NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: September 30, 2025
Contact: David Fath, Communications Director
(704) 985-4935 dfath@albemarlenc.gov
Albemarle Again Earns Accreditation from Main Street America Program
ALBEMARLE, NC – The City of Albemarle has once again been designated as an Accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards set forth by Main Street America.
Each year, a list of designated Main Street programs is recognized for their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
“Albemarle’s continued Main Street America Accredited designation is a powerful recognition of the progress we’re making downtown and the partnerships that make it possible,” said Katie Lynn, Main Street Manager for the City of Albemarle. “We are especially proud to have maintained this accreditation for 32 consecutive years, since Albemarle first joined the Main Street program in 1993. Together with our partners, we are building a downtown that is vibrant, welcoming, and truly the heart of our community.”
In the past year, downtown Albemarle’s positive economic momentum continued, with more than $5.3 million in private investment and nearly $1 million in public investment fueling revitalization projects. These investments supported ten façade improvements, six building rehabilitations, and three business expansions, strengthening the economic foundation of downtown. Community engagement was equally strong, with 872 volunteer hours contributed, valued at nearly $29,000, to support events, beautification, and business initiatives. Signature events like the inaugural Summertime Sip Festival, which welcomed more than 600 visitors from 30 counties and raised $26,000, showcase downtown’s growing role as a regional destination.
The Main Street America Accredited designation is a crucial advocacy tool, signaling to local stakeholders, as well as city, state, and national funders, that a Main Street program has an established position within a nationwide movement with a 45-year proven track record of generating impressive economic returns, building local capacity, creating welcoming and inviting communities, and creating lasting impact.
“Main Street America is proud to recognize this year’s 821 Accredited Main Street America programs for their commitment to building strong and vibrant communities,” said Erin Barnes, President and CEO of Main Street America. “Their tireless efforts show what’s possible when engaged leaders work together to shape places that reflect the people they serve. The continued impact of our network shows that the Main Street movement remains a powerful force for positive transformation.”
Albemarle’s performance was evaluated through assessments conducted by the City’s personnel and Albemarle Downtown’s nonprofit board of directors, and NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify local programs that meet rigorous national community evaluation standards.
These standards provide the Main Street America network with a strong foundational framework to review progress, recognize strengths, understand trends, and identify strategies that move Main Street programs forward. To quality for Accredited status—Main Street America’s top designation tier—communities must demonstrate a proven track record of achieving outcomes in alignment with the Main Street Approach and exceptional performance in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.
In 2024, Main Street America programs generated $7.65 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,324 new businesses, facilitated the creation of 33,835 new jobs, rehabilitated 10,126 historic buildings, and logged 1.9 million volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, $21.73 was reinvested into their downtown and commercial corridor communities.
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ABOUT THE CITY OF ALBEMARLE AND ALBEMARLE DOWNTOWN
The City of Albemarle is a North Carolina Main Street Community. The City works in conjunction with Albemarle Downtown, a non-profit dedicated to aiding and promoting the redevelopment, improvement, beautification, and revitalization of downtown Albemarle. The organization is governed by a board of directors and coordinated with the City of Albemarle through the Main Street Manager and a part-time Coordinator. For more information, visit [insert your organizations website].
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA
Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, the Main Street Movement has resulted in $115.42 billion reinvested locally, 181,647 net new businesses, 815,895 net new jobs, 345,801 buildings rehabilitated, and 37.3 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.
