Downtown Canton Finalist In America's Main Streets Contest

CANTON, GA — The national small business movement, Independent We Stand, has announced its quarter finalists in the 2021 America's Main Streets "Road to Recovery" contest, including Downtown Canton.

The public may play a role in the survival of main streets by voting online for their favorite quarter finalist and moving a deserving main street one step closer to the cash grand prize of $25,000.

More than 494,000 total votes were cast for 216 nominees during the nominations phase. Eatonton Main Street is the only other quarter finalist from Georgia.

The City of Canton's profile shares:

The Canton Main Street program was established in 2010 to enhance the quality of life for the Canton residents. With a heart for historic preservation and an eye on the future, Canton Georgia is building an economy for the next generation while restoring buildings from past generations. In the last three years, over 300,000 square feet of historic buildings have been restored including former schools, a textile mill, and the historic Jones Mercantile in the heart of Downtown. Canton has made a name for itself by providing crowd pleasing events and activities such as First Friday block parties, Canton Farmers Market, Downtown Canton Art & Wine Walk, Downtown Canton Cocktail Cruise and Christmas in Canton just to name a few. The Downtown Canton Cash Mob promotion was created in January 2021 in efforts to rally the community together, get them involved with the #LoveLocal campaign during COVID and support Downtown Canton businesses through focused group spending. 2021 promises exciting and new possibilities for growth within an authentic, inviting community that deeply cares about the City's future and unrivaled quality of life. Georgia Trend Magazine recognized Canton as one of the 2019 'LIVE, WORK, PLAY' Communities. Conveniently located between Atlanta and the Blue Ridge Mountains, Cherokee County is the fastest growing county in Georgia. For that reason, Canton is adding over 400 new homes each year and working to connect Downtown with the Etowah River through aggressive trails plans, infrastructure improvements, and a passion for placemaking. This grant would provide seed money to assist downtown businesses with creating and/or updating their websites along with transitioning them to ecommerce that will, for certain stimulate their business. When you're in the area, consider yourself invited to visit Canton Georgia. The #CoolestSmallTownInAmerica.

Additional contest prizes include a STIHL equipment certificate for $1,000, Do it Best Corp. $500 shopping spree, tmbr Flooring $500 shopping spree, Nationwide Marketing Group $500 shopping spree, and more.

Votes can be cast online through Dec. 12. The winner of the "America's Main Streets" contest will be announced Dec. 20, with a celebration event tentatively scheduled for February 2022.