FORSYTH - This village is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

And now, more than ever, the community motto, "pride and progress," rings true.

The village has evolved in half a century from a quiet rural community to a major commercial hub for the region.

New businesses, retail shops, restaurants and homes continue to sprout, Mayor Harold "Hap" Gilbert said.

"We have seen a lot of interest in the area," Gilbert said. "I think that's good for the entire community.

"As we add business here and in Decatur, it gives our residents the opportunity to shop here instead of having to drive to Bloomington or Springfield or Champaign."

Gilbert credits the Hickory Point Mall as the community's economic engine, and businesses continue to be built in the mall's footprint.

Developer Steve Horve is building a new Homewood Suites hotel just north of Hickory Point Mall, and the hotel is expected to be complete in August.

And a new retail center is under construction at U.S. 51 and Weaver Road at the former site of the Bob Brady auto dealership. Called One Market Place, the pad will feature four structures and is expected to be complete in August.

Businesses at the site will include Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar and Sakura Asian Restaurant.

Real estate broker John Cardwell, whose family is developing the retail center, hinted that other nationally known stores are eyeing the village.

Gilbert is pleased with the new development flanking the mall.

"Right now, it looks like everything is proceeding, full-speed ahead," Gilbert said.

New homes also continue to sprout in the village.

Horve Builders has constructed 12 subdivisions in Forsyth to date, and the village has room for more subdivisions.

Horve has seen the village develop dramatically in recent decades, and his family's business has had a big hand in the community's development. Projects for Horve Builders have included Applebee's, Forsyth Professional Building, O'Charley's, Lowe's, Kids N Fitness, Menards and the clubhouse for Hickory Point Golf Course.

An excellent school system drives development of single-family homes, Horve said.

"Then, also, you've got the low real-estate taxes and close proximity to shopping and restaurants," Horve said.

And the village is located at the intersection of U.S. 51 and Interstate 72.

"Especially if you're in sales, and you have a reason to call on Springfield, Champaign or Bloomington, you're right there," Horve said.

The village is situated ideally to attract shoppers from each direction.

"We enjoy a very good location here," Gilbert said. "They call these regional shopping centers for a reason. You have to depend on people from a broad area of the county and the state to support something like this."

New retail pads and restaurants typically follow new housing, Cardwell said.

He markets the retail center as "the entrance to the top 10 percent of household-income subdivisions in the county."

Developers will fly over a city to see where new homes are being built, Cardwell said.

"Wherever new rooftops are, that's where retailers want to be," Cardwell said. "If they can afford a new home, retailers say, they can afford everything we're going to sell."

Developers' interest in the village remains strong, despite signs of sluggishness for the economy nationally.

"There's always interest," Gilbert said.