West Chester Named 'Greatest Main Street' In USA: 2017 In Review

Our year in reviews take a look back at some of the year's biggest stories. First up: West Chester's downtown gets some deserved recognition. The borough's downtown was nominated in January and honored in May.

WEST CHESTER, PA -- Natives have been saying it for years, but now it's official: downtown West Chester has been named among the best "Main Streets" in all of America.

The award came at the Main Street Now Conference in May in Pittsburgh.

The "Great American Main Street" awards were chosen from a group of ten finalists, including Berlin, Maryland, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Chillicothe, Missouri, Columbus, Georgia, Covington, Kentucky, Goldsboro, North Carolina, Los Alamos, New Mexico, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Wausau, Wisconsin.

"The Great American Main Street Award is the highest recognition given out by the National Main Street Center. Each year, we celebrate exceptional Main Street America organizations for their work in creating more economically, socially, and culturally vibrant commercial districts," said Patrice Frey, the Center's President and CEO, in a statement. "This year's winners are truly at the forefront of commercial district revitalization. They are a testament to the power of the Main Street Approach, and the great potential of downtown districts in cities and towns across the country."

>>West Chester Ranked 2nd Most Exciting Place in Pennsylvania

In their nomination of West Chester, the Center noted the borough's creation of 241 new businesses over the last 16 years.

They also noted West Chester's winning of the Best New Shopping District award from Philadelphia Magazine and the Distinctive Destination award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Patch file photo