Downtowns are traditionally the heart of a community – the social, economic, and civic center. Many of our downtowns in Oregon are “diamonds in the rough" that need a little polishing to sparkle once again. Others are vibrant and want to maintain their competitive advantage. Oregon Main Street is here to help communities wherever they are in their downtown revitalization efforts. We provide support to organizations who are ready to roll-up their sleeves; develop a vision for how they want their downtown to look, feel, and function; and then attract the people and financial resources to bring about the change they want to see happen. We accomplish this by providing training and technical assistance to communities participating in the Main Street Track of the Oregon Main Street Network, and by access to the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant which funds building improvement projects that spur economic development for all Network communities (available once per biennium in odd years).
Want to learn more about Oregon Main Street? View our short video overview of what we do and our program's impacts on Oregon's historic downtowns.
Oregon Main Street is a Main Street America™ Coordinating Program.
Main Street America™ has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Oregon Main Street is a Main Street America™ Coordinating Program. We help communities participating in our Network to make use of the time-tested Main Street Four-Point Approach® to downtown revitalization developed by Main Street America™ which includes:
- Sustainable Organization
- Effective Promotion
- Quality Design
- Economic Vitality
This Approach is a unique preservation-based economic development tool that enables communities to enhance downtown and neighborhood business districts by leveraging local assets. It is a comprehensive, incremental strategy that addresses the variety of issues and problems that challenge traditional commercial districts. Oregon Main Street helps communities thrive by connecting them to this customizable framework to focus local efforts, energy, and resources to create a more vibrant downtown.
The Oregon Main Street Network is comprised of communities around the state who participate at one of four tiers.
Accredited Main Street
(Main Street Track)
| The Accredited Main Street level recognizes exemplary achievement by a local main street organization and the impact they are having through collaborative partnerships on preserving and enhancing their historic downtown or traditional commercial neighborhood.
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Designated Main Street
(Main Street Track)
| The Designated Main Street level is a mark of distinction that reflects a commitment and dedicated efforts to building, growing, and sustaining successful historic downtown or traditional commercial neighborhood improvement efforts by leveraging partnerships and engaging community.
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Affiliated Main Street
(Main Street Track)
| The Affiliated Main Street level is for communities who are either just starting to form, or are working on strengthening, their Main Street structure to harness the powerful main street methodology to create lasting impact in enhancing their historic downtown or traditional commercial neighborhood.
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Connected Communities
| The Connected Communities level is for communities who care about their historic downtown or traditional commercial neighborhood and want to access to information to help them make a difference. Communities at this level may be organized around a specific project or activity to enhance their community. |
We are excited to announce our strategic plan designed to engage our mission to "Support local efforts to create welcoming, sustainable, and livable communities respectful of community heritage."
Goals:
- Develop and support thriving organizations so they can implement local priorities.
- Recognize and value connectedness to the heritage community.
- Increase the awareness of Main Street's impact.
- Foster a healthy, impactful, and sustainable structure.
- Build and sustain strategic partnerships.
We welcome you to explore the
Strategic Plan!
For communities participating in the Main Street Track, the boundaries or primary focus area of the organization must be that of a traditional downtown or neighborhood commercial district. A “traditional downtown" or “traditional neighborhood commercial district" is defined as a grouping of 20 or more contiguous commercial parcels containing buildings of historical or architectural significance. The area must have been zoned, planned, built, or used for commercial purposes for more than 50 years. This area must be:
- A traditional central business district and center for socio-economic interaction.
- Characterized by a cohesive core of historic or older commercial and mixed-use buildings that represent the community's architectural heritage. It may also include compatible in-fill development.
- Have a sufficient mass of businesses, buildings, and density to be effective.
- Typically arranged with most of the buildings side-by-side and fronting the sidewalk along a main street with intersecting side streets.
- Compact, easily walkable, and pedestrian-oriented.
In general, districts containing newer low-density automobile-oriented commercial development (e.g., sprawl), strip malls, and enclosed shopping/entertainment centers will not qualify for designation unless they are fully integrated into the fabric of a traditional “Main Street district."
There is an application process for communities who want to join the Oregon Main Street Network.
Who Applies
- For the Main Street Track (Affiliated, Designated, or Accredited Communities), the applicant is typically an independent nonprofit organization that is focused on downtown revitalization.
- For the Connected Communities level, local government is commonly the applicant, but can also be an existing nonprofit organization that has a focus on the downtown or neighborhood commercial district as part of its mission.
OMS staff is available to help a community decide where to house their local main street effort.
Application Process
Connected Community Tier
Communities who are newly interested in the program are encouraged to first join as a Connected Community. Applications for Connected Communities are accepted on a rolling basis. Use this application to apply at this tier.
Affiliated & Designated Tiers
Applications to join the Oregon Main Street Network at the Designated Main Street and Affiliated Main Street tiers are now CLOSED for the 2025 application cycle. The 2026 application cycle will reopen in November 2025.
Not sure which tier is appropriate for you? Watch the videos above for each tier level or contact our program coordinators.
Impact of Oregon's Main Streets Report
The Impact of Oregon’s Main Streets report shares the story of how the Oregon Main Street Network strengthens community networks, bolsters the economy, generates state and local tax revenue, and fosters social connections across the state. The report includes the economic, fiscal, and community impacts of the key programmatic efforts of Oregon’s Main Streets, including:
• Historic Preservation
• Economic Development and Resiliency
• Tourism and Customer Attraction
• Placemaking and Public Realm Improvements
• Partnerships and Program Operations
The report quantifies the impact of the network between 2011 and 2021, leveraging data provided by local program leaders of Main Street programs, state budgetary figures, Reinvestment Statistics, and IMPLAN, an industry-leading impact modeling platform. Findings in the report reflect the impacts of Performing Main Streets, Transforming Downtowns, and Exploring Downtowns. The Impact of Oregon’s Main Streets Report highlights the many ways local Main Streets are preserving, sustaining, and enhancing their downtown communities under the leadership of Oregon Main Street.