On Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at the Iowa Economic Development Authority's Iowa Downtown Conference in Cedar Rapids, it was announced that Indianola has been named a Main Street Iowa community. Indianola and Boone, the other city receiving the designation this year, join only 51 other Main Street Iowa communities across the state to earn the elite honor following a rigorous application process.
“Boone and Indianola are rural communities with strong legacies and leaders who understand the connection between a vibrant downtown and economic growth and quality of life,” IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority Director Debi Durham said in a news release. “When you create good jobs and a place where people want to live, success follows.”
Through the Main Street approach, communities like Indianola capitalize on the unique identity, assets and character of their historic commercial districts and develop a framework that guides community-based downtown revitalization efforts. According to IEDA, Main Street Iowa districts collectively have experienced significant social, civic, physical and economic impacts since the program's inception in 1985 that include:
- Creating more than 5,000 downtown businesses employing an additional 16,000 people.
- Assisting in over 13,000 building improvement projects leveraging over $2.5 billion dollars in private investment.
- Each Main Street program is locally powered through human resources and has documented over 3.7 million volunteer hours.
Main Street Iowa accepts a limited number of new communities every two years, IEDA said in its news release. Applicants must demonstrate local support and investment, a downtown district with the potential for growth, and readiness to implement the time-tested Main Street Approach™ to revitalization and economic development.
Learn more about Main Street Iowa: www.iowaeda.com/main-street-iowa.
Please join the City of Indianola in extending our appreciation and gratitude to all of the individuals who helped make this opportunity possible for our community!
Indianola's Journey & Next Steps
Read more about Indianola's path to earning its Main Street Iowa designation and the next steps that will take place following the official announcement, courtesy of coverage from the Indianola Independent Advocate.