Orange and the “Orange Economy”
Orange has a rich manufacturing history with world-class legacy businesses like Rodney Hunt and relative newcomers such as Impact Nano. There’s also a strong food economy in greater-Orange with dozens of farms and food related businesses, notably wholesale coffee supplier Dean’s Beans and Quabbin Harvest.
Sitting just 90 minutes west of Boston on the Mohawk Trail/Route 2, one of just two major east-west highways in Massachusetts, Orange is literally the gateway to the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires. This is an area of accessible natural beauty and endless outdoor recreation activities including hiking, biking, kayaking, white water rafting, fishing, hunting, climbing and even sport parachuting at the Orange Municipal Airport.
Abundant space and affordable housing have created a booming creative economy of many artists and small producers, exemplified by organizations like Launchspace, a makerspace that provides creation, education and incubation help to dozens of artists and small businesses. The Orange Innovation Center houses Launchspace and more than 50 other companies in one of our former mill buildings. The annual Garlic & Arts festival is an important part of the local economy, attracting more than 10,000 attendees to view the work of hundreds of juried artists from the area.
This creative economy or the “Orange Economy” as described by the United Nations is a key pillar of OEDIC’s economic development strategy for our aptly-named town.