Morganton, N.C.
Morganton, N.C.The Department of Commerce’s NC Main Street Center is hosting its annual N.C. Main Street Conference March 18-20 in Morganton. This year’s participation exceeds 530 people making it the most attended in the conference’s 14-year history. The theme – Main Street HAS What It Takes– references both the increased diversity in North Carolina’s downtown districts today and the Main Street program tools that help communities achieve diversified success.
2015 also marks the 35th anniversary of the NC Main Street Center and the conference will be a celebration of that milestone. North Carolina has one of the oldest Main Street programs in the country. There are 100 designated North Carolina Main Street and Small Town Main Street communities that participate in the program and together. They have experienced more than $2.2 billion in investment, nearly 5,000 new businesses have opened and more than 19,000 new jobs have been created in the downtown districts.
Sessions scheduled throughout the conference will cover a variety of downtown-related topics such as renovating downtown buildings, building healthy communities, spurring economic development and the arts and many more topics.
In conjunction with the conference, the annual North Carolina Main Street Awards Reception and Program will be held tonight at the city of Morganton Municipal Auditorium. Breakfast with the Main Street Champions will be held in the same location on Friday, March 20. These two events recognize outstanding projects taking place in Main Street and Small Town Main Streets throughout the state and honor dedicated individuals who have gone the extra mile to make their downtowns thriving places.
Morganton was designated as a Main Street city in 1982 and is one of the most vibrant downtown districts in the program. Morganton has hosted the Main Street Conference three times; in 2004, 2007 and 2015. With its charming, historic downtown located around the historic Burke County Courthouse and the Courthouse square, Morganton is always a popular choice with conference attendees.
Main Street is a downtown revitalization program based on economic development within the context of historic preservation. N.C. Main Street and Small Town Main Street, which provide technical assistance to smaller participating towns and cities throughout the state, are part of the NC Main Street Center and the Office of Urban Development in the Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division.