Beattyville Mentioned by Govenor Beshear Concerning the 2024 Main Street Communities Report

Govenor Andy Beshear announced on April 25. 2025 that Kentucky Main Street communities reported a cumulative investment of $63.7 million in downtown commercial districts, resulting in a net gain of 394 new jobs and 105 new businesses in 2024. 

“Vibrant downtowns help our communities thrive, and our Kentucky Main Street program plays an important role in revitalizing downtowns, attracting new business and opportunities for our people and contributing to Kentucky’s economic growth,” said Govenor Beshear. “We’re thankful to have dedicated Main Street leaders building on our New Kentucky Home initiative by improving their communities, creating economic development opportunities and attracting tourists.” 

The $63.7 million investment includes $11.6 million in budget and grant contributions from counties and cities and $23.1 million in private investments, matched by $32.7 million in public improvements. Public improvements encompass building rehabilitation and renovations, new construction and other enhancement projects. 

Additionally, these communities finished the year with a net gain of 394 full-time and part-time jobs, 38 business expansions, 104 rehabilitation projects, 76 facade and exterior renovation projects, 106 public improvement projects and seven new construction projects in Main Street districts. 

“Today’s announcement is proof that small towns can drive big change,” said Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Lindy Casebier. “The Kentucky Main Street program has sparked remarkable economic growth, empowering communities across the commonwealth.” 

Since its inception, the Kentucky Main Street program has generated over $4.7 billion in investment throughout the commonwealth. 

In 2024, Morehead reported a net gain of nine new businesses, 156 new jobs and a cumulative investment of $3.5 million in its downtown district. 

Tony Pence, Morehead’s Main Street director, highlighted how the program has created confidence in its community: “Over the past 10 years or so, we have been able to revitalize a dead area in our downtown with investments in the rehabilitation of buildings. We’ve had city buy-in to work with us. We’ve been able to get a historic district created in our downtown, and all those things combined have created an atmosphere of investor confidence and people are coming back. For a long time, on Friday and Saturday nights our downtown was dark and quiet – there was no one there. Now, our downtown is alive again. It’s about creating an environment where businesses can succeed and people enjoy themselves.” 

Murray Main Street reported $3.2 million in cumulative investment, 13 building rehabilitations, 15 facade and exterior rehabilitations, a net gain of four new businesses and 14 new jobs. 

Murray Main Street Director Deana Wright shared how the program has helped keep downtown businesses visible: “We started because we saw the sprawl that was beginning to happen in Murray, and we knew the downtown area was going to suffer. We started the program to prevent decline and to continue the vitality of the downtown area. We’ve been awarded grants to redo the streetscape. We started and have been very influential with the farmers market, which is one of the largest in the region – it brings thousands of people downtown. Our goal is ‘feet on the street,’ and that’s what we’ve done for over 24 years through events and activities. We continue to build on the small-town, family atmosphere in our downtown court square.” 

Shelbyville Main Street saw cumulative investments of more than $3 million, with a net gain of four businesses and 11 jobs, as well as five building renovations and three facade improvement projects. 

“It’s about being vibrant,” said Shelby Main Street Director Darlene Snow. “That’s the energy created by having a Kentucky Main Street program – the businesses gain visibility, and the community gets to enjoy all the things happening downtown. Main Street communities help each other and share ideas, which benefits all of us. I’m really proud of the businesses that are coming in and opening up. The downtown businesses are growing instead of closing, so we’re very excited to see our community supporting local and shopping local. People want to come into our community – they see everything going on and how the community has rallied to support their town.” 

Kentucky Main Street is not just for larger towns. Beattyville, with a population of only 1,250, reported a cumulative investment of $187,942, resulting in a net gain of four new businesses and three new jobs, as well as two building renovation projects and one facade renovation project. 

“For Beattyville, the benefit of being a Kentucky Main Street community is that, as a small community with limited resources, population and budget, it makes us part of the bigger picture,” said Beattyville Main Street Director Teresa Mays. “It puts us on the same level as larger cities with bigger budgets and more resources. It puts us in that game with them to become part of bigger projects and gives us access to resources we wouldn’t otherwise have. Our town has gone through two historic floods, and while we are still recovering, the resiliency and determination of the community is evident.” 

The Kentucky Main Street program builds on the New Kentucky Home initiative by revitalizing downtown communities to attract new visitors. The Kentucky Main Street communities’ investments and job creation build on the commonwealth’s recent economic momentum, including within the tourism industry. 

To capitalize on Kentucky’s historic economic momentum and record-breaking tourism success, Gov. Beshear recently announced New Kentucky Home, a strategic initiative to further drive economic investment, attract and retain talent and increase tourism across the commonwealth.  

Last year, the Governor announced that 2023 was the best year on record for tourism, with $13.8 billion in economic impact and 95,222 jobs. This followed a record-breaking 2022 when he announced that tourism had generated more than $12.9 billion in economic impact and secured 91,668 jobs in Kentucky that year.  

Kentucky’s impressive economic success over the last five years is a direct reflection of the Beshear administration’s continued investments in the tourism industry. 

In January, Gov. Beshear announced that 87 tourism marketing organizations across 80 counties are receiving $2 million through the Regional Marketing and Matching Funds Program.   

In December 2024, Gov. Beshear announced that the commonwealth achieved another historic milestone, marking a new record with 10 new tourism development projects set to generate an estimated $256 million in economic investment. These projects also are expected to create 1,696 jobs once operational.   

In 2022, Gov. Beshear announced $75 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to boost the state’s tourism industry and economy. Previously, the Governor dedicated $5.3 million in federal funding to 103 tourism and destination marketing organizations in 88 Kentucky counties.  

Since the beginning of the Beshear administration, 33 tourism development projects totaling an estimated investment of $1 billion have received final approval. Once operational, these projects will create roughly 4,825 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history.  

The Kentucky Main Street Association, a nonprofit organization, provides support to Main Street communities by offering assistance with planning, training, fundraising and program development. To learn more about the Kentucky Main Street program and the 2024 Kentucky Main Street report, visit the About the Kentucky Main Street Program page on the Kentucky Heritage Council website.

The Kentucky Main Street program was created by the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office in 1979 to reverse economic decline in central business districts through historic preservation and redevelopment of commercial buildings. The statewide program currently serves 22 communities: Bardstown, Beattyville, Campbellsville, Carrollton, Grayson, Guthrie, LaGrange, Maysville, Middlesboro, Morehead, Murray, Paducah, Perryville, Pikeville, Pineville, Salyersville, Scottsville, Shelbyville, Springfield, Taylorsville, the Tri-Cities of Cumberland, Benham, and Lynch and Williamsburg.