Families gather, couples stroll, and teenagers gossip on a bustling main street.
No, it's a Main Street community, one of 1,500 such towns nationally that have seen a resurgence of interest and activity over the last 20 years. The National Trust's Great American Main Street Awards recognize communities that have demonstrated excellence in the revitalization of their commercial districts. Wash. The towns were selected by a panel of 10 experts in the fields of community revitalization, economic development, and historic preservation based on their success in preservation-sensitive commercial district revitalization. Calif. Spearheaded by the Downtown Task Force, a volunteer committee formed in 1986, Coronado has seen a 93 percent increase in sales tax revenue and its commercial vacancy rate is now near zero. It has also netted 62 new businesses and added 619 jobs.