Main Street USA

It’s hard to find anyone in the South who hasn’t watched — or at least heard of — The Andy Griffith Show. We all know that when somebody says, “That town was just like Mayberry,” they mean it was charming and filled with nice, hardworking folks and safe. While the Georgia Main Street program doesn’t aim to bring back the past, it does aim to bring more charm to our small towns, give our hardworking folks better places to work and make our downtowns safe — and fun — to visit.

This year, the spotlight will be on Georgia’s Main Streets, when the National Main Streets Conference hits Atlanta’s Omni at CNN Center, March 30-April 2. It’s an opportunity for area Main Street cities such as Dahlonega to shine, when a conference tour visits this North Georgia town that has benefited from an influx of Main Street cash.

Learn more about the enormous economic impact Georgia’s Main Street program has across the Peach State in this month’s Georgia Trend feature “Going to Town.” — Karen Kirkpatrick