Each year, a national jury of industry professionals and local leaders review the applications of standout Main Street programs seeking the Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA), Main Street America’s award for excellence in fostering preservation-based revitalization efforts through the Main Street Approach™. 

Receiving the Great American Main Street Award is a significant achievement in the Main Street Movement. Since the award’s establishment in 1995, only 115 of over 2000 Main Street programs have been acknowledged as GAMSA-winning communities.

Many Main Street programs create multi-year plans to develop a strong application based on outcomes that have made meaningful impacts in their local communities. Organizations are familiar with the selection criteria — strength of the Main Street program in spurring community transformation, commitment to historic preservation, innovative programming, implementation of cross-sector partnerships, community outreach and stakeholder engagement, and ensuring their downtown districts are for everyone — and build towards this opportunity to be recognized. 

After careful consideration and deliberation, eight organizations have been selected as semifinalists for this prestigious award. 

The 2026 Great American Main Street Award semifinalists are:

Astoria Downtown Historic District Association – Astoria, Oregon
Main Street Farmington – Farmington, Oakland County, Michigan 
Tulsa Global District – Tulsa, Oklahoma 
Downtown Wytheville Inc. – Wytheville, Virginia
Main Street Steamboat Springs – Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Downtown San Marcos – San Marcos, Texas
Downtown Sykesville Connection – Sykesville, Maryland
Columbia Main Street – Columbia, Tennessee

Collectively, the 2026 GAMSA semifinalists have generated over $329 million in local reinvestment, helped open over 650 new businesses, facilitated the creation of more than 3,630 new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 1,942 historic buildings, and leveraged 241,946 volunteer hours.

Continue reading to learn more about each organization and stay tuned to our social channels for semifinalist shout outs! Make sure to save the date for the award ceremony on April 13 during the opening plenary of the 2026 Main Street Now Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where three semifinalists will be recognized as 2026 Great American Main Street Award recipients.

Astoria Downtown Historic District Association – Astoria, Oregon

Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest permanent U.S. settlement on the West Coast. Once a major hub for fur trading, fishing, and canning, Astoria is now a vibrant destination for history lovers, film fans, and craft beer enthusiasts that USA Today recently ranked second on its list of ​“10 Best Small Towns in the West.”

For more than 15 years, the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association (ADHDA) has championed the preservation and revitalization of Astoria’s downtown. Since 2017, the ADHDA has received and utilized nearly $1 million in restoration grants to help breathe new life into some of Astoria’s historic buildings, including the landmark Liberty Theater, which has become the epicenter of Astoria’s thriving arts and culture scene. In 2021, the ADHDA absorbed and began managing the Astoria Sunday Market – an open-air marketplace for local makers and growers. The Sunday Market recorded over $2,000,000 in sales in 2024 and has been instrumental in fostering the development of local businesses and creating opportunities for market vendors to expand to brick-and-mortar storefronts. 

ADHDA also hosts several annual events, including the Pacific Northwest Brew Cup, monthly Artwalk, and the family-friendly Downtown Trick or Treat event which celebrates Astoria’s unique historical charm and underlines ADHDA’s inclusive, community-centered approach, ensuring Astoria is indeed a Main Street community for everyone.

Main Street Farmington – Farmington, Oakland County, Michigan 

Through bold vision and collaborative leadership, Main Street Farmington turned a community anchored by underused parking lots and vacant storefronts into a thriving, walkable downtown. At the heart of this transformation is Riley Park, a former parking lot reimagined in 2005 as a welcoming town square with a robust calendar of cultural programming, attracting more than 3.3 million visits annually. 

Through federal, state, and county grants, along with 700 grassroots donors and more than $20 million in private investment, Main Street Farmington has diversified the community’s economy, turning what was once home to mid-size department stores and discount chains, into an exciting mix of microbusinesses, creative collaborations, and entrepreneurial ventures. Thanks to these efforts, the oldest TJ Maxx in Michigan now thrives side-by-side with locally-owned businesses, including an independent cheese monger and a vintage record store.

Tulsa Global District – Tulsa, Oklahoma 

In just five years as a designated Main Street America community, the Tulsa Global District (TGD) has revitalized an historically underinvested area into one of Oklahoma’s most vibrant and entrepreneurial neighborhoods. 

Home to significant Hispanic and Asian American and Pacific Islander populations, with residents and business owners representing more than 25 countries and 80 languages, the district’s greatest asset is its people. Through culturally informed outreach, strategic partnerships, and signature events like the Asian American Night Market, Hispanic Heritage Day, and Día de Muertos, Tulsa Global District has united this multilingual community around shared goals and civic pride. At the same time, TDG-led initiatives like ConnectLocal and Grow Global have helped local small businesses strengthen their digital presence. Façade improvement grants and strategic corridor planning have revitalized storefronts and enhanced walkability.

