Awarded by the National Civic League and sponsored by Allstate Insurance, the All-America City Award is the most prestigious municipal recognition award in the country. It has been given annually since 1948 to communities that work collaboratively to identify and solve their problems.
Communities nominate three projects that have improved life there in the previous three years.
In 1999, the City of Anderson and Partners for a Healthy Community sent a team of observers to the All-America City Award competition in Philadelphia. This group formed the core of a steering committee that selected three projects to enter in the competition in 2000. The steering committee was expanded in January 2000 to include representatives of the county government, School District 5 and the Alliance. They gave input into the written application. Because progress had involved the entire county, it was decided to apply as Anderson County rather than the city of Anderson or greater Anderson.