Economic Development

  • Exeter NH waterfront

Strengthening Local and Regional Economies


Cooperative Extension helps to strengthen local and regional economies by providing communities and organizations with programs and educational resources aimed at growing and sustaining existing businesses, cultivating an entrepreneurial ecosystem, enhancing Main Street, supporting diverse housing, enhancing the quality of life, and building community vibrancy. 


Business Retention and Engagement

Building the local economy by identifying and addressing the needs, challenges and opportunities of business.

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Business and Entrepreneurship

Bringing best practices and guidance for steps that communities can take to become friendly to entrepreneurs and innovators.

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Owners of Burnt Timber Tavern

Main Street Revitalization and Resiliency

Innovative programs for local leadership to look at assets, create a vision and focus on strengthening place. 

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Studley's Florist in Rochester NH

Workforce Development

Research and programs that bring to light workforce needs and opportunities within communities. 

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Articles

Every year in New Hampshire, a wide variety of trail and recreation groups across the state are working hard to build, maintain, and improve recreatio... Learn More
OPD has the Answer.
Wading through the regulatory framework of what communities can and cannot do, and staying on top of recent trends and growth pressures can seem daunt... Learn More
On June 17th, Michael interviewed Charlie French from UNH Extension and Christopher Conrad Brackett, owner of Greater Nashua IT consulting, to discuss... Learn More
Community visits explore approaches to addressing the housing crisis
Land use staff and volunteers from across the state gathered to learn about Exeter's efforts to address the housing crisis, which included Q&A with a ... Learn More
Many of us have experienced being part of groups that struggle to identify goals, stay on track, maintain involvement, and move projects forward.  Fac... Learn More
Community and Economic Development staff presented the Hopkinton-Contoocook Downtowns and Trail program report and findings at a community showcase he... Learn More

Events

Resources

This report provides an in-depth look a the program's journey, the valuable assets each community discovered, the opportunities that emerged, and... Learn More
Dot voting is a technique for semi-anonymous voting. Participants are given sets of colored sticky dots, which adhere to a variety of surfaces where a... Learn More
A vibrant community relies on several key components, including economic vitality, community health, natural resources and recreation, community engag... Learn More
Many communities have trails in close proximity to their downtowns/village centers/business districts. We share the opportunities and challenges of wo... Learn More
Over a series of months, we worked with the Hopkinton, New Hampshire community on how to better connect its trails with its business center, the Villa... Learn More
The town of Antrim, New Hampshire conducted a two-day community visioning session on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14, 2023. The forum utilized... Learn More