Macon wins national award for 'Main Street' revitalization

Caption

Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller hoists the city's Main Street America award at a press event on Coleman Hill overlooking downtown, Friday, May 10, 2024.

Credit: Grant Blankenship/GPB News

Leaders of Macon’s decades-long downtown redevelopment efforts are celebrating national recognition of their success. 

Chicago-based Main Street America annually recognizes cities which best exemplify their approach to revitalizing medium and small cities: public/private partnerships making hyper-local investments aligned with shared community values.  

This year the nonprofit NewTown Macon was recognized as one of three Great American Main Street winners for its work nurturing about 120 new businesses into a downtown that sat nearly vacant 25 years ago. 

“From the very beginning, we've had to rely on Maconites to revitalize downtown Macon, because no one else was interested and no one else wanted to,” said Emily Hopokinson, main street program manager for NewTown Macon.  

 “I think that's what really sets us apart.” 

At the heart of NewTown’s work are the loans it makes to small businesses interested in putting down roots in Macon’s downtown core. The group has also been instrumental in adding market-rate housing which now is rented up almost as fast as it is built.  

Yet, NewTown President Josh Rogers said the success recognized by the Main Street award is complex.  

“In a lot of places, you point to one thing," Rogers said. "There was a silver bullet. There was a a lucky break. For us, it hadn't been any of that. It's been a thousand people working together on a common and shared vision."  

The other honored Main Streets this year were Madison, Ind., and Monroeville, Ala.