Main Street America

Cedar Falls has the honor of being designated as a Main Street Community by the Main Street Iowa Program. The mission of the Main Street Iowa Program is to improve the social and economic well-being of Iowa's communities by assisting selected communities to capitalize on the unique identity, assets and character of their historic commercial district.

The Main Street Approach® was developed by the National Main Street Center, Inc. is centered around Transformation Strategies. A Trasformation Strategy articulates a focused, deliberate path to revitalizing or strengthening a downtown or commerical district's economy. These are generate through meaningful community engagement and informed by an analysis of the district's market position-- help to guide a revitalization program's work. An effective Transformation Strategy serves a particular customer segment, responds to an underserved market demand, or create a differentiated destination.

Economic Vitality -- Focuses on capital, incentives, and other economic and financial tools to assist new and exisiting businesses, catalyze property development, and create a supportive environment for entrepreneurs and innovators that drive local economies.

Design -- Utilizing appropriate design concepts, the visual quality of the commercial district (buildings, signs, window displays, landscaping, and environment) is enhanced.

Organization -- Each community has many groups of people who are interested in and are willing to work toward the goal of a revitalized commercial district. The organizational element brings together the public sector, private groups and individual citizens, with coordination by a paid program manager, to work more effectively in the commercial district.

Promotion -- By promoting the downtown in a positive manner, a community can begin to focus on the commercial district as a source of community pride, social activity and economic development potential.

For more information on the Main Street America Program, click here