One Eastern Carolina town is bucking the trend of the dying downtown district.
Hertford, the county seat for Perquimans County, is seeing a renaissance, thanks to reinvestment in its former town center. The area is on a national register of historic districts and is also a North Carolina Main Street community.
Hertford Mayor Sid Eley says the Highway 17 Bypass is helping bring businesses downtown. In fact, there is not one vacant storefront in the downtown now. There are even high-tech businesses, like the Inteliport Cyber Cafe in the old Roses building, that are offering new opportunities for young people in the community.
Hertford is also banking on its waterfront, and several more modern communities nearby, to bring more customers to town as well.
