Around Every Corner
Discover Waupun is an independent community organization supporting Waupun’s businesses, downtown, tourism and community development.
Around every corner
Waupun is full of people who care about this community. Business owners taking a chance, neighbors showing up for one another, and families building a life here. Discover Waupun exists to bring that energy together and help our community thrive.
We’re here to support local businesses, strengthen our downtown, and share what makes Waupun worth discovering. By promoting our shops, restaurants, history, outdoor spaces, and local experiences, we give visitors more reasons to come, stay awhile, and return.
We believe those visits can lead to lasting connections. A day spent exploring can spark the idea to open a business, invest in a building, or make Waupun home. Together with residents, businesses, and community partners, we’re creating opportunities for growth while preserving the character that makes this place ours.
Our approach
The Main Street Approach, developed by Main Street America, uses four connected points to strengthen historic downtowns. Tap a sign to take a road.
Point 1 of 4
Strengthening the businesses we have and making room for new ones.
Point 2 of 4
Making downtown a place people want to be.
Point 3 of 4
Telling Waupun’s story and bringing people downtown.
Point 4 of 4
Building the team that keeps it all going.
Where the roads meet: Main Street communities also choose Transformation Strategies, focused plans based on local needs and market information, that guide work across all four points.
Wisconsin Main Street by the numbers
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The year Wisconsin Main Street began
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Wisconsin Main Street communities
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New businesses created
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Net new jobs
$0B+
In public and private investment
Statewide results since 1987. Source: Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, March 2026.
Wisconsin Main Street is a community development program administered by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). It helps designated communities revitalize their historic downtowns with technical support, training and guidance based on Main Street America’s approach.
Discover Waupun follows the Main Street Approach and is pursuing Wisconsin Main Street designation.
Learn about Wisconsin Main Street ↗Main Street America leads a national movement of more than 2,000 downtown and neighborhood commercial district programs. Its Main Street Approach has guided communities across the country since 1980, and it recognizes standout programs each year with the Great American Main Street Award.
Learn about Main Street America ↗Good questions
It is a framework for revitalizing historic downtowns built on four connected points: Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion and Organization. Instead of one big fix, it relies on steady, local, volunteer-powered progress that builds on what makes a place unique.
Designated communities join the Wisconsin Main Street Program, run by WEDC, and receive technical support, training and resources. To stay in the program, local organizations keep required staffing and funding levels, report their progress and take part in training.
Discover Waupun follows the Main Street Approach in its work for downtown and is pursuing Wisconsin Main Street designation for Waupun.
Volunteer at an event, partner with us as a local business, or simply shop, dine and spend time downtown. Every visit counts.
Volunteer, partner with us as a local business or bring us your big idea. We’d love to hear it.