In addition to its famous city, New York is a state of small towns, farms, and rural communities. I believe we must pay attention to all our communities, including our small towns and rural areas, if we want the entire state to prosper and thrive. I’ve met with lots of people in so many different settings around our state. I’ve seen the frustration, particularly in our rural areas and our small towns, about how we’re going to sustain our way of life and our standard of living. But I believe that the values that are at the core of rural life—hard work and responsibility and community, are really key to whether our state and our country will be successful in the future.

That is why I have called for new investments and strategies to restore the promise and prosperity of Main Streets and rural communities. I have worked to expand access to broadband and spur innovative strategies for rural economic development. In a major speech in 2006, I addressed the many challenges facing rural communities and called for new strategies to preserve the quality of life and keep good jobs in rural and small-town communities. And in March 2007, I introduced the Rural Investment to Strengthen our Economy Act (Rural RISE Act), which will help create jobs, develop new sources of capital, and invest in education, healthcare, broadband, and agriculture to create new opportunities and economic growth in small towns and rural communities.

Insuring that we keep rural America prospering is an important goal for our country. Whether it's growing businesses or growing fresh foods, developing new kinds of renewable energy or cherishing long-held values, many of the solutions to the challenges we face as a nation can be found in our small towns and rural areas.

Listed below are a few highlights of my work on this issue.