Located at the crossroads of southern charm and modern innovation, Historic Downtown Wilson beckons residents and visitors alike to stop and stay awhile. Only five minutes from I-95, the major north/south corridor on the east coast, 45 minutes east of Raleigh and RDU international airport, two hours from the Atlantic Ocean and four hours from the Blue Ridge mountains, Historic Downtown Wilson offers incomparable access to the best of the past and the future.
Once heralded as “The World’s Greatest Tobacco Market,” Wilson, NC is now a thriving city of almost 50,000 people that has successfully recruited new business including pharmaceuticals, banking, and medical to replace the lost tobacco market revenue. During the heyday of the tobacco market in the late 1800s and early 1900s, its success drew prosperous farmers and businessmen to establish majestic homes downtown along West Nash Street, widely known as one of the most beautiful residential areas in North Carolina. Now lining the avenues of the downtown business district, historically-preserved architecture with high speed fiber optic internet blends the visions of yesteryear with the inspiration of tomorrow. Weathered brick tobacco warehouses and a Classical Revival courthouse share street space with today’s boutique shops, a regional business incubator and burgeoning arts community. A whimsical whirligig “farm” of massive, wind-driven, kinetic sculptures designed and constructed by renowned folk artist, Vollis Simpson, provides an arts-driven economic development engine for downtown revitalization. Greenlight Broadband, Wilson’s community-owned, “fiber-to-the-home” network, beckons to businesses requiring lighting fast internet with local service and support.
Do you want to escape the daily rat race but still have unparalleled access to points beyond?
Do you want to start or expand a business?
Visit Historic Downtown Wilson… where the past and the future co-exist.
Wilson is a North Carolina Main Street Community, designated by the NC Department of Commerce and Main Street & Rural Planning Center. Wilson Downtown Development Corporation is charged with administering the program at the local level and building a public-private partnerships to spur economic development that achieves measurable results such as investment, business growth, and job creation.
As a Main Street America™ Accredited program, Wilson Downtown Development Corporation is a recognized leading program among the national network of more than 1,200 neighborhoods and communities that share both a commitment to creating high-quality places and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. All Main Street America™ Accredited programs meet a set of National Accreditation Standards of Performance as outlined by Main Street America.
