January 2013: The downtown was relatively empty, with a few antique stores hanging on along with several law offices near City Hall. The area had been prosperous once, bustling as a regional center with the railroad running right through town. The downtown, surrounded by hundreds of historic homes from the early 1900s, was like so many other small to mid-sized towns throughout rural America—a shell of its former self. Fast forward five years and this town became a media darling and tourist destination. How did this happen and what prompted this rather dramatic makeover within such a short timeframe?
The answer lies in … community development! Laying the foundation is the starting point ...
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