Great downtowns
don’t just happen.
Main Street programs make them happen.
Through the Oregon Main Street network of communities, historic downtown spaces throughout the state are vibrant again. Historic Downtowns of Oregon is here to invest in the people, preservation, and programming efforts that serve our most valued communities.
Oregon Main Street programs are revitalizing the historic towns that built Oregon.
Oregon Main Street Network: Total Economic Impact by Activities from 2011-2021
Oregon Main Street Network: Total Economic Impact by Region from 2011-2021
Graphics and information provided by Oregon Main Street - a division of Oregon Heritage through Oregon Parks and Recreation. For more information contact Kuri Gill at kuri.gill@oprd.oregon.gov
Total Economic Impact to the State of Oregon from 2011-2021
$265.7 Million
Oregon Main Street Wins 2025 Travel Oregon Prosperity Award
Tourism Industry Achievement Awards 2025 - Travel Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism 2026
The Oregon Prosperity Award recognizes DMOs or businesses championing the value of tourism, whose vision and commitment help make Oregon’s communities, tourism regions and state stronger visitor destinations, creating optimal economic impact.
Oregon Main Street Statewide Coordinating Program has offered a unifying model for community revitalization in 100+ towns statewide since 2008. Since then, Main Street’s tenets of promotion, organizational support, design and economic vitality with a historic preservation lens, have activated and reactivated communities of all sizes, in every county of Oregon. As of 2021, the work of the Oregon Main Street program and partner organizations have resulted in $134.6 million total economic impact while offering free technical services for local programs, revitalizing downtowns and awarding millions of dollars in grants to communities across the state.
From Travel Oregon Industry News. For full article and announcement click here
In 2025 the Oregon Legislature opted to no longer financially support the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant - a program responsible for facilitating the investment of $62.5 million into downtown revitalization projects in which $37.5 million was matching funds.
This decision cut off millions of dollars to historic rural communities and their efforts to improve preservation and downtown economic vitality.
In spite of the incredible success, Oregon Main Street programs are more vulnerable than ever due to a lack of a variety of resources including technical assistance and funding. The beating heart of OMS was the Main Street Revitalization Grant, which was funded by the Oregon legislature through Oregon lottery bonds.
In 5 grant cycles, this program facilitated the investment of $62.5 million into downtown revitalization projects within historic communities across the state of Oregon. $37.5 million of that investment came from matching funds. While Main Street programs serve many different sized communities around Oregon, 87% of these grants were awarded to communities outside the Portland Metro Area with a population under 30,000.
These projects included affordable housing, commercial mixed use, historic lodging, restaurant spaces, community centers, and affordable retail space. Many projects had an emphasis on supporting small local business and serving their communities. Many properties were uninhabitable, sat empty for decades, or had already partially collapsed. Many of these spaces held over a hundred of years of Oregon’s history and would not be here without the revitalization grant. Over five grant cycles, 147 grants were awarded; many included improvements to multiple properties on the same application.
In 2025 the Oregon state legislature opted to no longer support this sound investment into the long term future of some of our most vulnerable communities. Unfortunately, we lost the grant program and along with it, the ability to continue our work of restoring some of Oregon’s most valuable properties. Projects that were grant ready for 2027 are now sitting empty and continue to decay without access to this funding.
Through the challenges, the network continues to grow and as of 2026, OMS has expanded to 125 communities across the state of Oregon. An increase of more than 30% since the collection of the data in the 2021 impact report.
Historic Downtowns of Oregon will be here to support OMS program efforts including the reestablishment of this important funding source for revitalizing historic properties.
Data provided by Oregon Main Street - a division of Oregon Heritage within Oregon Parks and Recreation. For more information contact Kuri Gill at kuri.gill@oprd.oregon.gov
Historic Downtowns of Oregon champions the long-term resilience of the Oregon Main Street network. By providing essential technical assistance, driving political advocacy, and promoting local success, we ensure Oregon’s historic communities remain connected and well resourced.
Historic Downtowns of Oregon is currently applying for federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and filing a 501(h) election.
