Every year WorldAtlas names towns and cities across America for their rich cultures, diverse landscapes, and beautiful landmarks, and this year the panhandle’s very own Canyon, Texas was named one of the 13 prettiest towns in America.

Megan Nelson, City of Canyon Director of Communications and Community Engagement, had this to say regarding the city’s naming.

“It’s a really nice recognition, because we all as people who live in Canyon, know that canyon is one of the most beautiful places and also such an amazing place to work, live and raise a family, but among that, it’s nice to see kind of a nationwide recognition.” Nelson said. “The article itself was from the Austin American Statesman. And so having our friends down in Austin who are working really hard to create laws for everyone, it’s nice to remind them that the Panhandle is a beautiful place too.”

Part of what qualified Canyon for the list is the expansive landmarks and locations within and surrounding the town.

WorldAtlas praised Canyon for representing “the expansive and diverse landscape of Texas better than most towns.” Located in the heart of the Texas Panhandle, it’s known as the gateway to the Palo Duro Canyon State Park — the second-largest in the country, often referred to as the ‘Grand Canyon of Texas,” Alexis Simmerman, reporter for the Austin-American Statesman, said. This is one of several nature preserves that surround the town of roughly 17,000 residents, as well as Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Ceta Canyon Retreat Center.

And with the growing rate of Canyon and the panhandle as a whole, it is little surprise the area would receive some recognition.

“Tourism is really big here. The [Palo Duro] Canyon is a lot closer to Canyon than it is to Amarillo,” Nelson said. “It is a huge economic factor. We have lots of people coming here all throughout the year, not only to hike, but to come to things like TEXAS [The Outdoor Musical] , and to just overall spend time here in Canyon. But the canyon isn’t the only beautiful thing about our town. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to our downtown area, which is our square. We are a Texas Main Street city, which means that we really focus on historical preservation and also just really focusing our businesses in our downtown area. We have about a third of our businesses in our Main Street district, and they are also going to be the ones that put on summer events like June jams.”

Though the panhandle can be a special place all on its own, the recognition helps boost things like tourism, small business growth, and more.

“Online educational resource WorldAtlas analyzed over 19,000 incorporated cities, towns and villages to find the areas with the most visual appeal,” Simmerman said. “From the West Coast’s majestic mountains to the prairie ecoregions of the Great Plains to the white sand dunes in New Mexico, the resource zeroed in on the small towns that feature the best views of the nation’s eclectic scenery.”