The Oklahoma Main Street Center hosted programs from across the state on Monday, May 5, for Main Street Day at the Capitol, where reinvestment milestones and new programs were announced. The Oklahoma Main Street Center, a division of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, leads this annual event to highlight the revitalization of local downtowns and historic commercial districts.
“It was a fantastic day that gave local Main Street programs from all over the state the opportunity to highlight their upcoming events and share the progress of their local economic revitalization efforts,” said Buffy Skee, Oklahoma State Main Street Director. “The Main Street program is driven by passionate volunteers—local individuals committed to transforming their urban neighborhoods and historic commercial districts. We are grateful for their dedication to their communities and incredibly proud of the hard work they put in to help these programs flourish and grow.”
During the program, the Oklahoma Main Street Center recognized local program reinvestment milestones and announced newest additions to the program.
Local private reinvestment milestones announcements included:
- Ardmore Main Street Authority – $65 million
- Historic Greenwood District – $25 million
- Main Street Muskogee – $45 million
- Tahlequah Main Street – $35 million
- Tulsa Global District – $10 million
- Tulsa Route 66 Main Street – $450 million
In 2022, the Oklahoma Main Street Center added a new level to the tiered program. There are now three ways to join the statewide program: network, associate and fully designated. Programs added since April of 2024 include:
- Blanchard (network level)
- Eufaula (network level)
- Grayson (network level)
- Owasso (network level)
- Taft (network level)
- Tishomingo (network level)
- Vinita (moved from network to associate level)
Since 1985 local programs and their town and cities, along with the businesses and volunteers in their historic commercial districts, have generated more than $2.48 billion in total public and private reinvestment, created more than 22,400 new jobs and helped in the development of more than 9,100 new or expanded small businesses across the state.
For more information about the Oklahoma Main Street Program, please call (405) 815-6552 or visit the Oklahoma Department of Commerce website at www.OKcommerce.gov/mainstreet.
