Chincoteague 'Two Cool' in small town contest

Chincoteague added another accolade to its growing list when it was picked the second Coolest Small Town in America in the annual Budget Travel contest.

The island lost out narrowly to Grand Marais, Minnesota, in the travel website's 2015 Coolest Small Town in America Contest.

The results were announced earlier this month, a Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce news release said.

Chincoteague Island finished second out of 15 participants with over 24 percent of the votes cast by Budget Travel readers and fans of nominated towns. Voting was extended to March 4 from Feb. 25 due to the tight race between Grand Marais and Chincoteague.

"This year's contest had a total of more than 100,000 votes, with loyal Budget Travel readers and fans of our nominated towns coming to the site each day since the contest opened on Jan. 21 to click or tap for their favorite town," said contest organizers.

Chincoteague is the second Delmarva town to take top honors in the travel website contest for the second year. Berlin, Maryland, won the Coolest Town honor in last year's contest.

Since 2006, Budget Travel has celebrated the culture, history, natural beauty, and old fashioned charm of America's small towns, with enthusiastic support from hundreds of thousands of readers around the world.

Each fall, the contest begins by soliciting online nominations for cool American towns with a population under 10,000. Look for details this fall to nominate Chincoteague again for 2016.

Budget Travel defines "cool" as an energetic vibe that often combines community spirit with a vibrant arts scene, great food, natural beauty, and unique history. Chincoteague will be featured in an upcoming issue of Budget Travel including all digital platforms.

The island is home to the 36th Annual Easter Decoy & Art Festival, taking place this weekend; the 47th Annual Seafood Festival; the 90th Annual Pony Roundup, Swim, Auction and Fireman's Carnival; and the 43rd Annual Oyster Festival. Numerous organizations offer an endless array of events and activities throughout the year to promote the arts, culture, heritage, history, fabulous cuisine, and unparalleled natural beauty.

"We are proud to be 'Two Cool'," the Chamber said.

The town also finished as the 8th Best Coastal Small Town in America in the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice contest.

Panelists selected Chincoteague Island as one of 20 contenders for the Best Coastal Small Town category. The contest, promoted by USA TODAY, gave voters four weeks to vote for the candidate of their choice.

The top 10 Budget Travel Contest winners are:

Grand Marais, Minnesota

Chincoteague, Virginia

Hillsborough, North Carolina

Allegan, Michigan

Washington, North Carolina

Delhi, New York

Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Huron, Ohio

Snohomish, Washington

Old Orchard Beach, Maine