Helena: “Our Secret is Out”

Winner, 10,001 to 20,000 population category

In August 2007, Helena was listed in Money Magazine among the top 100 places to live in America. More recently, BusinessWeek.com included Helena in its 2007 list of the “Best Places to Raise Your Kids.” Under the long-time leadership of Mayor Charles “Sonny” Penhale, Helena has managed to grow into a city offering major conveniences while maintaining the look and feel of a small, quaint town. Projects such as revitalizing Helena’s Renaissance District, reconstructing old landmarks, developing community recreational areas, placing monumental welcome signs at city boundaries, seasonal planting and manicuring and the continuous maintenance of city rights-of-ways has helped Helena enter the 21^st Century with old-fashioned style and grace.

Helena’s Renaissance District, known locally as Old Town, was conceived in 1977 as part of the city’s Comprehensive Development Plan to expand and refurbish the small downtown area, developing it into a 19^th-century tourist/commercial district. The project continues today with the rebuilding of a replica of Floyd and Flowers Service Station. The Renaissance District is also home to the Old Town Amphitheater Park, one of Helena’s five city parks, featuring a children’s playground, walking trails, an outdoor stage and a large grassy picnic area surrounded by woodlands and bordering a branch of the Cahaba River.