Abstract:
North Carolina's Main Street Program assists towns and cities in revitalizing and preserving their central business districts. Since 1980, forty-five communities have participated in the program, gaining over 8,300 jobs, renovating over 1,900 buildings, and attracting 4,300 new businesses. Officials of towns, including Waynesville, Sylva, and Shelby, discuss what having a revitalized downtown means to their city or town.