Abstract:
The North Carolina Main Street Program, a part of the Department of Commerce's Division of Community Assistance, is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2005. North Carolina was one of the six original states to participate in the program. Since 1980, fifty-three towns across the state have signed up. The program promotes preservation and economic development in downtown areas. Caldwell profiles several program participants, Edenton, New Bern, Salisbury, Shelby, and Waynesville.