Kentucky Main Street Program Economic Development Impact
In 2016, 39 participating Kentucky Main Street Programs cumulatively reported $109,741,515 of total investment in these communities, including $75,070,029 of private investment matched by $30,920,494 in public improvements. This total was up significantly from the $76 million of cumulative investment reported by 44 communities in 2015.
Statewide, the Main Street Program also generated 1,452 new jobs in Main Street districts and the creation of 234 new businesses. Since the program’s inception in 1979, Kentucky Main Street can document more than $3.9 billion of public-private investment throughout the Commonwealth.
The Kentucky Heritage Council, State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has published the economic impact of historic preservation in these Main Street communities by Congressional District and you can read them here.