The City of Jefferson put another feather in its cap for an award late last week.

The Iowa League of Cities held its annual conference in Des Moines and the City of Jefferson was honored as the All-Star Community Award. City Administrator Scott Peterson said the recognition came from their nomination of the downtown restoration project that has gone on for over a decade and the uniqueness of this kind of transformation.

“Jefferson is held up as a statewide example of things that really can happen when you get all of the partners kind of pulling the rope in the same direction because it takes a lot of different people to get these things done. This acknowledgement then is very much appreciated.”   

According to the Iowa League of Cities, in 2025, downtown Jefferson has had 32 of its 52 buildings fully renovated with another 13 having their facades upgraded, through the use of Community Development Block grants. They added that the All-Star Community Award is the highest honor that the League of Cities has. Peterson adds that Jefferson was the winner in the medium category. The other two were in New Albin for the small category and Cedar Falls for the large population category.