You decide: Is Snohomish the coolest small town in America?

SNOHOMISH — Snohomish is in the running to be the “coolest” small town in America.

Budget Travel magazine is asking people to vote for one of 15 cities across the country that are up for the honor. Snohomish was the only city in the Northwest to make the list.

Last fall, the magazine took hundreds of nominations and had people vote for the coolest small towns. Editors then researched the top cities and came up with 15 finalists.

“We, of course, think we’re the coolest,” said Debbie Carlson-Gould, of Historic Downtown Snohomish. “We’re all rallying together. It’s pretty great that it’s that kind of town.”

People can vote on the magazine’s website for their favorite city until midnight on Feb. 25. The winner will be highlighted in a Budget Travel feature story that includes a list of the top 10 coolest small towns in the country.

People can cast a vote every 24 hours until the end of the contest. They are also encouraged to bolster the campaign by sharing photos and video on social media with the hashtag #ACST2015. Carlson-Gould posted a Snohomish video.

She said bringing attention to the area is important because Washington is the only state in the country that doesn’t spend money recruiting visitors. In 2011, the Washington Legislature eliminated the state tourism office and stopped providing money to promote travel.

“To win this contest would mean a lot of attention for our town,” Carlson-Gould said. “The whole state can benefit.”

To see a list of the towns and cast a vote, visit tinyurl.com/CoolestSnohomish.

Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports

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