Historic Valley Junction Receives 2019 National Main Street Accreditation

Historic Valley Junction has been designated as an accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs to recognize their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach.

“We are proud to acknowledge this year’s nationally accredited Main Street America programs that have worked tirelessly to strengthen their communities,” said Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center. “These programs deserve recognition for generating impressive economic returns, preserving community character, and celebrating local history. Main Street America Accredited communities are part of a powerful movement of change makers, and their dedication to improving quality of life in their district is inspiring.”

In 2018 alone, Main Street America programs generated $4.93 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 5,310 net new businesses, generated 25,301 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 8,146 historic buildings, and clocked 2.2 million volunteer hours.

The Historic Valley Junction Foundation’s (HVJF) performance is annually evaluated by Main Street Iowa which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.

“As a leading Main Street Iowa community since 1987, we have impressive stats. Not only are we among a select group of Great American Main Street Award winning districts (in 2012), but we continue to improve this district, grow our projects and expand community events,” said Jim Miller, HVJF Executive Director. “We are proud to play a leading role, in Iowa, regionally and nationally in this very powerful Main Street movement.”

Statistics for Historic Valley Junction since 1987:
Over 275 business expansions
Over 760 net new jobs
Over 425 building projects
Over 85 buildings sold
Over $53 million in private investment
Over 160,000 volunteer hours!