An Evaluation of Iowa's Rural Main Street Program

Authors

  • Susan L. Bradbury Iowa State University

Abstract

Despite its popularity, the Main Street Program has been subjected to little empirical research. This paper evaluates the economic benefits associated with the Rural Main Street Iowa program. This particular Main Street program is unique in that it targets very small communities with populations less than 5,000. The findings indicate that the Rural Main Street Iowa program has made a positive economic contribution to participating communities. Participants in the Rural Main Street Iowa program have experienced a degree of economic stability as indicated by their pull factors as well as a slight increase in the number of firms. Keywords: Main Street Program, downtown revitalization, economic contribution, economic stability, pull factor

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Published

2011-12-29

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2011)

Section

Policy Evaluation and Review

License

Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings.