JACKSON, Miss. – The Ripley Main Street organization is among 37 Mississippi Main Street communities which have recently achieved national accreditation for 2009 by the National Trust Main Street Center.

Only 750 programs in the nation have received national accreditation this year, Main Street officials said.

Said Ripley Main Street Director Allison Windham this week, "I am proud to accept this recognition on behalf of all the individuals, organizations and officials that have been supportive and worked so hard to revitalize our community. It has developed as a model small city with a viable downtown area where it is possible today to live, raise a family, and conduct business."

The highly prized recognition reflects the commitment made by both state and community leaders across Mississippi to create economic development while revitalizing the downtown core of these towns and cities.

The Mississippi Main Street Association (MMSA), in partnership with the National Trust Main Street Center, has verified that each of these local Main Street programs has met performance standards that ensure a comprehensive, historic preservation-based approach to commercial district revitalization.

These programs play a strategic role in stimulating the local, state and national economy. Experts have called Main Street one of the most effective revitalization programs available today.

Cumulatively, the commercial districts taking part in the Main Street program nationally have generated more than $44.9 billion in new investment, with a net gain of more than 370,514 new jobs and 82,909 new businesses.

Every dollar a community uses to support its local Main Street program leverages an average of $25 in new investment, making the Main Street program one of the most successful economic development strategies in America.

For more information on the 10 performance criteria required for accreditation as National Main Street Programs, please visit www.mainstreet.org.