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Downtown
Development
Downtown Quitman
The downtown area of a city is often the largest employer in a city or it is almost always in the top three! The
collection of retail, office, governmental and service workers located in downtown can be from the low hundreds
in a small town to over a thousand in a larger city. And these jobs are by their very nature diversified, so that
most downtowns remain a strong and flexible employment center.
Downtown is also critical in the development of classic and cultural tourism. Studies have shown that small
towns and historic places are second only to beaches in terms of the most desirable places to visit, and a city’s
downtown and surrounding neighborhoods are the embodiment of the history and culture of a community.
Downtown is also a ready-made business incubator, particularly for small service-based businesses that need
limited it space at an affordable rate. And since 80% of all workers are employed in small businesses across
America, downtowns continue to provide reasonable space for the emerging small businesses that form the
backbone of the American economy.
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