WHAT IS
MAIN STREET?

Whether your town has a place called Main Street or First Avenue  what each place represents is universal, it is the heart of the historic commercial business district where old and new exist.  It is a phrase that has been used to describe everything from our nostalgic past, economic conditions, to the busy section in downtown.  

 

When we say Main Street we are talking about more than just one street.  It is the downtown community where you find mom and pops stores, independent business owners, restaurants, shopping, the theatre, financial and legal institutions.  Why does Main Street matter?   Because our Main Streets tell us who we are and who we were, and how the past shaped us.  We go to a town's Main Street to experience a feeling of something real and authentic; to learn about our past, explore our culture, and to discover our identity.

Why does Main Street matter? 

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Because our Main Streets tell us who we are and who we were, and how the past shaped us.  We go to a town's Main Street to experience a feeling of something real and authentic; to learn about our past, explore our culture, and to discover our identity.  

 

In the late 1970's the National Main Street Center was developed to protect and assist the downtown business district.  This was a time when many people had given up about the commercial and cultural viability of downtown, and when suburbs, shopping malls and big box retailers were dominating the American landscape.

So, the Main Street Movement grew out of recognition that a community is only as strong as its core and knew downtown must be preserved.  With a proven strategy for downtown revitialization, the center is a power network of linked communities, and a national support program that leads the field of ecomonic development, building reuse and historic preservation.

 

Each year through the National Main Street Center the Pikeville Main Street program along with over 1,600 other cities across the country make a commitment to real places, doing real work to revitalize communities and preserve their character.  

 

The practical framework outlined in the Main Street Approach by the National Main Street Center, as well as the passion of the professionals and volunteers who make up the Main Street network, helped to pave the way for the renaissance of a healthy, vibrant downtown that we're experiencing today.

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Pikeville Main Street is accredited by the National Main Street Center and Kentucky Main Street which follow the Four-Point Approach which engages volunteers to become part of the four committees designed to establish a successful downtown based on preservation and economic development set forth by the National Main Street Center.  4 Committees:
DESIGN - ORGANIZATION - PROMOTION - ECONOMIC VITALITY

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