Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s downtown area builds on its rich past

The national recession is hitting right during a resurgence of interest in the downtown of South Dakota’s largest city.

For the first time in decades, people are returning to Main Avenue to work and live in century-old buildings where John Deere plows were sold, dairy products made and Ford Model T cars serviced.

"I love these old buildings; they have so much soul," says Jim Mathis. In August, Mathis moved his advertising firm from south Sioux Falls to a building on Main that dates to 1919.

Main Avenue has been transformed from mostly empty warehouses to loft apartments and offices — a new phenomenon in Sioux Falls. Restaurants and nightspots have opened on Main and nearby Phillips Avenue. And developers are counting on that trend continuing, even as economic worries spread through the nation.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sioux_Falls,_South_Dakota , http://www.siouxfallscvb.com/

By Jeff Martin, USA TODAY

Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-12-25-main-street-sioux-falls_N.htm