Charlevoix Main Street has been designated as an affiliate Main Street America™ program by the National Main Street Center. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its Coordinating Program partners announce the list of nationally recognized Main Street America Affiliate programs in recognition of their commitment to achieving meaningful improvements in downtowns across the country using the Main Street Approach®.
“It is my privilege to recognize this year’s 256 Main Street America Affiliate programs,” says Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center. “Their work to revive local economies brings communities together to forge the future of cities and towns across the country. Main Streets are the heart of our communities, and these Main Street America programs truly strengthen the economic, social, and cultural fabric of their entire communities.”
The organization’s performance is annually evaluated by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Michigan Main Street Center, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that are committed to comprehensive revitalization and achieving meaningful community outcomes.
“Our continued designation as an affiliate Main Street America™ program is crucial as we continue to build our program’s capacity to revitalize downtown Charlevoix,” says Lindsey Dotson, Executive Director of Charlevoix Main Street DDA. “Their guidance and resources are key to our success as we work collaboratively towards building a stronger year-round economy.”
The mission of the Charlevoix Main Street program is to strengthen the year-round economic vitality of our vibrant historic business district through community efforts, events, and public/private partnerships while fostering a sense of community pride and ownership.
Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today, it is a network of more than 1,000 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 $71.35 billion in new public and private investment, generated 583,869 net new jobs and 131,974 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 267,800 buildings. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.