Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker announced today that the 2013-2014 N.C. Main Street Center posted impressive statistics for the 58 designated Main Street and the 45 designated Small Town Main Street communities that are active in the two programs. The Main Street communities reported:
• $88.7 million in downtown public and private investment
• 832 new jobs
• 169 new businesses
• 273 building renovations
• 273 façade improvements
• 86,810 volunteer hours
Since the inception of the program in 1980, North Carolina Main Street communities have exceeded more than $2.1 billion in downtown public and private investment, created nearly 18,000 jobs and opened more than 4,400 businesses.
“Main Streets are the core of small towns across North Carolina, the center of economic life,” said Secretary Decker. “Our successful Main Street programs have demonstrated that revitalizing our downtowns is crucial to an innovative economic development strategy that produces impressive results and better prepares rural North Carolina communities for a sustainable future.”
N.C. Main Street assists selected communities across the state in restoring economic vitality to historic downtowns. Main Street staff provides technical assistance, guidance and training to participating communities.
Small Town Main Street Program
In addition, the N.C. Small Town Main Street has been successful in revitalizing the state’s smallest communities. The 2013-2014 Small Town Main Street program reported:
• $20 million in downtown public and private investment
• 179 new jobs
• 84 new businesses
• 78 building renovations
• 54 facade improvements
• 17,436 volunteer hours
The Small Town Main Street program celebrated its tenth year anniversary in July. The program boasts $106 million in downtown public and private investment since the inception of the program in 2003, more than 1,300 jobs and a net gain of more than 500 businesses.
The Small Town Main Street program addresses the growing number of communities with populations under 7,500 that need downtown development assistance but are not likely, due to size and resource limitations, to pursue the regular Main Street program.
For more information on the N.C. Main Street Center and its programs, go to http://www.nccommerce.com/rd/main-street.