Kings Mountain Earns Recognition of Housing Market, Main Street Accreditation

Despite a tumultuous year, Kings Mountain sets itself up well for the future.

KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. – Jan. 2021

Through the many challenges presented in 2020, Kings Mountain emerged as a top tier city, not just in North Carolina, but nationwide. In fact, according to one outlet, there is no healthier housing market in the entire United States. Add to that the exciting promise brought about by its recent Main Street accreditation, and there is much to be excited about in Kings Mountain.

 

Smart Asset Ranks City of Kings Mountain as the No. 1 Healthiest Housing Market in the United States

Ranking is based on Stability, Affordability, Fluidity and Risk of Loss

If you are looking to buy a home, look no further than Kings Mountain. Smart Asset recently named Kings Mountain as the healthiest housing market in the United States. Four criteria were used to determine rankings including stability of the housing market, affordability, fluidity (ease of sale) and risk of loss. The scores from these four criteria were weighted and combined for a total “Healthy Market” score. Kings Mountain ranked in the top 10 national rankings for stability, risk and fluidity which helped position the city for the overall top score.

“We have always known what a great place Kings Mountain is to live and raise a family,” said Kings Mountain Mayor Scott Neisler. “Now, that our housing market is ranked as the healthiest in the country, we expect more people will be calling Kings Mountain home.”

“Being ranked as the healthiest housing market in the country is exciting news for the City of Kings Mountain,” said Stuart Gilbert, Planning and Economic Director for the City of Kings Mountain. “Kings Mountain is an outstanding choice for individual home buyers, residential and commercial developers, and business investment.”

Located in Cleveland County, the City of Kings Mountain has a population of approximately 11,000 people. It is geographically situated between the Charlotte and Greenville-Spartanburg metropolitan areas and is easily reached by multiple highways and Charlotte International Airport. In addition to having the healthiest housing market in the country, Kings Mountain offers a mild year-round climate, expansive outdoor recreation, family festivals and events, and charming southern hospitality.

“Kings Mountain is an extremely attractive market for individuals,” Gilbert said. “Many people who work in Gastonia or Charlotte choose to live in Kings Mountain because of how affordable the city is,” added Gilbert. “It is also a prime market for new business development because companies want to locate jobs where their employees can comfortably live,” said Gilbert.

“We look forward to welcoming new neighbors to Kings Mountain,” added Neisler.

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North Carolina Main Street Communities Receive National Accreditation for 2020

The City of Kings Mountain Is Among 48 Cities Recognized

The N.C. Main Street Center & Rural Planning Center at the N.C. Department of Commerce announced that 48 North Carolina communities have been designated as a 2020 Accredited Main Street America program. Accredited status is Main Street America’s highest tier of recognition, signifying a demonstrated commitment to comprehensive commercial district revitalization and showcasing a proven track record of successfully applying the Main Street Approach.

“We are so proud that the City of Kings Mountain is one of the 48 North Carolina communities that has earned Main Street America’s national Accreditation,” said City Manager Marilyn Sellers. “This recognition illustrates the City’s commitment to economic development, downtown revitalization and historic preservation.”

“North Carolina’s accredited Main Street programs have worked diligently to meet the standards established by the National Main Street Center, and we are pleased to see them recognized on a national level for their achievement,” said Anthony M. Copeland, N.C. Secretary of Commerce. “Local Main Street programs across our state work every day to bring jobs and businesses to their downtowns, which strengthens the overall economy of their communities and, in turn, that of our entire state.”

The performance standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street community’s application of the Main Street Four Point Approach to commercial district revitalization. Evaluation criteria determine the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking programmatic progress and actively preserving historic buildings.

“Earning Accreditation for our Main Street program makes the City of Kings Mountain even more attractive for residential and business development,” said City of Kings Mountain’s Community Planning and Economic Development Director Stuart Gilbert. “The City was recently named as the Healthiest Housing Market in the country and these types of distinctions are important to families, businesses and investors.”

“The NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center is proud of this year’s accredited communities,” said Liz Parham, Director of the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center. “These communities have worked hard to build sustainable organizations, which are able to create vibrant downtowns that can pivot quickly during a crisis like COVID-19. We commend these communities and their volunteers on these accomplishments and look forward to seeing their continued success.”

“This is another great honor for the City of Kings Mountain,” said Mayor Scott Neisler. “First, SmartAsset.com, a web-based financial technology firm, named Kings Mountain as the Healthiest Housing Market in the United States,” Mayor Neisler added. “Now, Main Street America has recognized our downtown revitalization efforts as one of the top 48 in the state,”

Since 1980, The North Carolina Main Street program has generated $3.25 billion in private and public investment. In 2019, North Carolina Main Street downtown districts generated 345 net new businesses, 148 expansions of existing businesses, 2,211 net new jobs, 378 façade rehabilitations, 297 building rehabilitations, and logged more than 150,000 volunteer hours.

The success of the Downtown District is a partnership requiring strategic planning and financial investment from both the public and private sectors.

“The leadership of the City of Kings Mountain and the dedicated property and business owners in Downtown Kings Mountain have worked hard to create the type of positive changes that brought forth the National Main Street America Accreditation,” said Main Street Coordinator Susan Matheson. “Being an Accredited Main Street community is an honor to achieve and we appreciate everyone who has helped us to reach this milestone.”

The City of Kings Mountain has been intentional in creating appropriate improvements that maintain the historic integrity of our downtown structures such as the building restorations along South Battleground Avenue and those currently underway on West Mountain Street. The City’s strategic planning helped guide the development of new amenities such as the Amphitheater and updated Streetscape along Cansler Street.

“We are proud to recognize this year’s Nationally Accredited Main Street America programs that have dedicated themselves to strengthening their communities,” said Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center. “These Accredited Main Street programs have proven to be powerful engines for revitalization by sparking impressive economic returns and preserving the character of their communities. During these challenging times, these Main Street programs will be key to bringing economic vitality back to commercial districts and improving quality of life during the recovery process.”

Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for 40 years. Today, it is a network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have leveraged more than $85.43 billion in new public and private investment, generated 672,333 net new jobs and 150,079 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 295,348 buildings. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Nationally, Main Street America communities generated $6.45 billion of public and private reinvestment, helped open 6,466 net new businesses, facilitated the creation of 32,316 net new jobs, and supported the rehabilitation of 10,412 buildings in 2019.