These efforts, rooted and informed through diverse community input has addressed both economic and social needs, exemplifying TGD’s strategic, inclusive approach to ensuring that progress benefits businesses and residents alike.

Downtown Wytheville Inc. – Wytheville, Virginia

Once a bustling hub along the Great Wagon Road, Downtown Wytheville saw its vitality wane in the late 20^th century when new interstates brought strip malls and chain stores to town, shifting business away from Wytheville’s historic core. Determined to reclaim its civic heart, residents formed Downtown Wytheville, Inc., sparking a grassroots-driven, trust-based civic transformation that also earned them recognition as a 2025 GAMSA Semifinalist.

In just a little over a decade, Downtown Wytheville, Inc. has transformed the district into a thriving destination filled with breweries, restaurants, small businesses, public art, a boutique hotel, and a restored historic theater. More than $23 million in private investment and nearly $10 million in public improvements have revitalized once-condemned buildings and reestablished downtown as the cultural and economic center of the community.

Main Street Steamboat Springs – Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Despite its far-reaching reputation as a premier skiing and vacation destination, Steamboat Springs has long faced challenges from isolation, extreme winters, and a tourism-driven economy vulnerable to boom-and-bust cycles. Downtown risked decline as commercial development gravitated to the local ski resort, threatening historic buildings and community cohesion. Main Street Steamboat Springs formed in 2006 to tackle these threats, actively engaging with residents, nonprofits, and local government to ensure decisions reflect the community’s needs and always addressed affordability and sustainability.

Over the past 20 years, the program has revitalized downtown through strategic infrastructure improvements, public art, and business support, utilizing the Main Street Approach™ to balance growth while preserving community character. As a result, vacancy rates within the district are below 1%, and locally owned businesses have flourished. 

Downtown San Marcos – San Marcos, Texas

Downtown San Marcos sits at the intersection of the San Marcos River, Texas State University, and a Union Pacific rail line. The district is home to nearly 300 businesses employing over 2,300 people, plus nearly 1,000 residents within the district and 2,000 more within a half mile of its borders. Coupled with weekly Farmers Markets, the Art Squared arts market, and a vibrant nightlife that draws thousands of visitors annually, Downtown San Marcos is consistently humming with activity.

This is thanks in no small part to Downtown San Marcos, which has spent 40 years steadily transforming the district through infrastructure improvements, including sidewalk medallions honoring Indigenous history and endangered river flora, new street signage, and placemaking initiatives like the Legend Has It tour and Downtown Outdoor Gallery. But perhaps most impressive is the more than $40 million in public and private reinvestment that Downtown San Marcos helped to secure, resulting in hundreds of new residents and historically low vacancy rates throughout the district.

Downtown Sykesville Connection – Sykesville, Maryland

Sykesville’s roots date back to the early 1800s, when the area was part of the 3,000-acre Springfield Estate, a former slave plantation. The town later flourished as a mill and rail stop, becoming a popular countryside retreat for Baltimore vacationers in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. However, by the early 2000s, Sykesville’s Main Street faced steep challenges, including a 25% vacancy rate and significant community disengagement.

The turning point came in 2017 when the Downtown Sykesville Connection (DSC) separated from municipal government to become an independent nonprofit. With a distinct identity, DSC became the conduit that amplified community capacity, turned fragmented stakeholders into collaborators, and revealed how authentic connection can be the backbone of revitalization. Today, Downtown Sykesville is fully occupied, with thriving businesses, innovative placemaking, and strong public-private partnerships fueling continued growth.

Columbia Main Street – Columbia, Tennessee

Since 1983, Columbia Main Street has integrated preservation-based economic development, strategic planning, and broad community engagement to cultivate a walkable and inclusive downtown. Recent projects, including a roundabout featuring a statue of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and streetscape enhancements, highlight the community’s commitment to inclusivity, heritage, and placemaking.

While Columbia has faced severe economic challenges, be it suburban sprawl in the 1990s or the COVID-19 pandemic, resilience, civic pride, and the tireless efforts of Columbia Main Street have consistently fueled recovery. In just the last few years, vacancy rates have dropped from 16% to under 8%, cultural venues like The Mulehouse have opened, fostering local arts and entertainment, and nearly 49,000 new people have come to call Columbia home.

Tune in to the Main Street America social media channels for spotlights of each semifinalist throughout the month of October. Save the date for the award ceremony on April 13, 2026, during the opening plenary of the 2026 Main Street Now Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and subscribe to our emails to receive the announcement of the winners!