Despite the economic hardships brought on by the downfall of the lumber industry in the '80s and the housing market crash of 2008, Bend, Oregon has managed to successfully enter the ranks of a technology hub, without the presence of a university. The small but thriving city bet on its local community college, which offers a unique campus feel and rigorous course load that sets it apart from other community colleges of the same size. When the lumber industry left, the region bet its future on technology—even though it lacked a research university.

Staff members at a library branch in central Oregon take steps toward community engagement and participation by crossing the barrier from employee to neighbor. By building personal relationships with other community members, offering "maker" spaces and other public engagement opportunities, and listening to the desires of the community they are serving, the 6-branch Deschutes Libraries make a name for themselves.

In the aftermath of the 2015 shooting in San Bernardino, the city relies on the public library as a grounding location that welcomes all. Though the library has seen drastic cuts in funding and staff, it invests in community ties and volunteer relationships to make sure the city has a welcoming place with adequate resources and an environment that fosters acceptance and curiosity.

Throughout the country, libraries are hosting “maker spaces”—places where patrons can use technological tools to develop and fabricate their ideas and use the library to not only consume but create.

Creating spaces for art and artists to thrive can have a positive impact on a city’s economy. By converting disused buildings into studio spaces and galleries for artists, the Tides Institute and Museum of Art (TIMA) in Eastport, Maine, has made arts and culture a crucial component of the city’s character. In addition to TIMA’s Studioworks initiative, many of the city’s residents are actively engaged in festivals and other activities that attract tourism.

Erie, Pennsylvania transforms standard casino revenue into community development funds to jumpstart the city's urban and economic planning. An innovative initiative sets aside a percentage of revenue for city-wide development programs including a tech-startup initiative and youth summer jobs program.

The small town of Eastport, Maine turned its economy around by tuning in to and making use of its unique geographical features, like being the eastern-most point in the country. The town has reinvigorated its port to take advantage of its close (relative to other US ports) proximity to Europe and its ability to create electricity from the power of the tides.

East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) helps Eastern Mississippi fill high-skill jobs by educating and training local workers. The students at EMCC are each evaluated for skillsets and gaps in education, and they work on real versions or scale models of the machinery they will be using in the local factories.

A public library in Columbus, Ohio stays ahead of the curve by investing in new technology as well as expanding outreach efforts to people of all backgrounds and socioeconomic class. The library offers rigorous, hands-on classes and free programs for families with young children in an effort to prepare kids for kindergarten reading and learning.

In Columbus, Ohio, a high school is pooling vouchers, donations, and earnings from its work study program to reach some of the city's students living below the poverty line.

A career high school in Fresno offers 16 tracks ranging from game design to environmental science taught by a team of teachers with work background in the respective fields. Studies have found that students enrolled in the Center for Advanced Research and Technology attended community colleges at higher rates than "demographically-matched" students taking standard high school curriculum.

Located in downtown Fresno, Kepler Neighborhood School is raising the city's next generation of informed citizens. Through a service learning model, students regularly engage with local businesses and leaders and complete projects related to the history and revitalization of their city.

Redeveloping and repurposing unused real estate provides a path toward economic revitalization. With a combination of public and private grants, the nonprofit group, International Sonoran Desert Alliance (ISDA), has purchased and redeveloped real estate in the town of Ajo, Arizona. The renovated town plaza and Curley School complex contain retail spaces, artist studios, and even house community gardens of the Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

San Bernardino's Generation Now, a diverse group of young adults, is injecting their city with a boost of civic action through organizing local people at forums and increasing voter turnout at the polls. From rehabilitating local parks and gardens to holding open dialogues on San Bernardino's greatest challenges, the group is changing the civic landscape of an economically depressed city.

In San Bernardino, California - a city that has declared bankruptcy and struggles to keep kids in school, one high school uses a comprehensive approach to teaching by offering positive clubs and college prep education, and even a daycare for students with young children. The school allows for mistakes and windy paths along the road to graduation and offers AVID, a national program that gives one-on-one support for students in exchange for a tough course load and promised dedication to school work.

When students take ownership over their own learning, they are more likely to be successful, the executive director of Redmond Proficiency Academy in Oregon, believes. He has used this philosphy to develop a charter school where students choose their own classes and are assessed based on their proficiency in the related content and skills.

Small towns across America are leading the shift towards renewable energy. Part of a series called "American Futures", this video visits Kansas, Pennsylvania, and California to learn more about green initiatives in biofuel, wind, and solar power. Although each solution is different, each are a new way of generating income for the residents of the towns and often comes with societal acceptance as well.

In remote Ajo, Arizona, the Desert Senita Health Center acts as the region’s on-stop shop health clinic as well as the community's health advocate. From providing medical care to implementing tactics to break the community's involvement with abuse of drugs, alcohol and violence, the Senita Health Center relies on community support, federal funding and a host of outreach programs.

Ajo, Arizona is home to a growing collective, collaboration of local agriculture and food-based initiatives. The small town coordinates actors from schools, restaurants, the farmers’ market, local gardens, and community supported agriculture initiatives in a network under the Ajo Regional Food Partnership. The network also works with the Desert Senita Community Health Center, making sure the benefits of the collaboration equitably reach all citizens.

The "Next" Project in Greenville, South Carolina brings local government and companies together to create a business incubator to encourage new startups to launch -- and stay -- in the area. One such business, called the Iron Yard, acts as a sort of code academy, offering a 3-month bootcamp and guaranteeing that graduates of their program will find a job in the industry. So far, they've followed through on that guarantee.