In Ayden, “Que marks the spot” for the first stop on the BBQ Trail. Known for its whole hog, wood-fired, Eastern NC style BBQ, Ayden is the third largest municipality in ever-growing Pitt County, nestled between the capitol and the coast. Our community is the place where people choose to eat, live, work and play. The downtown area offers a walkable, picturesque, inclusive atmosphere bursting with unique destinations and growth opportunities.
Ayden Main Street Program
Downtown Ayden, Inc. is a local, community driven organization that is striving to make our historic downtown the center of social, economic, and cultural life in Ayden. Through annual events, infrastructure projects, and economic opportunities, Downtown Ayden, Inc. brings the community together to make Ayden a "Hallmark town" welcome to everyone.
The Town of Ayden is a North Carolina Main Street Community, designated by the NC Department
of Commerce and Main Street & Rural Planning Center. The Town of Ayden is charged with administering the program at the local level and building a public-private partnership to spur economic development in partnership with the state agency.
The Town of Ayden is a North Carolina Main Street Community, designated by the NC Department
of Commerce and Main Street & Rural Planning Center. The Town of Ayden is charged with administering the program at the local level and building a public-private partnership to spur economic development in partnership with the state agency.
Main Street America Affiliate
As a Main Street America Affiliate™, The Town of Ayden is part of a national network of more than 1,200 neighborhoods and communities who share both a commitment to creating high-quality places and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development.
The Town of Ayden's Main Street Program began by adopting the Small Town Main Street Program in 2006 - with the purpose to revitalize the downtown area - in hopes to bring more commerce back to the area that was once the focal point of the community. Our committee of business & property owners, and volunteers, meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm.
Ayden's Main Street Program is supported by the North Carolina Main Street Program, which assists selected communities across the state in restoring economic vitality to their historic downtowns. Using a comprehensive downtown revitalization process developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Main Street encourages economic development within the context of historic preservation.
Main Street staff provide technical assistance, guidance, and training to participating communities. While grant funds for specific projects occasionally become available, Main Street is a self-help program, and it is up to local communities like Ayden to provide the human and financial resources necessary to operate their downtown programs. The Town of Ayden and its committee of volunteers are dedicated to this self-help philosophy, and encourage our downtown businesses to participate and take advantage of the events and grants that we have created.
In 1980, the National Trust created the National Trust Main Street Center to share lessons learned in a pilot program based on their downtown revitalization process called the Main Street Four-Point Approach®. This program has a four-step process for participating communities to use as a guideline. The four steps are organization, promotion, design, and economic restructuring.
We invite you to join us at our next meeting as we continue to make Ayden "one of America's best small communities to raise a family".
Ayden's Main Street Program is supported by the North Carolina Main Street Program, which assists selected communities across the state in restoring economic vitality to their historic downtowns. Using a comprehensive downtown revitalization process developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Main Street encourages economic development within the context of historic preservation.
Main Street staff provide technical assistance, guidance, and training to participating communities. While grant funds for specific projects occasionally become available, Main Street is a self-help program, and it is up to local communities like Ayden to provide the human and financial resources necessary to operate their downtown programs. The Town of Ayden and its committee of volunteers are dedicated to this self-help philosophy, and encourage our downtown businesses to participate and take advantage of the events and grants that we have created.
In 1980, the National Trust created the National Trust Main Street Center to share lessons learned in a pilot program based on their downtown revitalization process called the Main Street Four-Point Approach®. This program has a four-step process for participating communities to use as a guideline. The four steps are organization, promotion, design, and economic restructuring.
We invite you to join us at our next meeting as we continue to make Ayden "one of America's best small communities to raise a family".