When the Marquis de Lafayette rode his buggy around upstate in 1825, he exclaimed that East Bloomfield was the most beautiful town he’d ever seen. Maybe he was being polite, but Bloomfield was widely regarded as a prosperous, civic-minded paradise of rich farms fueled by New England pioneer grit. Distilleries, carriage factories, clockworks, cooperages, blacksmiths, leather shops and grist mills dotted the town. We were the city before Nathaniel Rochester showed up and made his namesake city at the Genesee Falls. Then the Erie Canal emerged to rejigger the region’s economic calculus. Roads and cars arose. The railroad came and went. The work moved mostly off the farms and East Bloomfield got a little drowsy, became a very pleasant bedroom community.
The 21st century is certainly spinning the weathervanes. Thanks to the internet and pandemic, work is rearranging again. Many of us can work at home, or anywhere. Our bedroom can be our office. Place is ever more important, not necessarily for commuting, but for quality of life. Given the change of dynamics, East Bloomfield will resume growing again. We have what it takes to be a regional high point for rich, scenic, and vital liveability.
There’s no Chamber of Commerce here these days, so some of the town’s business leaders recently pulled together to form a grassroots citizens group dedicated to promoting the quality of life in East Bloomfield (town) and Bloomfield (village). Via this website and our “onboard consultants” we can also provide helpful information on locating/building a home or establishing a business here.
We’re called Grow Bloomfield.
Our town is ready for you. Bring your dreams and grow here with us!
Written by Paul Hudson, President of Grow Bloomfield