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AMERICUS — The Georgia Main Street Program has awarded the city of Americus its “Main Street of the Month” recognition for July.

The Georgia Main Street is operated through the state’s Department of Community Affairs, to offer technical assistance to Main Street programs across Georgia with “the goal of revitalizing historic downtowns and encouraging economic development within the context of historic preservation,” according to Tess Harper, Georgia Main Street Program. The state agency is a coordinating program for Main Street America, the national organization leading the movement to revitalize downtown areas.

Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today, it is a network of 1,000+ 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 $71.35 billion in new public and private investment, generated 583,869 net new jobs and 131,974 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 267,800 buildings. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“This is great news,” comments Mayor Barry Blount. “Our congratulations and thanks for the hard work being done by the Main Street Board and the leadership of our newly appointed Director Qaijuan Willis. This recognition demonstrates that our community is being seen as a model at the state level, for all the positive initiatives that have occurred in our downtown!”

Visit Georgia Main Street at www.georgiamainstreet.org.