Economic Impact (2025)
- 361 New Business
- 73 Business Expansion
- 834 New Jobs
- 139 Façade Rehabs
- 1,526 Downtown Living Spaces
- 115 New Construction Projects Completed
- 116 Public Improvement Projects Completed
- $78,243,814 Public Dollars Invested
- $130,953,055 Private Dollars Invested
- 87,023 Volunteer Hours
Featured Event
June 16: Annual Awards Luncheon in Jackson
Annual Awards Luncheon at 11:30 a.m.
Doors open at 11 AM for pre-luncheon sips!
The South | Jackson, MS
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Main Street News
Featured Community
Laurel
Eastman-Gardiner Lumber Company, owned by Lauren Chase Eastman and George and Silas Gardiner, came to Laurel from Clinton, Iowa, and opened their first lumber mill in Laurel in 1893, utilizing the latest technology and labor saving devices. With miles upon miles of virgin yellow pine available, the lumber industry flourished in Jones County and the surrounding area, and three additional sawmills came to Laurel from 1906 to 1914. By the 1920s, Laurel became known as the Yellow Pine Capital of the World. The timber era in Laurel declined with the Great Depression, and all the large sawmills ceased operations in the 1930s. Today, major employers include Howard Industries, Sanderson Farms, Masonite International, Family Health Center, Howse Implement, Thermo-Kool, and South Central Regional Medical Center. Laurel is home to the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Mississippi's oldest art museum, established by the family of Lauren Eastman Rogers.
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Our Mission
The Mississippi Main Street Association is the catalyst for the preservation and economic revitalization of Mississippi’s historic downtowns and traditional commercial districts.
The Mississippi Main Street Association provides visionary leadership to Mississippi’s most storied places. We foster economic and community development through strategies that promote community engagement, pride of place, and quality design to achieve long-term economic growth. MMSA empowers Mississippi’s local Main Street leaders to create vibrant places and thriving economies by implementing the Main Street Approach — organization, design, promotion, and economic vitality.
