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Established in 1710, New Bern was settled by immigrants from Bern, Switzerland and is considered to be Bern’s daughter city. A historically rich city, New Bern has experienced transformation throughout the centuries, from a colonial capital, to North Carolina's first state capital, to a Union occupied southern city providing safe haven to enslaved people during the Civil War, to a city with robust industry in the 1890s and early 1900s. The 20th century saw segregation, a devastating fire that exacerbated an already existing racial divide, and the gradual decline of both downtown and Five Points.

Downtown was a thriving shopping district until the 1970s when businesses began relocating to a suburban mall. In 1979, Belk department store joined JC Penney and several higher end clothiers in the exodus, leaving downtown without a retail anchor and adding to downtown’s overall decline. Downtown became a mix of service industry, machine shops, banks, vacant lots/buildings, and revolving door retailers. The waterfront was a combination of vacant lots and industry.

In 1980 New Bern was selected as one of the original 30 Main Street cities and has remained in the program uninterrupted since its inception. Main Street's 4-pillar approach to revitalization became the blueprint for transforming Downtown New Bern from a downtown in decline in 1980 to an economically vital downtown in 2023.

In 2014, New Bern's Main Street footprint expanded into Five Points, an economically and ethnically diverse neighborhood that was underserved for decades. Now known as greater downtown, New Bern's Main Street has 4 galleries, 2 theaters, 5 music venues, public art, and an events schedule that spans the year. There are 18 restaurants, 11 pubs/breweries, 4 coffee shops, 2 ice-cream parlors, a Convention Center that accommodates small to mid-sized conventions, and 2 3-star hotels with 2 4-star hotels under development.