City of Morganton Main Street Receives 2022 Main Street America Accreditation
Morganton, NC (June 20, 2022) – The City of Morganton Main Street has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of Accredited programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
"We are extremely proud to recognize this year's 863 nationally Accredited Main Street America programs that have worked tirelessly to advance economic vitality and quality of life in their downtowns and commercial districts," said Patrice Frey, President & CEO of Main Street America. "During another incredibly challenging year, these programs demonstrated the power of the Main Street movement to respond to the needs of their communities. I am inspired by their steadfast leadership and innovative solutions to drive essential local recovery efforts, support small businesses, and nurture vibrant downtown districts."
In 2021, Main Street AMerica programs generated $5.76 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,601 net new businesses, generated 30,402 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 10,595 historic buildings, and leveraged 1,427,729 volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, it generated $19.34 of new investment back into Main Street communities.
The City of Morganton Main Street Office’s performance is annually evaluated by North Carolina Main Street and Rural Planning Center, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet rigorous national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building meaningful and sustainable revitalization programs and include standards such as, fostering strong public-private partnerships, supporting small and locally owned businesses, and actively preserving historic places, spaces, and cultural assets.
The Morganton Main Street Office has been a designated North Carolina Main Street Community since 1982. Since the state and national accreditation standards began, Morganton has received accreditation. “It is an honor to be amongst fellow Main Street communities from across the nation that achieve such rigorous standards” said Abby Nelson, City of Morganton Main Street Manager. As a part of the accreditation process, Main Street organizations must submit annual statistics showing a number of highlights including, public and private downtown investments, number of facades and buildings rehabbed, net gain of businesses, and number of volunteer hours. “This year’s statistics are due in July and the numbers are showing a healthy, active downtown economy.”
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA
Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,200 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have leveraged more than $95.33 billion in new public and private investment, generated 161,036 net new businesses and 717,723 net new jobs, and rehabilitated more than 314,431 buildings. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.
