WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National League of Cities (NLC) has chosen 45 city programs from across the country as finalists for the 2010 Awards for Municipal Excellence, recognizing cities and towns for outstanding programs that improve the quality of life in America's communities.

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"We are pleased that such a diverse group of city programs have been chosen as finalists for our Awards for Municipal Excellence," said Donald J. Borut, NLC's Executive Director. "This shows that even at a time when so many cities are struggling financially, the most creative and innovative solutions are developing at the local level."

Finalist communities include:

    Population less than 50,000               Population 50,001 - 150,000
    ---------------------------               ---------------------------
    Brunswick, OH                             Antioch, CA
    Clemson, SC                               Bryan, TX
    Conway, AR                                Centennial, CO
    Coral Gables, FL                          Cerritos, CA
    Greencastle, IN                           Independence, MO
    Griffin, GA                               North Charleston, SC
    Hercules, CA                              North Miami, FL
    Hopkins, MN                               Pembroke Pines, FL
    Kingsport, TN                             Provo, UT
    La Quinta, CA                             Santa Fe, NM
    Prescott Valley, AZ                       Schaumberg, IL (2 programs)
    Sierra Vista, AZ                          South Bend, IN
    Stuart, FL                                Sunnyvale, CA
    Vandalia, OH                              Thousand Oaks, CA
                                              Wellington, FL
                                              Westminster, CO

    Population 150,001 - 500,000              Population more than 500,000
    ----------------------------              ----------------------------
    Aurora, CO                                Dallas, TX
    Irvine, CA                                Los Angeles, CA
    Mesa, AZ                                  Milwaukee, WI
    Minneapolis, MN                           New York City, NY
    Newport News, VA                          Philadelphia, PA
    Riverside, CA                             Phoenix, AZ
    Salt Lake City, UT
    St. Petersburg, FL

Two finalists in each population category will be selected as winners of the 2010 Awards for Municipal Excellence, to be announced during NLC's Congress of Cities and Exposition in Denver, Colo., November 30 - December 4, 2010.

NLC received nominations from cities and towns in 40 states. The finalists exhibited exceptional public-private partnerships, productive citizen and community collaborations, management of municipal resources, implementation of government policies, project implementation with tangible results and/or the ability to replicate the project in other cities.

More information about the Awards for Municipal Excellence can be found on the NLC website at www.nlc.org/ame.aspx.

The National League of Cities is the nation's oldest and largest organization devoted to

strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

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SOURCE National League of Cities