OGDEN, Utah, April 6, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Voting ends Monday for USA Today’s national “Best Main Street” contest where Ogden‘s Historic 25th Street is a frontrunner.
The three blocks of 25th Street between Wall Avenue and Washington Boulevard made the cut for the final 20 nominees selected by the publication’s panel of experts, seven veteran travel writers, when voting opened in early March.
On USA Today’s contest website 25th Street has maintained a position among the top vote-getters. It reached number three on the leaderboard on March 12, topped by No. 1 Emporia, Kansas, and 2nd place Haddenfield, New Jersey. The leaderboard didn’t list tallies, just rank.
By March 14, the street known for its Prohibition heyday before its 1970s revival leading to today’s array of locally owned shops, restaurants, bars, and art galleries, had vaulted to the No. 1 spot.
But March 17 the street considered the centerpiece of Ogden’s downtown had slipped to No. 2 behind Howell, Michigan. As of last week it was No. 3 before USA Today shut down the leaderboard for the final days of voting.
Contest rules allow marking a ballot for one nominee once a day. Voting closes officially Monday, April 8, at noon Eastern Time. Results for a top ten list will be announced April 17 on the contest site.
USA Today’s entry for 25th Street reads: “In 1869, Union Station opened in Ogden, Utah, creating the terminus of what would become historic 25th Street. Today the stretch of road welcomes more than a million visitors each year, who come for the art galleries, restaurants, shopping, and historic attractions.”
Not to mention the bars, which it didn’t, many of which precede zoning regulations that today ban drinking establishments in as close proximity to each other as they are now on 25th Street.
But the street fits the banner USA Today assigns the contest: “Main streets across the United States are experiencing a renaissance. Once abandoned and boarded up as people shifted to the suburbs, these iconic thoroughfares are now thriving.
“These 20 places with charming main streets — nominated by an expert panel for being the best in the U.S. — offer more than just a road; these streets are living history, have a vibrant culture, and serve as the hearts of their communities.”
