FRESH START: Statesville displays a revitalized downtown with music, doughnuts and a peppier spirit.

• Author: Ellis, Kevin

Growing up in Statesville, Brittany Marlow remembers a dead downtown, with both businesses and residents choosing Signal Hill Mall by 1-77 over Main Street.

"We didn't come downtown for anything," says the 2004 graduate of North Iredell High School. "There just wasn't anything here."

Fast forward almost 20 years, and Statesville's center city has turned from dull to destination. Several restaurants have opened, with live music heard Wednesday through Saturday nights.

"It's always been a charming town, now we just have a nightlife," says Gloria Hager, whose gift store, GG s, has been a downtown fixture for more than 40 years.

Things didn't change overnight, says Marlow, leader of Statesville's downtown business group since June. Things started moving a decade ago as city leaders replaced aging water and sewer lines. The city used the utility project as a catalyst to make its central business district more walkable and apt for beautification.

Sidewalks became wider as four lanes of traffic were narrowed to three, enabling 14 downtown blocks to expand their pedestrian paths. Extra room gives space for both dog walkers and coffee drinkers. Add overflow from the Charlotte-area's population growth to a heated real estate market, and downtown has become the "heart of our community," says Marlow.

Statesville businesses showed off downtown in mid-March to 750 visitors attending the annual N.C. Main Street Conference. The N.C. Department of Commerce launched the Main Street program in 1980. It now includes about 70 towns.

The Iredell County seat has about 28,000 residents, while the county is home to about 192,000, a 20% increase in the past decade. That's nearly double the overall state's growth. Most of the gains occurred in southern Iredell near Lake Norman and Mooresville. Home to several NASCAR teams and near giant retailer Lowe's headquarters campus, Mooresville s population has more than doubled to 51,000-plus in the past 15 years. Growing at a measured pace has enabled Statesville to retain its small town feel, downtown leaders say. That hometown pride is apparent at Andrea's Ice Cream and Sweet Shop, a storefront Andrea Coelho opened nine years ago, shortly after she graduated from West Iredell High School in 2013.

"There's so many...