s hard work pays off in this type of contest,” added a third.
P.A. must now out-click Glenwood Springs, Colorado, which also advanced to the third round.
Glenwood Springs has about half the population of Port Angeles, so that may put them at some disadvantage. Plus, the weather’s really nice in Colorado right now. While it rains on the peninsula, keeping P.A.-ers at their computers, Glenwood’s residents are probably playing outdoors. According to Outside, there’s plenty to enjoy: a whitewater park on the Colorado River, nearby hot springs, lakes, caves, canyons, forested mountain bike trails and a plenty of rock climbing routes.
“Adventure is part of the locals’ genes,” according to Outside.
We’ll now see if incessant Internet voting is another Glenwooder gene trait.
Top photo: Port Angeles campaign poster by Tammy Lynn French.
