Promoting Community Self Awareness

Ever wonder what impressions a first-time visitor to your community walks away with?  We know what is special about where we live, but do tourists or business travelers find this a place that they would choose to return?  Even though the answers to these questions could be so helpful in targeting our community and economic development efforts, we are unlikely to ever gain this knowledge.  First Impressions: A Program for Community Improvement provides communities with information concerning how they look and feel to first-time visitors.  Data gained through this process can be used to identify what could be improved in your community, enhancing your image to the outside world.

There are three program offerings through First Impressions:

• First Impressions Program Brochure
• Community Program
• Downtown/Main Street Program
• Corridor/Byway Program

The model for this program was developed by: Andy Lewis, University of Wisconsin Extension Services, and James Schneider, Grant County (Wisconsin) Economic Development Director.