High marks for Veterans Day search trends, voting rate and Veteran-owned businesses place Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Fla, Spokane, Wash., and Colorado Springs, Colo., as the Top 3

COLUMBIA, Mo., Nov. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — With Veterans Day approaching, Veterans United Home Loans, the nation’s largest VA lender, today unveiled its list of The 10 Most Patriotic Cities in the U.S., showcasing the metros that are committed to their Veteran communities and the democratic process – two of the most patriotic qualities an American can demonstrate.

The top 10 in rank order are: Crestview-Fort Walton Beach Destin, Fla.; Spokane, Wash.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Madison, Wis.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Columbia, S.C.; Springfield, Mo.; Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton, Pa.-N.J.; Minneapolis-St. Paul–Bloomington, Minn-Wis. and Columbus, Ga-Ala.

“The markets we’ve highlighted as the top patriotic cities in the U.S. stand out for the support they provide Veterans on a daily basis as well as for their community’s strong commitment to the democratic process,” Chris Birk, vice president of mortgage insight at Veterans United, said. “These are truly special places to live that showcase the best of what our nation offers, not just to the broader community, but especially to the Veterans and service members who’ve served and sacrificed to safeguard our freedoms.”

The most patriotic cities were identified based on Veteran population, the presence of VA health facilities and Veteran-owned businesses, voter turnout rate and the number of searches related to Veterans Day.

Although the top 10 cities rank high in each of the categories, they each show their patriotism in different ways.

Where Veterans call home

The Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin and Colorado Springs metros have the largest Veteran populations, ranging around 17%. Columbus also has a strong Veteran presence with 13% of its residents having served in the military.*

Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin is home to Eglin Air Force Base, one of the largest military bases in the country. The base offers a number of Veterans services, such as financial counseling, transition assistance and employment workshops offered by the base’s Airman and Family Readiness Center, making it a good place for Veterans to call home.

In addition to three military installations – the Air Force Academy, Fort Carson and Peterson Space Force Base – Colorado Springs offers service members employment and educational opportunities after their time in service. Major defense contractors such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have locations in Colorado Springs, while the University of Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak State College offer dedicated Veteran service centers and advisors.

The Army’s largest training facility, Fort Jackson, is in Columbia. The base trains about half of all incoming soldiers entering the Army each year. The town’s Veterans Day parade is one of the largest in the Southeast.

Support for Veteran businesses

With relatively small numbers of Veteran populations, the Minneapolis, Allentown and Salt Lake City MSAs have a proportionally high number of Veteran-owned businesses. Estimates show that Veterans make up between 4-5% of Minneapolis’ population, and the metro is home to more than 3,500 Veteran-owned businesses. Allentown is home to 875 Veteran-owned businesses and Salt Lake boasts nearly 1,300, with Veteran populations about 5% and 4.2%, respectively.

Caring for our Veterans

With eight VA healthcare facilities in the metro, including the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison scored highest among the top cities for access to healthcare relative to its Veteran population. Springfield ranked second for Veteran healthcare with the Gene Taylor Veterans’ Outpatient Clinic in the heart of the metro and four other health facilities throughout the surrounding area.

Also ranking high for VA healthcare facilities per Veteran was Spokane, with the Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center offering care alongside six other locations, providing healthcare for around 40,000 Veterans. Despite its high number of Veterans, Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin scored lower for VA health facilities.

Voter turnout

Voter participation in each of the top 10 metros was higher than the 66% national turnout for the 2020 election. Salt Lake City, Madison and Springfield had the highest turnouts with 90.1%, 89.3% and 83% of residents casting ballots in 2020, respectively.

The standard voter turnout metric considers the turnout of voters, compared to the number of registered voters in the area. When comparing the number of voters to the entire population, Springfield still scores exceptionally high at 67.7%, and nine of the 10 most patriotic cities score higher than the average for the 100 evaluated MSAs, which was 46.4% of the population.

Google: Where can I find Veterans Day celebrations?

Columbus led the most patriotic cities in Veterans Day searches on Google, most likely as result of the metro being home to the National Infantry Museum, events like the Tri-City Veterans Day Parade and initiatives such as “Veterans on Veterans,” a series of panel discussions where Veterans share their stories and connect with the community.

Colorado Springs placed second in Google queries due to a surge of searches for Veterans Day terms, as the Colorado Springs Veterans Day Parade. Initially canceled this year due to a lack of funding and participation, the parade was back on only a few days later due to public outcry. In announcing the event would take place, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade said, “Let’s show the world that Colorado Springs is a city that honors its Veterans not just with words but with actions. Let’s make this year’s parade the biggest and the best yet.”

Columbia ranked third for Google search trends among the top 10 patriotic cities, likely based on its large concentration of military retirees and the presence of Fort Jackson.

To read more about The 10 Most Patriotic Cities in the U.S., including city profiles and methodology, visit: https://www.veteransunited.com/education/most-patriotic-cities/

*Population estimates are based on the U.S. Census data.

About Veterans United Home Loans

Based in Columbia, Missouri, the full-service national direct lender financed more than $17 billion in loans in Fiscal Year 2023 and is the country’s largest VA lender, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs Lender Statistics. The company’s mission is to help Veterans and service members take advantage of the home loan benefits earned by their service.

VeteransUnited.com | 1-800-884-5560 | 550 Veterans United Drive, Columbia, MO 65201 | Veterans United Home Loans NMLS # 1907 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). A VA approved lender; Not endorsed or sponsored by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. Licensed in all 50 states. For State Licensing information, please visit https://www.veteransunited.com/licenses/. Equal Opportunity Lender.

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SOURCE Veterans United Home Loans