The ‘Now South’ seeking creative downtowns

What’s the Now South? According to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Now South: Lofts, lattes in Mayberry, it’s a “a wireless, latte-fueled, even hip update on small towns etched in Old South traditions and bypassed by the New South renewal of the 1970s and ’80s.”

Other words becoming more prominent in Now South towns for the first time: lofts, walkable, yoga, tea, microbrews, vegetarian… A researcher who monitors redevelopment in small towns exclaims, “Ten years ago, people would have laughed at you – ‘What? You want to live downtown?’ – but they’re not laughing anymore.” “It’s a fever,” says a developer.

Change is slow, but it’s coming. Take self-confessed redneck Mike Winburn, who began serving mochas and espressos for the first time, “I’m kind of ashamed of it, but we needed something to attract people. You gotta bring these folks into the new millennium. Here we are less than 100 yards from the Confederate monument, yet you can get a cappuccino and even a bagel here. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I’ve kind of lost some of my heritage.” Then he grinned…

The article can also be found here.

Image: Alluvian Hotel, Greenwood, Mississippi

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