What is Laramie Main Street?
In 2005, Laramie Main Street, a 501(c)3, was formed to work with local businesses, property owners, consumers, local government, district residents and workforce who believe the heart of our great community lies in a vibrant downtown.
We are part of the Wyoming Main Street program under the Wyoming Business Council and are guided by the principles of the National Main Street Program. Our organization meets its goals by following the Main Street four point approach which includes design, organization, economic restructuring and promotion.
Click here to access our 2012 Downtown Development Plan.
We are a high energy, passionate group of volunteers striving to make a difference in our community.
We'd love for you to join us! Our board meetings are the first Monday of each month from 4:30 to 6 PM at the Main Street office.
Mission Statement
Laramie Main Street Alliance strives to preserve historic Downtown Laramie while enhancing its economic and social vitality.
Transformation Strategy
Develop Downtown as a home for entrepreneurs with a focus on authentic consumer experiences and creative Third Space.
The Main Street Approach
"Main Street" is a nationwide approach that works to revitalize historic downtowns. The National Trust for Historic Preservation created the holistic, preservation based economic development model in 1977 in reaction to economic decline and threats to traditional architecture in core commercial districts. Laramie was selected as a Main Street community in January 2005 and became fully accredited in June of that year.
The Four-Point Approach to downtown revitalization includes:
A Marketing & Promotions Team charged with enhancing the image and prospects of the downtown’s unique social, economic and cultural character through events and marketing campaigns.
An Organization Team serves as Main Street’s Human Resources arm, bringing resources, both people and funds, into the program.
The Design Team works to make visual improvements to downtown through good design compatible with historic features.
The Economic Vitality Team helps existing businesses expand, recruits new ones into the district and revitalizes underutilized properties.
For more information about the Main Street Four Point Approach, visit: PreservationNation.org
Laramie Main Street Alliance (LMSA) lies at the heart of Wyoming’s only university town. A lively pocket among the rural plains along the Union Pacific Railroad—the innovation that put the wild west town on the map. A view from Downtown Laramie’s distinctive steel pedestrian bridge showcases the vibrancy of a historic district colored by 32 hand-painted murals from our local artists to the East and adventure-primed Snowy Mountains to the West. No different than the sights, downtown’s sounds delight—songwriters croon from famed taverns and cowboy boots stomp on closed streets turned to dance halls.
Downtown Laramie attracts Wyoming’s culturally curious, offering regional cuisines in our 30+ restaurants and varied pop-up food trucks, including the state’s only vegan café. To live and work in the district is coveted, home to two coworking spaces and 95 residential units. From dog-friendly destinations to a neighborhood grocery store, the streets of Laramie invite you to walk, pedal, or scoot between work and play in the shadows of historic storefronts that have stood the test of time.
In Downtown Laramie, the neighborhood is warm with long-time locals and University of Wyoming students and alumni eager to roam the four microbreweries before watching the University of Wyoming Pokes play. Even the chilled winters are all but forgotten once the hollyhocks bloom bright between the cracks of the 28 blocks of boutique manufacturers, salons, and specialty shops, frequented by the summer’s cross-country tourists eager to experience the spirit of the modern West.