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Taber, Alta. may be best known for its corn but now the town is known for its friendliness too. It’s the only centre in Alberta to crack Expedia’s Top 25 list of the Friendliest Communities (and towns) in Canada.

The news came as a shock to some locals.

“I can’t tell you why Taber ranked high on the list,” Sean Prummel said. “But, it reflects great on Taber.”

The list is based on Expedia user reviews for friendly hotel staff with welcoming attitudes.

Here are Expedia’s rankings:

Carp, Ont. North Hatley, Que. Bayfield, Ont. Miscouche, PEI Malahat, B.C. Taber, Alta. Annapolis Royal, N.S. Quispamsis, N.B. Chemainus, B.C. Bancroft, Ont.

Other Taber residents said it makes sense the Corn Capital of Canada ranked sixth on the list.

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“It’s just the way we are,” Kim Thompson said. “It’s just the way Taber is.” Tweet This

Taber gets high marks for Corn Fest, but Deputy Mayor Laura Ross-Giroux hopes the town will soon be recognized for more.

She hopes things like the pheasant festival, the new skate park and a new performing arts centre council is working towards building will become attractions.

“I think that the best of all things that could come from this list is that if we can encourage more people to move to our community, also just to come and visit us and see that we are a pretty good place,” Ross-Giroux said.

Canada is famous for being a friendly nation and the people of Taber are proud to help contribute to that reputation.

“We’ve known it all along,” the deputy mayor said. “This just kind of validates what we’ve already known.”