The Thriving Hometowns Network is a compilation of more than 50 original and in-depth community and economic development case studies drawn from small communities (most less than 10,000 population). The Network, housed on the National Center for Small Communities (NCSC) web site, is a fully searchable electronic database, available free of charge to anyone with Internet access. The Network currently features 52 case studies drawn from 29 states and Canada.

The NCSC created the Network in response to repeated inquiries from small town leaders and local development practitioners. People eager for new ideas contact NCSC for models of successful small town development. The Thriving Hometowns Network offers a low-cost substitute for visiting winning communities - a kind of "virtual site visit."

Each case study (4-7 pages) contains demographic data; a statement of the economic development strategy employed; background information; a detailed project summary; bulleted outlines of benefits achieved, keys to success, and obstacles to success; listings of project organizers and helpers; sources of funds; local contact information and useful Web sites.

You can search the database by any keyword or by any (or all) of the following criteria: geographic region; population range; economic development strategy; and key project organizers. For example, you can identify all north central U.S. communities, less than 2,500 population, which fostered entrepreneurship with help from the local government.
A search by keyword or selected criteria will produce a list of qualified case studies. By clicking on the case study title, you can view and print each detailed case study. All case studies may be reprinted and distributed, if credit is given to NCSC.

The demographic information for each case study is the most recently available data derived from the following sources: Population (Bureau of the Census, 1999); County Unemployment (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2001); County/State Per Capita Income (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1999); Percentage of Older Population (self-reported).

The Thriving Hometowns Network was developed with support from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Appalachian Regional Commission. Nancy Stark, NCSC's director of community and economic development, created and manages the project.

To access the Thriving Hometowns Network,
click here.

For more information, contact:

Nancy Stark
Director, Community and Economic Development
National Center for Small Communities
phone: (202) 624-3556
email: nstark@sso.org