A 4th-Generation Orange Farmer, on Why He Sticks With It “I was born in the grove. I was raised in the grove. I developed an intense dislike of farming in the grove.” Yet after 20 years around the world he has come back. (Read it here.)
Category Archives: Economic Life
Inside the Packing House
Inside the Packing House
by James Fallows
Viewing an ordinary fruit with new respect. (Read it here.)
When Rails Make the Difference, From Down East to the Southwest
When Rails Make the Difference, From Down East to the Southwest
by John Tierney
The loss of rail service into a small Maine town has been crippling (Read it here.)
Building a Museum: Report from Down East
Building a Museum: Report from Down East
by John Tierney
A Maine couple defies the odds — and helps to build community in the process. (Read it here.)
Small Town, Big Tides, Bigger Ambitions: Ocean Renewable Power in Eastport
Small Town, Big Tides, Bigger Ambitions: Ocean Renewable Power in Eastport
by James Fallows
“We like to think we are the Kitty Hawk of hydro-kinetic power.” (Read it here.)
A New Type of Growing City
A New Type of Growing City
by James Fallows
“This is where the talent wants to live.” (Read it here.)
Back on the Bright Side: Silicon Valley in Vermont
Back on the Bright Side: Silicon Valley in Vermont
by James Fallows
Why did this company end up on the shores of Lake Champlain, rather than on the San Francisco Bay or Puget Sound? (Read it here.)
On Making and Taking, in Trenton and Around the World
On Making and Taking, in Trenton and Around the World
by James Fallows
Respect for the Garden State and its industrial heritage. (Read it here.)
Burlington Makes, the World Takes: The Story of NRG Systems
Burlington Makes, the World Takes: The Story of NRG Systems
by James Fallows
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. (Read it here.)
From Burma to Burlington: The Story of ‘Brings Luck’
From Burma to Burlington: The Story of ‘Brings Luck’
by Deborah Fallows
This is the story of Hai Blu, whose life story began with unimaginable bad fortune, then turned toward fortune so good that it met the destiny of his Burmese name, meaning “Brings Luck.” (Read it here.)