The Rural Edge: Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Once a town at a crossroads after the decline of traditional industry and sustained population loss, Pine Bluff is busy reimagining what success can look like in its future. And with initiatives like The Generator, a downtown innovation hub, the city is taking a distinctly people-centered approach to building a foundation for local tech employment and entrepreneurship.

The Generator’s new facility on Main Street is home to coworking space and one-on-one consulting, a digital makerspace, and a digital space with the latest in technology, all with the goal of raising the level of digital skills in the community as the city works to develop its tech economy ecosystem strategies. Along with resources like the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Southeast Arkansas College, local leaders are engaged in maximizing opportunities for residents of the proud city.

The Center on Rural Innovation created the Rural Edge series to highlight the people who are changing the narrative about what’s possible in rural America. Watch the video to learn more about Pine Bluff and meet the change agents, leaders, and innovators who call it home.

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 33 communities building digital economy ecosystems. To highlight these incredible places, we’ve set out to create video case studies highlighting our communities’ efforts.

Check out previous installments in the series:

• Traverse City, Michigan
• Independence, Oregon
• Waterville, Maine
• Springfield, Vermont
• Durango, Colorado
• Wilson, North Carolina
• Cape Girardeau, Missouri

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