BUCHANAN — If you own property in the City of Buchanan, there is a good chance your home is now designated as being in a national historic district.

City Manager Bill Marx said Wednesday that neighborhoods located north of Front Street and west of Main Street received approval for the designation by the National Register of Historic Places earlier this week.

Marx said the “North and West Neighborhoods Historic District” is the largest per capita in the state, encompassing 166 acres and more than 700 resources, including homes, barns, commercial properties and parks.

The national designation comes with “no strings attached,” said Marx, meaning property owners will not be restricted in how they choose to remodel or change their properties.

Marx said the city could only set guidelines or restrictions on home improvements if the area was designated as a local historic district. Right now it is a federal, or national, historic district.

“There are no immediate plans to move into a local district,” Marx said. “We are a long ways away from that.”

Marx said he hopes property owners in the national historic district will choose to maintain their property’s history on their own.

“We would like them to identify the heritage of the building and try to keep it in that style,” Marx said. “It is more of a request that people look at their property and not alter it to a point where it takes away from its heritage.”

Having the area designated as a national historic district will help the city in obtaining federal grants, according to Marx.

“That is probably the biggest benefit right now,” he said.

Mayor Carla Cole said she was pleased the area received the designation.

“Many hours went into the nomination, and Buchanan is moving forward to save its history for future generations,” she said. “I hope this will encourage other communities to do the same. Preserving our buildings and homes is important for young citizens, and this work will help encourage them to live and work in this great city.”

Properties within the historic district were built in a time period ranging from the 1840s to the early 1960s.

The North and West Neighborhoods National Register Historic District is roughly bounded by Main, Fourth, Chippewa, West Front, South Detroit, Chicago, Clark, Roe and Charles streets.