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The
decades following World War II were particularly hard on downtown New
Bern. Many significant structures, commercial and residential, were demolished
to make way for service stations and parking lots. The widening of Broad
Street during the 1950's transformed the thoroughfare from a tree-lined
street of fine residences into a noisy, psychological barrier between
the downtown and residential areas. As New Bern attempted to accommodate
the automobile, the steady, post-war movement of the city's population
to the suburbs effectively drew businesses and customers away from the
central business district. |
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The
results speak for themselves. This public/private partnership formed two
decades ago has been instrumental in downtown revitalization projects
that have added more than $70 million to the tax base in a 14-core-block
area. |
