Thirty-three communities now part of the downtown revitalization program
NASHVILLE—Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd announced today that Paris, located in Henry County, has achieved Tennessee Main Street accreditation. The community joins 32 other Tennessee Main Street communities that are accredited through the state program and the National Main Street Center, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“We are pleased to have Paris join our thriving network of Tennessee Main Street communities,” Boyd said. “Paris has an up-and-coming small business environment in their historic buildings. We look forward to working with Paris as they continue their hard work to better their community.”
Downtown Paris’ commercial district is part of a National Register Historic District and contains the traditional Tennessee town square, centered by the Henry County Courthouse, which is surrounded by 52 historic commercial buildings that house a variety of retail and service businesses.
“Paris was a successful story in our department’s Tennessee Downtowns program, and we applaud this next step into making their downtown revitalization efforts permanent as a Tennessee Main Street,” Assistant Commissioner of Rural Development Amy New said. “We hope to help them continue to increase the vitality of an already-thriving downtown.”
As part of the Tennessee Main Street program, Paris will have access to technical assistance and funding opportunities to continue to make downtown improvements. In 2015, accredited Tennessee Main Street communities generated more than $71.4 million of public/private investment and created 737 new jobs.
Paris’ accreditation is based upon a successful application submitted by the community. The Tennessee Main Street program requires communities to illustrate a commitment from local government and other local organizations, an adequate organizational budget, a strong historic preservation ethic, a collection of historic commercial buildings and a walkable district.
Accredited Tennessee Main Street communities are spread across the state and include Athens, Bolivar, Bristol, Brownsville, Cleveland, Collierville, Columbia, Cookeville, Dayton, Dyersburg, Fayetteville, Franklin, Gallatin, Greeneville, Jackson, Jonesborough, Kingsport, Lawrenceburg, Lebanon, McKenzie, McMinnville, Morristown, Murfreesboro, Pulaski, Ripley, Rogersville, Savannah, Sevierville, Sweetwater, Tiptonville, Union City, and Winchester.
The Paris Main Street application was supported by Rep. Tim Wirgau (R – Buchanan), Sen. John Stevens (R – Huntingdon) in the Tennessee General Assembly.
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies which help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. To grow and strengthen Team Tennessee, the department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Tennessee is the only three-time winner of “State of the Year” for economic development by Business Facilities magazine. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.
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