Miracle Mile

Sean Whittaker (left) and Ali Wiedrich (right) walk down the sidewalk of the Miracle Mile.

This 1982 article announced the Miracle Mile Street Fair in Plaza-Midwood.

The Neighborhood Association wrote this media announcement to generate awareness of the 1982 Miracle Mile Street Fair.

Long's Grocery at the corner of Central and Pecan was one of the first businesses to open on Central Avenue in 1916. By the late 1930s, one- or two-story brick structures lined Central Avenue between Pecan and Thomas avenues. Merchants named this stretch of Central Avenue Charlotte's "Miracle Mile" because the businesses were so versitile that there was no need for near-by residents to go anywhere else for basic necessities. By the 1960s the business district along Central Avenue had lost its former appeal.

During revitalization efforts in the 1980s, the Neighborhood Association reclaimed the name "Miracle Mile" for the business district along Central Avenue. In 1982, when advertizing for the Miricale Mile Street Fair, the Neighborhood Association asked residents: "Did you know the business district lining Central Avenue was once known as 'The "Miracle Mile'?" The nickname was used during revitalization to respark interest in the history of the neighborhood's business district.

Plans to revitalize Plaza Midwood's business district began in 1983. The rennovations to Central Avenue took shape in 1984. Changes included widening the sidewalks, forbidding on-street parking, adding a new parking lot, and rennovating the structures along Central Avenue.

Today, the businesses on Central Avenue still follow the tradition of the Miracle Mile by providing a variety of services. For example, the business district has a multitude of stores including: retail, antiques, jewelery, a bakery, and a smoke house.