SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif- A group of judges chosen from USA Today and Rand McNally have been immersing themselves in San Luis Obispo's way of life all weekend, to see what makes Slo the "Friendliest Town in America."
San Luis Obispo is one of the six finalists for the moniker "Friendliest Town" and the winner will be announced on the 15th of this month.
Being the friendliest in the land could come with some economic benefits. "Coming here and feeling that community spirit and the friendly people and knowing just how wonderful and small town this community really is, is what I think a lot of people want to come here and check out," says Lindsay Miller from SLO's Chamber of Commerce.
With the hopeful reputation of being the friendliest town, the chamber is expecting more people to visit. "Tourism is the number one industry in San Luis Obispo, so I think this will give us a huge boost to having people come in, its a huge economic driver," says Miller. Tourism and agriculture are big business here and continue to grow.
"We're show casing the gem of our slo wine country region and it's really putting us on the map at this point," says Heather Muran, from SLO Vintners. A culture put on the map, hoping to earn a spot on the globe. San Luis Obispo won't be so much of a "hidden" gem anymore.
