The City of Blackshear's Better Hometown Program is a self-help community development program for small cities with population between 1,000 to 5,000, designed to improve the community's quality of life through sound planning and implementation by community stakeholders.

 Pierce County is BEAR Country and a great place to call home. Over 17,000 county residents and over 3,900 city residents live in Pierce County. We pursue excellence here! Whether it's in our government agencies, agricultural pursuits, churches, or our school system, we want to show the world that we can accomplish whatever we dedicate ourselves to do. We believe the HEART of a community is the downtown district. So remember: Keep your $'s local, SHOP and DINE in Pierce County.

    Mission

         The purpose of the Better Hometown Program is to ensure that all historic buildings house successful businesses; while supporting business owners and property owners in a manner that guarantees a balance between the elements of modern industry and historical preservation.
                                                                          
 

              Program

       The Georgia Department of Community Affairs; Office of Downtown Development (ODD) coordinates the Georgia Main Street and Better Hometown Program with the development of their Hometown Programs.

        Assist Georgia cities, neighborhoods and small towns in development/redevelopment of their core commercial areas.

        Utilizes the National Main Street Center's 4-point Approach to Downtown Revitalization:

Goal 
                                                                                                             Collecting food for needy families

Bridge the gap between preservation and development. General tax credits, grants and recognition for the historic district. Streetscape is also a collaboration between the community, the City of Blackshear, the Better Hometown Program, and downtown.

                                                                               Better Hometown provides property owners, tenants, and potential business owners with many services, resources, and economic development tools.