All things go through cycles, whether business or fashion, and downtown districts are no exception. I've lived in many small cities that have run the gamut of neglect to conservation, and preserving interest and investment in old downtown districts is always a challenge that takes vision and imagination to make the difference. But once you find a community that has that vision, even if not yet fully realized, you have something that can be more than just the salvation of the heart of the city, it can be explosive and is worth hanging on to.
The economic realities of older downtown, manufacturing, and other task specific areas often find them outliving their original utility be it from technological, socio-economic, transportation changes, or even "acts of God" that remove or diminish the perceived value.... so we see disinvestment and decay.
The towns/cities that have the ability to imagine and repurpose new utility for these areas are the ones that will have lasting health for these areas, and will realize that they are a benefit, not burden, to the community.
A lot a great small cities/towns have already been mentioned, but I'd also like to add Sanford to the mix.
Sanford has more of a blue-collar manufacturing background to its history than some of the other regions mentioned, so its downtown and surrounding area may not seem as grand. Further, Sanford is something of a youngster, only being founded in 1874. But the city and its downtown still have a lot to offer, and are very interesting.
But what is really great about Sanford is that they city and state had a vision early-on when it was apparent that North Carolina's small cities were losing their downtown heritage. With that realization, NC included Sanford into its program of downtown revitalization in the mid 1980s, and Sanford has been working ever since to inject new energy into downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Since that time Sanford created a non profit organization, Downtown Sanford Inc., to manage the investment and vision for downtown. And Sanford created four National Register Historic Districts, one being downtown itself, and two being surrounding residential neighborhoods.
Like many older downtowns, Sanford's downtown once hosted Sanford's core retailers such as grocery, hardware, clothing, etc. But again, like many older downtowns that once suffered after the arrival of the large regional mall and big-box retailers, Sanford's downtown has reinvented itself with restaurants, antique dealers, boutiques, and niche specific retailers that cater to a different type of customer looking instead for a slower pace, unusual and unique products, and customer service.
Sanford is not as fully developed in its downtown renewal in some ways as some locales such as Hillsborough, but as I alluded to in the first paragraph, Sanford is well on its way and continues to make daily strides in downtown improvement and reinvestment. It truly is a great time to "get in early" in my opinion.
Check out some of the following links for more information, and if one has a chance, Sanford is ideally almost physically centrally located between Raleigh/Durham, Greensboro, and Fayetteville so drop in and check out the area.
Sanford has loads of potential, has realized some of that already, and I think will really be something special and impressive in the coming years.
Downtown Sanford, INC. | Sanford, North Carolina
City of Sanford, North Carolina - The Official Government Website
Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce
Welcome to the Lee County 2nd Century Project
BTW, on October 2nd, the "Lee County Second Century Project" will unveil its new unified marketing campaign for all of Lee County, and particularly Sanford. If you are in the area, please come by and check out the free community party. More info here:
Sunday Column: Why the 2nd Century Project Matters to Business « Chamber Chat
But even beyond the downtown district or other "places", Sanford is one of those cities that is just big enough to have everything one needs, whether that be a big home improvement store, chain groceries, super discount-mart, or even a 100yr old theater, but still retains that small town feel.
People get excited about local HS football rivalries, neighbors see each other at the store, take time to visit on porch swings, and even the Mayor likely knows your name. And if one finds that there is something Sanford doesn't have, Cary/Raleigh/Durham is just 30-40 minutes away, and so is Fayetteville.
That mix of mid-sized city conveniences with small-town feel is something that really is attractive about Sanford.
Cheers,
Al
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Sanford embodies small town NC, but with big town conveniences
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