This NC suburb is an award finalist. Why it’s one of the top places in the US
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- Morrisville, North Carolina is a finalist for the 2026 All-America City Award.
- The town is one of 20 places still in the contest. In June, 10 winners will be named.
- The award recognizes places with an innovative spirit and “inclusive civic engagement.”
The Triangle is bursting with innovation — and now, one town has received a national nod.
The Raleigh suburb of Morrsiville is a finalist for the 2026 All-America City Award, which recognizes places with innovative approaches to “inclusive civic engagement,” according to results published in March.
“The award will spotlight communities across the country that are creatively engaging residents in collective efforts to create thriving and welcoming places where trust and belonging are abundant,” the award program wrote on its website.
Here’s what to know about Morrisville and why it’s in the running as a top place in the United States.
What makes Morrisville special?
The National Civic League — which presents the All-America City Award — said “tribes, towns, cities, counties, and regions” were eligible to send in applications. The submissions went through a review period before organizers determined Morrisville was among the finalists.
“In response to our wonderfully diverse population, we’ve been intentional about creating opportunities to gather, celebrate and learn from one another,” Mayor TJ Cawley wrote in a Monday, April 6 news release. “When something matters to some of our residents, we show up alongside them because their traditions and cultures enrich all of us.”
Morrisville — west of Raleigh and south of Durham — is home to more than 30,000 people. In the past, it has been named one of the nation’s best cities for families and the state’s best place to live, The News & Observer reported.
“Morrisville is located adjacent to Research Triangle Park — a national hotbed of technological development, hosting over 385 companies and 55,000 workers with more than $6 billion dollars of research investment,” the town wrote on its website. “The town’s economy is based on highly skilled professional and technology industries, particularly including recent expansion in life sciences and advanced manufacturing.”
Morrisville named a finalist
Morrisville was the only place in North Carolina to advance to this round of the competition. A list of all 20 finalists is available at nationalcivicleague.org.
In June, the last part of the contest kicks off in Denver. Representatives from Morrisville and other locations will attend informative sessions and present their cases in front of a jury. At the end of the event, 10 winners will be announced, the award program wrote on its website.
“Some of the projects and initiatives included in our award application were collaborative efforts on economic development, arts-based and storytelling projects that demonstrate the community’s future like our mural and icon programs, our Language Access Program that is utilized to learn how to engage with the community in their preferred language, and public education campaigns for critical projects like Town Center,” town spokesperson Erin Hudson told The N&O in a Friday, April 10 email.
Morrisville said it was one of the places that won the contest in 2021, when the theme was “Building Equitable and Resilient Communities.” Here are some other past winners from the state:
- Carrboro, 2025
- Charlotte, 2018 and 2023
- Durham, 1983
- Garner, 2013
- Raleigh, 1975
Since its start in the 1949, the All-America City Award has been given to more than 500 destinations. This year, hundreds of places in the United States applied, according to a news release from the city of Montgomery, Alabama, a fellow finalist.
The award program didn’t immediately share additional information with The News & Observer.
This story was originally published April 10, 2026 at 12:05 PM with the headline "This NC suburb is an award finalist. Why it’s one of the top places in the US."
