Marietta Main Street has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards, the downtown organization announced.

Main Street America recognizes two tiers of national designation – Affiliate and Accredited. These designations are intended to signal to local stakeholders and city, state, and national funders that a program has an established position within the nationwide Main Street movement.

“Main Street America is proud to recognize this year’s 821 Accredited Main Street America programs for their commitment to building strong and vibrant communities,” Erin Barnes, president and CEO of Main Street America, said in the release. “Their tireless efforts show what’s possible when engaged leaders work together to shape places that reflect the people they serve. The continued impact of our network shows that the Main Street movement remains a powerful force for positive transformation.”

Marietta Main Street’s performance was evaluated through assessments conducted by the organization’s personnel and board of directors and Heritage Ohio, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify local programs that meet national community evaluation standards.

To quality for Accredited status – Main Street America’s top designation tier – communities must demonstrate a proven track record of achieving outcomes in alignment with the Main Street Approach and exceptional performance in six areas: broad–based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy–driven programming; preservation–based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.

In 2024, Main Street America programs generated $7.65 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,324 new businesses, facilitated the creation of 33,835 new jobs, rehabilitated 10,126 historic buildings, and logged 1.9 million volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, $21.73 was reinvested into their downtown and commercial corridor communities.

In 2024, Marietta Main Street hosted its first–ever Dachshund Derby and launched the inaugural #MyMarietta Music Festival. Throughout the year, the organization offered more than 25 free community events and contributed more than 3,500 volunteer hours – an impact valued at more than $90,000.

“Our partnership with Main Street America has been instrumental to our success,” said Jen Tinkler, executive director of Marietta Main Street. “Their support has empowered us to cultivate a vibrant and thriving downtown community.”

Marietta Main Street is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to downtown revitalization using community and economic development and historic preservation strategies. Featured events and programs include First Fridays, the Build Up Marietta building and business improvement grant program, downtown beautification, public art, Main Street West, small business support, Hometown Holidays and more.

Since 1980, the Main Street Movement has resulted in $115.42 billion reinvested locally, 181,647 net new businesses, 815,895 net new jobs, 345,801 buildings rehabilitated and 37.3 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. More information is available at mainstreet.org.