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Viroqua proved to be an early pick to make the third annual “Great Places You’ve Never Heard Of” list compiled by the Mother Earth News.

Publication assistant editor Alison Rogers said Tuesday that Viroqua was “completely in tune with what our readers enjoy reading about.”

Viroqua was named one of nine small municipalities to be listed on Mother Earth News’ third annual “Great Places You’ve Never Heard Of” list, which will be published in its August/September edition that hits news stands on July 29.

Mother Earth News is “the Original Guide to Living Wisely.” Launched in 1970, bimonthly issues feature information to save money, cut energy costs, use renewable energy, garden organically and build green homes. The magazine is published in Topeka, Kan., and has a circulation of 350,000.

The information about Viroqua was written by author Dave Wann and it says that Viroqua’s support of local, organic farms is one of the pieces of the puzzle that makes Viroqua a great place. The article also cites Viroqua’s efforts as a Main Street city to keep its downtown moving in a positive direction. Viroqua’s Food Co-op was another of its strengths, Rogers said.

“We received a picture of cheese at the Food co-op from (Westby photographer) Eric Wuennenberg and seeing that clinched it for me,” Rogers said. “I said, ‘I want to be there.’”

Contributions by Wuennenberg and Viroqua’s Terry Noble accompany the article.

Wuennenberg said he took several photos inside the co-op for the magazine.

“The cheese counter showed a lot of local, sustainably produced products and that’s what they were looking for,” Wuennenberg said.

Rogers said Viroqua has a “unique cultural perspective” and that local efforts regarding sustainability were considered in the “very informal” process of choosing which cities made the list.

Other cities making this year’s list are Ames, Iowa; Berea, Ky.; Bethel, Maine; Bisbee, Ariz.; Greenbelt, Md.; Moscow, Idaho; San Luis Obispo, Calif.; and Traverse City, Mich.

And although the list says they’re places people haven’t heard of, Rogers said, “There’s no place no one has heard of. We thought these were worthy of recognition.”