Houston, you are mighty neighborly.
The announcement came Saturday that Houston won its population category as part of “Missouri Good Neighbor Week” in the state.
This honor was based on points earned by participating in the week, city campaigns and proclamations, residents making nominations for most engaged neighbor and reporting acts of neighboring, and statewide or local prizes won.
“The goal was to further engage cities with Missouri Good Neighbor Week and we had over 12 pass proclamations and at least 12 that had organized city-wide efforts for Missouri Good Neighbor Week,” said David Burton, a community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and the creator of Missouri Good Neighbor Week.
In 2024, five cities were named the most neighborly cities in Missouri: Houston, Excelsior Springs, Sikeston, Springfield and Ferguson.
This is what our judges had to say about the Texas County seat. “Houston continues to impress with its 3,000 roses campaign for National Good Neighbor Day and efforts by the community betterment committee. It is a true town effort,” judges wrote. Houston took the small town category of population less than 5,000.
LEARN MORE
Missouri Good Neighbor Week was passed by the legislature and enacted by Gov. Mike Parson in 2022. The idea for the week was created by Burton, a community development specialist with the University of Missouri Extension. He had done some weeklong celebrations in both Republic and Springfield, before working with his State Rep. Bishop Davidson, on a bill.
The efforts in Missouri have not gone unnoticed. In the last month, there have been inquiries about the creation of other statewide neighbor weeks from Massachusetts, Michigan, Connecticut, California, Florida, Oklahoma, Washington and Colorado.
The Hopeful Neighborhood Project, headquartered in St. Louis, is a co-partner with other Missouri County Extension Councils in supporting the project statewide.
Congratulations to the town of Houston for winning the Good Neighbor award!