2026 All-America City Finalist – Bowling Green - Warren County, KY

As one of Kentucky’s fastest-growing communities, Bowling Green reflects on a history shaped by connection, industry, and resilience. Founded along the Barren River and later propelled by railroads, highways, and global manufacturing, the city has long served as a gateway to opportunity. Today, it continues to evolve as a center for advanced manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and education.

With a population that speaks more than 100 languages and 40+ internationally based manufacturers operate, the city has embraced a community-centered model of engagement. Through cross-sector partnerships, leadership development, and innovative outreach, residents are actively shaping decisions about the future. The following programs highlight how Bowling Green has embraced initiatives focusing on hands-on civic learning, participation architecture, and shared-identity celebrations.

Downtown BGKY Ambassador Academy  

For many years, a civic disconnect has persisted between students at Western Kentucky University (WKU) and the broader Bowling Green community. To address this gap, the city partnered with WKU, nonprofits, local businesses, and civic leaders to launch the Downtown BGKY Ambassador Academy (DAA). Rather than treating students as temporary residents, the initiative engaged them as emerging civic participants through a deliberately inclusive recruitment process spanning majors, backgrounds, and experiences. The program brought together more than 40 community partners and city leaders to directly interact with students, creating sustained, hands-on opportunities to understand and contribute to local civic life.

The Academy operated as a six-session immersive program designed to build civic literacy and social capital. Participants engaged in interactive experiences such as a mock Board of Commissioners meeting at City Hall, exposure to multiple city departments, and collaboration with nonprofits, arts organizations, and small businesses.

The program removed barriers to participation by offering free enrollment, flexible scheduling, and donated resources. Its structure emphasized experiential learning, cross-sector collaboration, and direct access to decision-makers, ensuring students gained both knowledge of local governance and meaningful relationships within the community.

The program has produced measurable gains in civic confidence and connection: 93.3% of participants reported increased civic understanding, 100% felt more connected to downtown, and over 70% expressed greater interest in seeking employment locally after graduation. With minimal financial investment, the Academy demonstrates a scalable model for strengthening civic pipelines, building trust, and integrating young residents into long-term community leadership.

Bowling Green 2050 Community Visioning

Facing rapid population growth and recognizing that traditional public meetings were failing to reach most residents, Bowling Green launched the BG 2050 initiative to expand who participates in shaping the community’s future. In partnership with Google Jigsaw and InnoEngine, the city introduced an accessible, large-scale digital engagement platform designed to remove barriers to participation.

Residents were invited to contribute ideas, respond to others, and engage in open dialogue from any device, at any time. Supported by over 100 community partners, the process intentionally reached beyond typical participants to include students, working families, rural residents, and first-time contributors.

The initiative culminated in one of the largest interactive digital town halls in the country. Residents submitted ideas and interacted with one another’s responses, creating a dynamic, dialogue-based process rather than a static survey. The platform synthesized thousands of inputs into clear themes, which directly informed long-range planning. Local leaders used the results to identify priorities across infrastructure, healthcare, education, and economic development, while ensuring transparency through publicly shared findings and ongoing community feedback loops.

The effort engaged roughly 8,000 residents, generating over 4,000 ideas and more than one million interactions, far exceeding traditional participation. Participants reported increased confidence in their voice and greater understanding of differing perspectives, while leaders gained actionable insights and streamlined planning processes. Now, BG 2050 is advancing implementation of strategic priorities and refining engagement tools, positioning Bowling Green as a national model for inclusive, scalable civic participation.

Duncan Hines Days

To maintain shared identity in a rapidly growing and diversifying community, Bowling Green transformed the legacy of Duncan Hines into an inclusive, community-wide celebration. Before becoming a household name in baking mixes, Duncan Hines was born and raised in Bowling Green and graduated from Bowling Green Business University. Years later, he published his widely influential food and travel guidebooks from his home office. City and county agencies partnered with local businesses, nonprofits, cultural institutions, and residents to co-create Duncan Hines Days, ensuring broad participation across demographics, interests, and neighborhoods. Programming was intentionally designed to be accessible and community-driven, with free or low-cost events held in public spaces to remove barriers and foster belonging. This collaborative approach connected long-time residents and newcomers through a shared cultural story rooted in hospitality, food, and local pride.

Duncan Hines Days was developed as a weeklong festival featuring over 50 events, including Restaurant Week, live music performances, recreation activities, and family-friendly programming. More than 60 restaurants, 50 community partners, and numerous sponsors contributed to the initiative.

Events activated parks, downtown spaces, and cultural venues, while partnerships extended to local attractions, museums, and businesses. The festival emphasized inclusivity through free programming, donated resources, and diverse event offerings tailored to different age groups and interests.

The festival has drawn over 45,000 attendees from multiple states and generated more than $6 million in economic impact. Beyond attendance, it has strengthened civic relationships, expanded public-private partnerships, and enhanced coordination across agencies. Moving forward, Bowling Green will focus on continuing to build this model, using the event to deepen community engagement, reinforce shared identity, and sustain collaboration year-round.

Return to the complete list of the 2026 All-America City Award Finalists.