Wilkesboro Recognized As 2022 Main Street America Affiliate

HISTORIC DOWNTOWN WILKESBORO RECOGNIZED AS 2022 MAIN STREET AMERICA AFFILIATE

Wilkesboro NC, June 24th 2022 – Historic Downtown Wilkesboro has been designated as an Affiliate Main Street AmericaTM program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of Affiliate programs to recognize their commitment to create meaningful improvements to their downtowns using preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach. 

“We are thrilled to acknowledge this year’s 383 Affiliate Main Street America programs and their commitment 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, driving essential local recovery efforts, supporting small businesses, and nurturing vibrant neighborhoods."

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.

Historic Downtown Wilkesboro’s performance is annually evaluated by North Carolina Small Town Main Street, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that are committed to comprehensive, place-based revitalization efforts and achieving meaningful community outcomes.

In the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2021, Historic Downtown Wilkesboro saw four privately funded facade improvements and one building rehabilitation, as well as four improvement projects to public spaces. The fiscal year saw a net gain of five full-time jobs and two new businesses in the downtown district. Total investment in downtown reached $499,255, including $190,663 of private investment. 707 volunteer hours, valued at $18,368, were spent working on projects in the district. “I take pride in this achievement of our Historic Downtown Wilkesboro being recognized as a 2022 Main Street America affiliate through our participation with the North Carolina Small Town Main Street Program,” said Mike Inscore, Mayor of the Town of Wilkesboro. “Thanks goes out to our Wilkesboro Planning Department Staff, our Downtown Merchants and our citizens for all their efforts throughout the years in reaching this result.”

ABOUT HISTORIC DOWNTOWN WILKESBORO

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ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA

Main Street America

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Historic Downtown Wilkesboro, the gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains located in scenic Wilkes County and nestled in the Yadkin River Valley, is the commercial, municipal and social heart of the vibrant pedestrian and cycle friendly community. Serving both young and old, residents and visitors, Historic Downtown Wilkesboro is a diversified mixed-use marketplace with a uniquely walkable, visually appealing, and charmingly simple small town atmosphere. Historic Downtown Wilkesboro gains from a community of easy going, yet highly motivated and dedicated citizens, whose contributions to the preservation of their past and to the vision of their future is at the heart of their community’s strength. Embracing Historic

Downtown Wilkesboro as a place to dine, shop, have fun, learn, listen and live; the community is not simply a place, but serves as the social, cultural and historic foundation for an engaged, healthy, and happy way of leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through TM. 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.