Historic Downtown Farmington has been designated as a 2026 Accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards, the city recently announced in a press release. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the roster of designated programs in recognition of their commitment to creating meaningful improvements in their downtowns through preservation-based economic development and community revitalization using the Main Street Approach.
“We are proud to recognize Historic Downtown Farmington as a 2026 Accredited Main Street America program for your unwavering commitment to grassroots transformation and the extraordinary abilities of your staff, board of directors and volunteers to respond to the needs of their community,” said Erin Barnes, President and CEO at Main Street America. “Historic Downtown Farmington demonstrates a dedication to investing in the people and places that make your downtown district special and contribute to the collective power of the Main Street movement to build vibrant spaces and durable economies.”
Historic Downtown Farmington is one of 838 nationally recognized Accredited Main Street America organizations and is a part of a network of over 1,600 communities leading positive commercial district transformation efforts throughout the United States.
Main Street America recognizes two tiers of national designation – Accredited and Affiliate.
These designations are a badge that signal to community members, civic leaders, decision makers, funders and others that the Main Street program holds an established position within a nationwide movement.
Historic Downtown Farmington’s performance was evaluated through assessments conducted by the organization’s personnel and board of directors, and New Mexico MainStreet, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify local programs that meet rigorous national community evaluation standards.
These standards provide the Main Street America network with a strong framework for reviewing progress, recognizing strengths, understanding trends, and identifying strategies to move Main Street programs forward.
To qualify for Accredited status – Main Street America’s top designation tier – communities must demonstrate a proven track record of achieving outcomes in alignment with the Main Street Approach and exceptional performance in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.
In 2025, Main Street America programs generated $9.4 billion in local reinvestment, welcomed 6,936 net new businesses, facilitated the creation of 36,549 net new jobs, rehabilitated 10,623 historic buildings, and leveraged 1.8 million volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar a Main Street program spent on operations, $23.13 was reinvested in its downtown district.
During calendar year 2025, Historic Downtown Farmington generated $1,026,650 in Private Investment, 23 New Jobs, $410,196 in building purchases and the equivalent of $54,355 of value for volunteer hours.
“During 2025, we celebrated becoming a state-authorized Arts and Cultural District, accentuated by growth in our arts and cultural programming, additional successful community events, new businesses, and ongoing private investment that have made Farmington Main Street a vibrant, welcoming downtown,” said Karen Lupton, Downtown Coordinator, Historic Downtown Farmington
ABOUT HISTORIC DOWNTOWN FARMINGTON
Historic Downtown Farmington’s Main Street is home to a variety of restaurants, galleries, shops and event venues. At the heart of the downtown corridor is Orchard Park, a historic landmark site which hosts weekly Maker’s Markets, Jazz Concerts and Art Walks. Recent years have brought a significant amount of growth in the Historic Downtown Corridor, both in terms of private investment and business expansion. Historic Downtown Farmington continues to move forward with the support of the Main Street Program. For more information, visit farmingtonnm.gov/downtown.
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA
Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Today, the network includes more than 1,600 communities across the country working to build stronger places through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, the Main Street movement has resulted in $124.67 billion reinvested locally, 188,583 net new businesses, 852,443 net gains in jobs, 356,424 buildings rehabbed, and 41 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.
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