All too often, eager locals find their great ideas held up by months of bureaucracy until, in many cases, the idea fades and dies. One city nestled in the rolling hills and wooded forests of Southern Indiana, however, has a different story. Through conscious and deliberate collaboration, with a daily focus on a city-wide comprehensive plan, the city of Jasper is a place where “things get done.” Its most recent venture: creating a people-centered downtown. 
​
Timed with the needed replacement of century-old water pipes, the city took advantage of the construction to fully renovate their downtown square.  “When you're going to dig everything up, when you put it back, you want to put it back nicer than what it was before,” explained Jasper’s Chamber of Commerce Director Nancy Eckerle.

- Strong Towns (01/2024)

The City of Jasper and the Thyen-Clark Culture Center was jointly presented the 2023 Indiana Uplands Quality of Place Attraction Award! 
​
The Quality of Place Attraction Award recognizes a community, organization, or group that has coalesced around a project or program that welcomes both residents and visitors to enjoy the arts, cultural, and natural beauty found only in the Indiana Uplands.