Asheville has big chance to be on Monopoly gameboard

Asheville, this is our chance.

Our chance to hit it big in Monopoly, the board game, that is. By hit it big, we mean have Asheville's name become one of the featured property spaces in the new Monopoly Here & Now game coming out this fall.

Just listen to this somewhat breathless email from a Monopoly representative:

"I'm writing on behalf of Hasbro with great news: Asheville is one of the U.S. cities included in the Monopoly Here & Now campaign taking place until March 4. The Monopoly Here & Now campaign asks fans around the country to vote for their favorite city at http://www.buzzfeed.com/votemonopoly. As of now, Asheville is ranked 14 out of 60!"

That's right folks — we're number 14!

But, that's a good thing, because, as the Monopoly rep points out, "the top 20 cities will be featured as property spaces in the new Monopoly Here & Now game this fall, and the number 1 city will even become the notable Boardwalk space!"

So, get out there and vote, Asheville!

The Monopoly rep also noted the game is played by more than 1 billion people and is currently the world's favorite family game brand. The contest is part of the game's 80th anniversary.

Hasbro, the game maker, has teamed up with social news and entertainment company BuzzFeed to ask fans to choose cities around the world that will be featured on the game. Here's the rest of the press release:

"Through March 4, fans can pick from a list of global destinations that will be featured in the Monopoly Here & Now World Edition game to be sold globally this fall, as well as top American cities for the Monopoly Here & Now: U.S. Edition game to be sold only in the U.S. From London to Los Angeles, Chicago to Cape Town, fans can rally behind their beloved hometowns, favorite vacation spots, or cities on their travel bucket lists by sharing the vote on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #VoteMonopoly as well as engage with fun BuzzFeed content featuring the cities in the vote.

From March 3 through March 9, all cities big and small will have the chance to compete for two spaces on the Monopoly Here & Now game boards during "Wild Card Week." Fans can write in additional locations not included in the initial list of destinations and the cities with the most submissions during this week will be featured as the two brown property spaces in the World and U.S. editions of the game.

"We are thrilled to be teaming up with BuzzFeed as one of the leading social news and entertainment sites to bring our fans an exciting way to choose the cities that will be featured in the new Monopoly Here & Now game," said Jonathan Berkowitz, vice president of global marketing for gaming at Hasbro. "This innovative campaign demonstrates how we continue to keep the Monopoly brand relevant by empowering our fans to help create today's game."

"From sharing on BuzzFeed to gathering around the Monopoly Here & Now game, our collaboration with Hasbro marries traditional and new media to create great social experiences that bring fans together worldwide," said Jonah Peretti, founder and CEO at BuzzFeed.

The final list of cities that will be featured in the Monopoly Here & Now games will be announced on March 19, World Monopoly Day and the Monopoly brand's official birthday. The Monopoly Here & Now games will be available this fall and will feature iconic landmark tokens and new gameplay where players travel around the board to visit as many locations as possible, collecting passport stamps along the way. Players will collect cash from visitor fees when opponents land on their locations and the first player to fill their passport wins.

The Monopoly brand is the world's favorite family game brand and the game has been played by more than one billion people in 114 countries around the world. Whether fans play face-to-face, online or on their mobile or console devices, there is a Monopoly experience to fit every lifestyle. Learn more about the Monopoly brand at Monopoly.com, join the conversation at Facebook.com/Monopoly, and vote in the Monopoly Here & Now campaign at VoteMonopoly.com.