January 2017 | Business View Magazine

90 91 New bern, North Carolina New Bern, North Carolina Building foundations for the future S ettled in 1710, and named after Bern, Switzerland, New Bern is the sec- ond-oldest colonial town in North Carolina and was the capital of the North Carolina colonial government. For a short time, it was also the state capital. Its picturesque location and growing political pres- tige soon earned New Bern the title, “Athens of the South.” To this day, the Athens Theater and the Masonic Temple are active entities in the downtown; testaments to the staying power of a rich, cultural past. But the future of this city is all about building new foundations. The main economic drivers are based in