Two U.P. communities among the Main Streets recognized nationally

Calumet and Iron Mountain both have thriving Main Street programs, and now the state and nation have recognized them with national accreditation.

Ten Michigan communities were given the status of Nationally Accredited Main Streets, by the National Trust Main Street Center and the Michigan Main Street Center, which is part of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

Calumet and Iron Mountain were the two U.P. towns recognized. The others are Owosso, Scottville, Old Town Lansing, Portland, Boyne City, Clare, Niles and Grand Haven. Grand Haven also reached the Master Level of the Michigan Main Street program, joining five other communities.

Gary Heidel is the executive director of MSHDA, and says the Main Street Center is helping create vibrant downtown communities across the state, as part of the authority's mission to encourage community revitalization and economic development.

"The Michigan Main Street Program provides communities with the tools needed to develop into thriving districts," says Heidel. "These tools can be used to create jobs, attract and retain residents and investment while building a sense of place in Michigan communities."

The selected communities were evaluated on how well they performed up to the National Trust Main Street Center's accreditation standards, and went through several levels of Michigan training and application processes to get there. They will continue to be evaluated annually to maintain the accreditation.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Gary Heidel, Michigan State Housing Development Authority