Goal
Expand and diversify the economy of the Near Westside.

Story Behind the Numbers
By the late 1800s the Near Westside was an ideal community to live and work. However, in the 1960s many of the larger corporations and manufacturing industries disappeared as the national economy moved from the industrial age to one of technology and information. By the 1990s the economic vitality
of the community was seriously jeopardized. Recently, there have been two promising activities with longterm potential to reverse the downward trends. One is interest by a group of developers in 155 acres of the old Central State Hospital. The other is a reinvestment of small businesses by immigrant Hispanic residents along West Washington Street, the National Historic Road. To support these emerging economic ventures, a group of Near Westside small business owners, residents, city officials and financial institutions are forming a Business Association to provide for a more prosperous future.