How the #1 ‘Breakthrough’ Helps Modern Communities Survive
The importance of communities, imagined and real.
Town: Burlington
30 posts
What Would an Ideal College Look Like? A Lot Like This
While you’re busy designing your version of the ideal, I can take a nap or go fishing, because somebody has already built mine: Champlain College.
How Did a ‘Public Ivy’ Take Root in Vermont?
And the remarkable symbiosis that enriches both the city and its university
Vermont Report: Shaping the Soul of a School
Shaping the Soul of a School
Back on the Bright Side: Silicon Valley in Vermont
Why did this company end up on the shores of Lake Champlain, rather than on the San Francisco Bay or Puget Sound?
Magical Roundabouts and the Language of Signs
Exploring the sociocultural landscape of Burlington
Burlington Makes, the World Takes: The Story of NRG Systems
Why Vermont, for this kind of business? Away from traditional manufacturing centers, and tech-world complexes, and even easy transport routes? The cold mountains and the early wind turbines are a sort-of explanation. Plus, as I heard, a 19th-century-onward heritage of precision machine production in the area. But there were two elements of the “why here? why now?” story I found provocative for further discussion.
From Burma to Burlington: The Story of ‘Brings Luck’
A refugee finding a new life.
If You Thought a Profitable Newspaper Was Surprising, How About This: A Pleasant Airport
More strange tales from the North Country.
Strange Tales From the North Country: A Profitable (Print) Newspaper
What's black and white and read all over, at least in the Green Mountain state.
Beer Porn: The Alchemist Cannery
Going to the source, to find a highly celebrated and nearly unobtainable beer.
‘Baltimore Altimeter, 30.46’
Snapshots From a Clear Day in the Northeast
What ‘Fringe City’ Status Means for a Community’s Look and Feel
Sioux Falls: If you can make it there ...
Road Report: Sarah Lee Guthrie
Why someone had to invent the word "serendipity."