You've missed out then! I grew up in a town with a thriving Main St (Davidson, NC) and loved every minute there. The great coffee shop, diner, drug store, bookstore, library, ice cream shop, and gift store all come to mind. Its popularity was an outlier when I was younger, but since then I've actually seen other local towns with formerly dilapidated main streets turn it around (Mooresville for example). Walkability is in huge demand, and these older communities are some of the best options in the region for that.