Gainesville — Gainesville is the most patriotic small town in America.

The title follows Tuesday’s decision by judges in a national contest — and certainly matches the sentiments of local officials who helped their city earn the distinction.

“We’re thrilled because we will be able to boast what we already know,” said Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lynette Pettigrew. “Which is that this is the most patriotic small town in America. And on top of that, we will be able to show off the community to the rest of the country and the rest of the world.”

The official announcement came shortly after 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Earlier in the day, judges in the “Best of the Road” contest gathered at a convention in Seattle, Wash., and chose Gainesville as “Most Patriotic” from a list of six finalist cities that included Watertown, N.Y., Duluth, Ga., DeLand, Fla., Mandan, N.D., and Enterprise, Ala.

The contest is a joint effort between the Rand McNally corporation and USA Today. As the winning city in the “Most Patriotic” category, Gainesville will receive special placement in both Rand McNally atlas publications and global positioning systems.

“It’s an incredibly proud moment for the citizens of Gainesville and Cooke County to be recognized,” said Gainesville Mayor Jim Goldsworthy. “I know that with the Medal of Honor program and all the associated programs that take place in our community, I’m not surprised at all that we did win. And I’m very pleased that Rand McNally gave us that much deserved recognition.”

Contest results follow a process that began locally in June and even earlier online, as voters participated in a “Best of the Road” poll. Choosing among categories of “Most Fun,” “Best Food,” “Friendliest City” and “Most Patriotic,” among others, the participants edged Gainesville into a finalist slot alongside five other American cities.

After contest representatives notified Gainesville officials that their city made the short list, organizers hustled to muster a two-day lineup of patriotic events designed to impress visiting “Road” contest judges Rick Griffin and Sandi McKenna. The pair visited Gainesville on July 2-3, and were treated to the spectacle of a children’s bicycle parade, an ice cream social and a tour of city streets streaming with patriotic colors.

Pettigrew explained Monday that the advantage of the situation was that as grand as the patriotic results appeared, they came at no cost to the city. She said her chamber of commerce produced and sold “Most Patriotic Small Town” shirts, and later broke even. And both the parade and ice cream social unfolded without expense, since all decorations and refreshments were donated.

“We just put the word out that we needed it and people brought it in,” Pettigrew said. “Everything was gained.”

The long-term results of the contest victory may be that the city becomes even more of a tourist attraction, which is a financial boost. Gainesville Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Kent Sharp said Monday that while he can’t quantify how many people will visit because of the “Most Patriotic” award, the city’s national exposure so far has only been positive.

“With the tens of millions of the media impressions that people will view, that’s a huge thing that drives traffic and drives people to come to your community,” Sharp said. “And I think it’s also safe to say that if they’ve got enough money to get in the car, they’ll probably feel they’ve got enough to spend in our restaurants and retail stores. So I think it’ll have a big impact.”