SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. - The Social Circle Main Street Commission has been designated as an accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center.
Each year, the National Main Street Center and its Coordinating Program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach.
“We are thrilled to honor this year’s 829 nationally accredited Main Street America programs for their commitment to preservation-based economic development and the revitalization of their commercial districts,” says Patrice Frey, president and CEO of the National Main Street Center. “The power of Main Street shines across the country through these vibrant communities, who have all worked to generate impressive economic returns, preserve community character, and celebrate local history.”
In 2017 alone, Main Street America programs generated $4.48 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,211 net new businesses, generated 30,294 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 8,737 historic buildings, and clocked 2.7 million volunteer hours.
The Social Circle Main Street Commission performance is annually evaluated by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet 10 national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.
In 2017, there were 29 promotional events in Downtown Social Circle. The attendance for these events totaled 24,600 people and included 2,673 volunteer hours.
“2017 was a great year in Downtown Social Circle,” said Velinda Hardy, downtown director for the Main Street and Downtown Development Programs for the city of Social Circle. “We had six new businesses open which created 45 new jobs with a private investment of over $400,000. 2018 is already off to a great start with the opening of Buckeyes Restaurant and 3 Twisted Sisters. The Grill’n Station is slated to open early July.
The Social Circle Main Street Commission has operated in the city of Social Circle since 1998. It is a locally funded, volunteer-driven organization comprised of property and business owners, residents and professionals. The Main Street Commission’s objectives are to promote, facilitate and enable downtown events which create energy, interest and community in the heart of the City all while preserving its history and Southern charm. Social Circle is known to be ‘Georgia’s Greatest Little Town’ and we prove that each day.
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 1,600 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 $74.73 billion in new public and private investment, generated 614,716 net new jobs and 138,303 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 276,790 buildings. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
