Jefferson City has been named America's "Most Beautiful" small town in a competition held by Rand McNally's Best of the Road.
According to notes from judges of the competition, "Jefferson City's essay used colorful language to bring out the beauty and charm of the town, from its proud historical connections to its lovely capitol and other elegant buildings."
Jefferson City was running against Punta Gorda, Fla.; Quincy, Ill.; Arvada, Colo.; and Cloudcroft, N.M.
The top five towns in each category were judged on a number of criteria including the number of votes received on bestoftheroad.com, the overall fit and suitability of the town in the selected category, the town's social participation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, video or photo tours plus written submissions.