U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine may sound lovely, but for Heather Gagne recent years proved stressful. There were few housing options in the Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
Read More

Find Stories

Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 893 Stories
2020-01-28 - Limestone College Groundbreaking

Big News for Limestone College

Ceremonial shovels were standing ready for a groundbreaking ceremony that was held at Limestone College located in Gaffney, South Carolina on January 28, 2020 celebrating a $38 Million Investment from USDA Rural Development which will enable the college to build a new Library… [Read More]
South Carolina
Community Facilities
Camp Nelson Interpretive Center, Nicholasville, KY

Jessamine County preserves Civil War history with help from Rural Development

Just a few minutes south on Route 27 from Nicholasville is arguably one of the most important Civil War locations in the commonwealth. At the start of the Civil War, Kentucky declared its neutrality, but when the Confederacy tried to take the state by force in 1861, the… [Read More]
Kentucky
Community Facilities
Operator managing controls on solar powered irrigation in Railroad Valley, Nevada.

Alfalfa Farmer Saves on Diesel, REAPs Success with Off-Grid Solar

Mark Dunn, the operator of Railroad Valley Farms in Nye County, Nevada, had a unique challenge: how do you power irrigation pumps for 500 acres of alfalfa when your farm is off the grid in one of the most remote areas of the state? With the help of a $253,405 Rural Energy for… [Read More]
Nevada
REAPRural Development
Goose Creek Candles, Liberty, KY

Goose Creek Candles improves HVAC efficiency, bottom line

Goose Creek Candles is a family-owned company that was founded in 1998 by Chuck Meece in a small Kentucky town. Along with his wife, Tamara, Chuck grew Goose Creek Candles from producing candles from his home to having mass production facilities across the United States. In… [Read More]
Kentucky
REAPSmall Business
Port Orford Sustainable Seafood helps local, small-town fishers market and sell their products.

Rural Fishers Tap Local Foods Market

The commercial fishers in the small southern Oregon coastal community of Port Orford were reliant on the corporate model to sell their catch. “The fishermen here are fiercely individualist and there’s all kinds of characters,” said Aaron Longton, captain of the Goldeneye. “But… [Read More]
Oregon
Value Added
The state-of-the-art Curry General Hospital offers quality healthcare and expanded medical services in Gold Beach and the surrounding area.

A Rural Hospital Success Story

While stories abound about rural hospitals closing across the country, Curry General Hospital on the southern Oregon coast demonstrates how a rural hospital can expand and thrive. In Gold Beach, residents were served by a small, outdated facility that was built in the 1950s and… [Read More]
Oregon
Community FacilitiesHealth Care
Couple pointing to Nevada shape sign at The Grid Restaurant in Fallon Nevada

Micro Loans Support $17.2 Million Investment in Rural Nevada

For more than 25 years, Rural Nevada business owners have benefited from a small but powerful alternative lender – the Rural Nevada Development Corporation (RNDC). Based out of Ely, Nevada, the nonprofit development corporation maintains one rural office, and quietly offers a… [Read More]
Nevada
RMAP
When owning a home seemed impossible, Sandra and Michael achieved homeownership for their family through their own sweat equity.

Achieving Homeownership Helps Rural Family Reduce Expenses

Sandra and Michael thought homeownership was beyond their reach. They never imagined it was not only possible but that they could reduce their housing expenses by buying a home. They were living in a manufactured house with their three children and their dog. The home was built… [Read More]
Oregon
HomeownershipHousing
Small Farm Feeds Local Appetite for Sustainable Products

Small Farm Feeds Local Appetite for Sustainable Products

When Geoff Scott and John Mathia teamed up to open a farm in northwest Oregon, they envisioned producing high-quality meat raised in an environmentally-sustainable manner. Their products were attractive to local customers and sold quickly, enabling them to expand to a 47-acre… [Read More]
Oregon
Business
Bamberg County Fire Chiefs

Bamberg County Gets Three New Fire Engine Pumper Tankers

Bamberg County recently was awarded three, Community Facility Combo Loan/Grant projects totaling $690,300 in loans and $149,700 in grants.  These awards allowed Bamberg County to purchase three new fully equipped Fire Engine Pumper Tankers to replace their aging fleet.… [Read More]
South Carolina
Community Facilities

Additional Success Stories