Each year, the Governor’s Community Achievement Awards (GCAA) celebrate ten Texas communities for their outstanding efforts to keep their communities beautiful. From the Texas coast to the Panhandle, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has awarded cities with this honor since 1986. Winners are selected for their ability to engage citizens, local businesses, schools, and other organizations in environmental improvement initiatives. Categorized by population, these ten cities share an award of $2 million in landscaping projects. Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) and TxDOT have worked together to administer the GCAA for more than 30 years. The GCAA 2020 application is officially open. Review the application and apply at ktb.org/gcaa.

Applications are due on Thursday, March 4 at 5 p.m. CST. In the months leading up to the deadline, we will be sharing last year’s ten winners, who were recognized at the KTB Virtual Conference in 2020. 

Category 5: White Settlement

Population 15,001-25,000

Landscape Award: $180,000

A suburb of Fort Worth, White Settlement is able to maintain a hometown feel with the added benefit of being in close proximity to big-city amenities. In partnership with organizations like Keep White Settlement Beautiful (KWSB), the City focuses its future on sustainable growth and resident involvement in community improvement.

In 2019, the City installed a local community garden, where residents apply for and are assigned garden beds, in which they grow flowers and/or beautiful homegrown produce. White Settlement also keeps its community litter-free through programs, such as Adopt a Street, community cleanup events, and Ten on Tuesday, a program inviting residents to pick up 10 pieces of litter every Tuesday.

“Winning the GCAA brings some positive attention to our community and helps us show the state how special White Settlement is,” says Lacey Alexander, Affiliate Coordinator of KWSB.