This is the first installment in our new Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast. In the coming months, we’ll be visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the positives going on in their towns, and the challenges they face, from population loss to flooding to aging utility infrastructure. Our first stop is the Bertie County towns of Aulander and Lewiston Woodville.

Lewiston Woodville Mayor Chris Cordon and recently retired Aulander Mayor Larry Drew discuss the causes of population loss and how it impacts their towns. Both share their optimism about the future of the Bertie communities and what it will take to bring growth and prosperity back to one of North Carolina's poorest, most diverse regions.