Guthrie competing for “Prettiest Painted Places” honor

Thanks to a national competition to find the “Prettiest Painted Places in America,” people across the country are discovering what Oklahoma residents have long known:  The Sooner State has some of the most beautiful towns and neighborhoods to be found anywhere.

Sponsored by the Paint Quality Institute, whose mission is to educate the public about quality paints and coatings, the “Prettiest Painted Places” competition has drawn three entries from Oklahoma:  Broken Bow, Guthrie, and Oklahoma City’s Paseo Arts District.

Over the next few weeks, the three Oklahoma communities will vie with nearly 200 nominees from other states for regional and national honors, as judges with expertise in color selection, exterior painting, and home improvement review the entries, conduct additional research and make selected site visits.  Finalists will be announced in late September, and the nation’s 12 “Prettiest Painted Places” will be revealed in mid-October.

The Paint Quality Institute has conducted its competition twice before, most recently in 2000.  Its purpose is to vividly show how an attractive paint color scheme can greatly enhance the “curb appeal” of any structure’s exterior.

“We feel there is no better way to demonstrate the importance of exterior paint color than to focus on these beautiful real-world communities that take so much pride in their appearance,” said Debbie Zimmer, paint and color expert at the Paint Quality Institute.

“The places involved in our competition are a tremendous inspiration to us all, and by giving them recognition, we hope to instill in the public a better appreciation for the role exterior paint can play in protecting and enhancing the appearance of any home or building,” she said.

A wide variety of “places” have been entered in the competition — big city neighborhoods, tiny rural towns, historical districts, “Main Streets” and communities with exterior mural programs.  Nominees range from well-known places, such as Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Napa, California to hidden gems like Vashon-Maury Island, Washington and Bell Buckle, Tennessee.

In case you’re curious, the names and locations of all of the nominees are posted on the Paint Quality Institute website at blog.paintquality.com.

THUMBNAIL SKETCHES OF OKLAHOMA NOMINEES

• Broken Bow:  Surrounded by natural beauty in the foothills of the Kiamichi Mountains, the thriving tourist town is notable for its beautifully painted homes and commercial buildings.
• Guthrie:  A rural community of quiet residential neighborhoods on tree-lined streets, the jewel of the town is its attractively painted downtown, the entirety of which is a National Historic Landmark.
• Paseo Arts District (Oklahoma City):  The brightly painted, historic Spanish-style village, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is home to more than 20 art galleries and studios, in addition to many boutiques and restaurants.