Springfield, Vermont
The decline of Springfield’s manufacturing industry in the late 20th century has brought about a cycle of reinvention and renewal and the amenities have adapted to meet the times.
The Black River Innovation Campus has become a hub for entrepreneurship and digital economy opportunities. Ivy League resources are just a half an hour away at Dartmouth College, while world-class skiing and outdoor recreation are even closer. And now, the town’s 8,900 residents can brag about having some of the fastest internet in the country, thanks to Vermont Telephone Company’s pursuit of fiber-to-the-home after the Great Recession, making it ripe for 21st-century innovation and luring high-paying jobs back to the town.
The Rural Edge series
At CORI, we have a saying: once you’ve seen one rural community, you’ve seen one rural community. America’s small towns are diverse and dynamic, and through our work with our Rural Innovation Network, we have the privilege of working in depth with 20 communities building digital economy ecosystems. To highlight these incredible places, Siegel Family Endowment and the Walmart Foundation provided funding for us to create video case studies highlighting our communities’ efforts.
Check out previous installments in the series:
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