We just released a story that answers this listener question:

“Some downtowns in Vermont are really thriving, like White River Junction. How did that happen, when they used to be so bleak?”

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Some highlights:

• "The Rio Blanco Social Club" is a WRJ-based secret society whose members include many of the people responsible for the revitalization ("Rio Blanco" = White River, en español).
• Not everyone we spoke to agrees that WRJ used to be "bleak." ("Income issues," "cheap rent," and "underappreciated" were other terms people used to describe the town's bygone era.)
• At one point in time, WRJ was home to a dozen bars and three movie theaters (as well as a bowling alley and indoor mini-golf)
• There's currently a $5 million project to overhaul water and sewer downtown and make so-called "streetscape improvements."
• The campus of the Center for Cartoon Studies includes a former post office and a former department store.
• On top of devastating flooding due to sprinkler failure, beloved Turkish restaurant Tuckerbox is facing another serious challenge: "The lack of employees, specifically in the kitchen."

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All music in this episode is courtesy of local artists Chico Eastridge and Matt Mazur.

Link to listen: https://pod.link/1132586596

Link to web feature: https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brave-little-state/2022-10-06/whats-the-secret-to-downtown-revitalization-ask-white-river-junction

Street art on the back side of the clothing store Revolution. Today's White River Junction embraces a mixture of old and new. And above all, it's a place where creativity reigns. (Angela Evancie/Vermont Edition)