Secretary Detzner Designates Chattahoochee Main Street as Florida Main Street Program of the Month

Tallahassee –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced today that Chattahoochee Main Street has been designated the October 2015 Florida Main Street Community of the Month. Communities are selected based on their developmental achievements and participation in the Florida Main Street Program. As a second year designated and accredited program, Chattahoochee Main Street has brought in $25,000 in public/private reinvestment, three new businesses and 10 new jobs to the area.

“The Department of State, Division of Historical Resources recently awarded Chattahoochee a grant for an historic structure survey that was completed in July,” said Secretary Detzner. “The survey included the Main Street district and the most historic areas of Chattahoochee. The city is currently pursuing a second grant to conduct Phase II of the survey.”

Heritage Park in the Chattahoochee Main Street District

This August at the Annual Florida Main Street Conference, Chattahoochee Main Street received two Secretary of State Honor Awards. The first was for their Strategic Community Vision Plan, as an outstanding public/private partnership. The second award was presented for their program’s Business Retention and Expansion Corporate Visitation Program.

“Chattahoochee is emerging as a unique heritage tourism destination,” said Executive Director Ben Chandler. “New efforts are underway to provide improved interpretation of historical resources, and to preserve our city’s unique cultural landmarks.”

Chattahoochee was originally known as Mount Vernon, before being renamed after the well-known Georgia River in the mid-1800s. Chattahoochee is the Creek meaning for “marked rocks.” The town was established as a ferry landing on the Apalachicola River during the 1820s and grew to become a thriving riverboat port during the heyday of paddlewheel steamboat traffic. Many 19^th and early 20^th century historic structures along Washington Street resulted from the strong river-based economy that fueled the growth of this charming town.

For more information about Chattahoochee Main Street or the Florida Main Street program visit ChattahoocheeMainStreet.org or floridamainstreet.com or facebook.com/FloridaMainStreet.

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About Florida Main Street

Florida Main Street is a program administered by the Division of Historical Resources under the Florida Department of State, which currently oversees 47 communities throughout the state. By implementing the National Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach®, Florida Main Street encourages economic development within the context of historic preservation through the revitalization of Florida’s downtowns – the community’s heart and soul. Since the program’s inception in 1985, the Florida Main Street programs have cumulatively created 24,604 jobs, 7,337 new businesses and produced $2.4 billion in reinvestment.