The National Main Street Center recently designated 47 North Carolina communities — including Tryon — as accredited Main Street America programs, the North Carolina Department of Commerce announced this month.

Each year, the National Main Street Center and North Carolina Commerce’s Main Street & Rural Planning Center partner to announce the list of all accredited Main Street America programs, recognizing commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the “Main Street Approach.”

“The Main Street & Rural Planning Center expands our rural and small-town communities’ capacity to take on economic development and revitalization projects,” said Secretary of Commerce Anthony Copeland. “The communities accredited today have worked with the center to establish practices that will fuel their efforts to bring jobs and development to their town.”

Each community’s performance is annually evaluated by the North Carolina Main Street staff, in partnership with the National Main Street Center. The staff identifies the local programs that meet 10 national performance standards, including strong public-private partnerships and active preservation of  historic buildings.

– Submitted by Jamie Carpenter