In 1994, Limestone faced the unthinkable—the closing of Loring Air Force Base. With the recent Congressional vote in 2005 to close the Brunswick Naval Air Station, the reaction by the town of Limestone can serve as a lesson plan on how to manage such a potentially crushing economic blow.

Incorporated in 1869, Limestone’s location in the fertile St. John River valley made it ideally suited for an agrarian economy. Huge quantities of limestone, for which the town is named, offered plentiful work in the quarrying industry. With the construction of Loring Air Force Base in the 1950’s, the town’s economic focus shifted and its population nearly quadrupled from 2,500 to 9,990. With its closure, the population has dwindled down to roughly the same size it was before the base was built. When the base closed, the town needed to address two critical factors to ensure its survival: first, the need to leverage the infrastructure left behind by the Air Force – most notably the buildings, hangars and the 2-mile-long airstrip on which B-52 bombers and C-130 transport planes once landed; and second, that investing in high-quality education for its young people would better prepare them for the economy of the future, whatever that turned out to be. The town proved to be remarkably prescient on both counts.

Soon after the base closed, the Loring Development Authority was founded. Its mission was to market the former base to businesses across America and promote the availability of Limestone’s low-cost facilities, highly educated work force, scenic beauty and idyllic small-town qualities as incentives for businesses to relocate or expand into Limestone. This strategy has so far been successful. Since 1995, over 20 businesses employing over 1,000 people have moved into the former air base.