While the term “main street” may generate an image of a quiet downtowns with brick buildings, wide sidewalks, leafy trees, and an old-fashioned soda fountain, in real life, main streets are thriving community centers as diverse as the country itself. Some wind through urban environments, while others are rural and may be the only street in town.

For three decades, Main Street America, which is part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s family of companies, has recognized main streets in all those iterations through the Great American Main Street Awards (GAMSA). These awards honor various communities that demonstrate a comprehensive, preservation-based revitalization of historic downtowns and commercial corridors, via the Main Street Approach.

This year’s eight GAMSA semifinalists reflect the hard work of civic employees, nonprofit staff, and volunteers to implement that approach and vision in their communities. From sidewalk improvements and vibrant markets to adaptive reuse projects that convert warehouses into apartments these main streets highlight the power of place in creating connections.

Take a look at the work of these eight semi-finalists and how the preservation work of their main streets has built stronger communities.

Astoria Downtown Historic District Association (Astoria, Oregon)

Founded in 1811, Astoria, once home to a fur trading outpost, is the oldest permanent U.S. settlement on the West Coast and owes much of its significance to the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Over the years, its logging, fishing, and canning industries declined. However, since 2010, the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association (ADHDA) has been part of the Main Street movement working to bring disparate stakeholders to preserve Astoria’s past and reshape its future.

In 2012, what had largely been a volunteer-run organization hired its first executive director. By 2017, ADHDA had raised nearly $1 million in grants to repair and restore buildings. Downtown now sports trash cans with replicas of historic salmon-canning labels from the town’s past. There’s a vibrant Sunday market and looking forward, plans for more outdoor festivals and more gathering spaces for the community. Quinn A. Haase, ADHDA executive director, said being a semi-finalist will allow ADHDA to “continue to advocate for increased support from city and state leadership to fund the important work of preserving Oregon’s most treasured historic elements and foster continued economic development and prosperity for all.”

Columbia Main Street (Columbia, Tennessee)

While Columbia, Tennessee is just 45 minutes south of Nashville, it has thanks to leadership and vision, developed a compelling story for tourists separate from that of Music City, U.S.A. In 1983, Columbia Main Street (CMS) became one of the first five designated Main Street programs in Tennessee, thanks to a joint effort between the City of Columbia and Maury County. Since then, CMS has worked to offer a more inclusive experience in downtown Columbia and to tell a fuller story of Columbia’s past. Those efforts included using grant funding to improve lighting in historical Black streets, installing historical markets and improving facades.

In addition to those changes, CMS is home to the transformation of an abandoned warehouse into downtown’s first apartment building, a state-of-the-art music venue, a popular monthly arts crawl, and commercial vacancy rates under 8 percent. “Together, we’ve created an ecosystem of Columbia residents who believe deeply in this town and work every day to make it better, not only for today’s community but for generations to come,” said Kelli Johnson, the main street manager for CMS.

Downtown Sykesville Collection (Sykesville, Maryland)

Once part of a former plantation that was home to individuals enslaved by William Patterson, the town of Sykesville later served as a mill and rail stop along the B&O Railroad, before becoming a popular countryside retreat for Baltimore vacationers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Fire, flood, and changes in industry lead to declines and by the early 2000s, Sykesville’s Main Street faced a 25 percent vacancy rate, and local businesses had no connection with the town. During this period the broader community was disengaged from its downtown’s future and the Main Street coalition underwent several reorganizations and designations.

In 2017, the Downtown Sykesville Connection (DSC) was formed as an independent entity, and DSC has grown from managing events to shaping strategy. Projects have included installing Carroll County’s first parklet and a downtown sound system, supporting businesses with grants and mentorship, and nurturing youth entrepreneurship through a Junior Farmers Market. DCS also changed its approach to physical space with ADA upgrades, such as ramps, chairlifts, widened doorways, and motion-activated faucets. The Facade Improvement Program allows for rear-facing accessibility solutions that preserve the historic streetscape.

Downtown Wytheville, Inc. (Wytheville, Virginia)

Downtown Wytheville was the heart of the region, a hub along the Great Wagon Road, it was a prominent railroad stop making Wytheville a 19th-century resort town. As happened in many communities, when two interstates were built and railroad traffic declined, so did the downtown. Wytheville struggled, not just with economic uncertainty, but with a loss of its civic heart. Downtown Wytheville, Inc. was founded to build something new while working with existing conditions.

The group began small, tackling one building, hosting a single event, and changing a mural or a block of sidewalk at a time. In ten years, they fostered $23 million in private investment and nearly $10 million in public improvements. Downtown now boasts two breweries, a boutique hotel, a restored historic theater, and a farmers market. Even more important, residents feel a sense of ownership over the public spaces and care about activating them. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the group dispersed $500,000 in Resurgence Grant funds and $1 million in Community Development Block Grants, operating under the mission: “not back to normal, forward to better.”

Main Street Farmington (Farmington, Michigan)

More than two decades ago, downtown Farmington could be described as a sea of asphalt. Now, it is the hub of downtown cultural programming and inclusion. Main Street Farmington helped blend a 60-year-old shopping center with the downtown, harnessing federal, state, and county grants, along with 700 grassroots donors who contributed more than $184,000. Private investment followed, with more than $20 million poured into small businesses in the district over two decades of Main Street partnership.

Now, Farmington is home to the oldest TJ Maxx in Michigan, which thrives side-by-side with an independent cheese monger and a vintage record store. Main Street Farmington hosted public educational events that led to three different landmarks being saved: the Civic Theater, the Farmington Savings Bank Building, and the 1876 Masonic Hall and grounds. Today, a downtown park is a magnet for commerce and connection with 3.3 million trips annually.

Main Street Steamboat Springs (Steamboat Springs, Colorado)

From its incorporation in 1900, Steamboat Springs’ leadership had vision. Its first mayor understood how important it was to draw both ranchers and city folk to the hot springs with commerce through tourism. While its remote location can make it an appealing getaway, it can also be a deterrent, particularly in winter when 190 inches of snow fall annually. Steamboat Springs’ economy is more than 80 percent tourism-based, making it a boom-and-bust town during economic downturns.

Main Street Steamboat Springs was formed in response to economic development, rather than its engine. Downtown and the ski area work in tandem now, understanding they need each other to succeed. After two decades, the resort and downtown are thriving together. Steamboat Ski Area features downtown in 70 percent of its advertising, and vacancies downtown are below 1 percent, a number that is the envy of other downtowns. Lincoln is the retail district; Yampa is the entertainment district, and Oak Street is a transitional area for non-profits and churches. Where people once walked in the middle of the street, Oak Street now has sidewalks.

San Marcos Main Street Program (San Marcos, Texas)

Tulsa Global District (Tulsa, Oklahoma)

Unlike many Main Street districts, the Tulsa Global District does not have traditional historic assets such as century-old buildings or monuments. Historically, the area had been underinvested and overlooked, but over the past five years, the Oklahoma Main Street Center has helped foster the Tulsa Global District. Today, it is a thriving hub for immigrants, artists, and community members. The district is recognized as one of Tulsa’s most entrepreneurial neighborhoods, thanks to an emphasis on supporting small businesses and fostering economic opportunity.