Every year, dozens of communities from across the country compete for the prestigious All-America City Award, presented by the National Civic League. George Gallup, founder of the Gallup Poll, once called it the “Nobel Prize for constructive citizenship.” The National Civic League, a nonpartisan nonprofit founded in 1894, bestows the award on ten communities each year that exemplify “the American democratic ideal of a civil society … where citizens work together in the pursuit of the common good.” The contest began in 1949, inspired by the long-standing tradition of naming an All-American football team.
Fargo proudly claimed the All-America City Award in 1959. Moorhead earned an honorable mention in 1977 and later became a finalist in 1978, 1998 and 1999. Then, in 2000, the two cities set aside their friendly rivalry and did something they had never done before: they applied together. The gamble paid off, and the Fargo-Moorhead metro earned a spot among 30 finalists.
On this date in 2000, a 46-member delegation from both cities was making final preparations before departing for Louisville to make their case before the National Civic League.
Each finalist had just ten minutes to present and ten minutes for questions, a tight window to stand out among 29 other communities from 17 states. The Fargo-Moorhead team took the stage with purpose, opening with a unified chant: “We’re More than You Expect.”
They built their case around three community-driven initiatives. Project Tomorrow brought together 200 diverse stakeholders to envision what Fargo-Moorhead could become by 2010 and chart a course to get there. The Cultural Diversity Project worked to deepen awareness and appreciation of diversity while providing meaningful support to minority residents, including the many refugees who had made Fargo-Moorhead the nation’s fourth-largest resettlement destination at the time. America’s Promise invested in young people by connecting them with caring adults, providing safe spaces for structured activities, equipping them with marketable skills through education and opening doors to community service.
The strength of those grassroots initiatives resonated with the judges, and Fargo-Moorhead was named one of the ten All-America City Award winners for 2000. It was a fitting tribute to two cities that, for all their friendly rivalry, have long known how to work together to improve life across the metro.
Dakota Datebook by Trista Raezer-Stursa
Sources:
- Author Unknown. “A Legacy of Leadership. Innovation for the Future,” National Civic League. https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/history/ accessed May 20, 2026.
- Fargo-Moorhead All-America City Delegates. “F-M’s All-America City 2000 Presentation,” The Fargo Forum, June 3, 2000, pg. A8.
- Gates, Christopher T. “The All-America Process Rewarding for Two Cities,” The Fargo Forum, April 11, 2000, pg. A4.
- Spaeth, Patrick. “All-America Pitch,” The Fargo Forum, May 28, 2000, pgs. A1, A18.
- Spaeth, Patrick. “Cooperation…Never Stronger,” The Fargo Forum, June 2, 2000, pgs. A1, A7.
- Spaeth, Patrick. “It Couldn’t Have Gone Better,” The Fargo Forum, June 3, 2000, pgs. A1, A14.
- Spaeth, Patrick. “True All-Americans,” The Fargo Forum, June 4, 2000, pgs. A1, A16.
- Spencer, Karyn. “F-M finalist for All-America City Award,” The Fargo Forum, April 12, 2000, pg. B5.
