Downtown Merced is going through the biggest boom in interest and activity in years.

Dozens of new businesses have opened and more are on the way. Visitors to Downtown Merced come from all over the region. They are, by any standard, young and affluent.

From coffeehouses to theatres, fashion shops to furniture stores, Downtown Merced is a burgeoning new retail, entertainment and dining center for the Merced region.

As a revitalized neighborhood, Downtown Merced features millions of dollars in new investment over the past decade. These investments include a new bank headquarters, an arts center, a “parcade” complex of professional offices, and Mainplace Merced, the $15 million, block-long multiplex movie theatre and retail spaces. Other investments include a new commercial building, a brewpub, a University of California headquarters, and street and alley improvements.