Throughout the 19th century, Northfield was an important railway hub. The Vermont Central Railroad was based here until 1853, when Charles Paine, the president, died. After this, the company merged with the Central Vermont Railroad. Even after the merger, the town remained an important center of commerce for the area. Due largely to its proximity to the depot, 'Northfield Center' became the focus of economic activity to the many villages within the Northfield town limits. Each village retains a personality of its own to this day, however. Since the 20th century, the main employer of the town has remained Norwich University, which moved from Norwich, Vermont to Northfield in 1866. The school's enrollment is approximately 3,000. Norwich is the oldest private military college in the United States. In 2002, the school opened the National Center for the Study of Counter-Terrorism and Cybercrime on the village common, just feet from the old railroad depot which closed in the mid-20th century. Norwich University was also the site of the Vermont Quilt Festival, one of Vermont's most highly visited events, until its relocation to the more tourist friendly Williston, VermontWilliston in 2006. Today, Northfield's population grows at the slow pace of 0.4% per year; for decades it has been plagued by its image as a blue-collar town, and has not seen the tourism that neighbors Waitsfield, VermontWaitsfield and Montpelier, Vermont Montpelier have seen. In recent months, however, the town has seen the addition of a craft store, the reopening of a bike shop, and the relocation of local company Vermont Chocolatiers to a former Dunkin' Donuts location downtown. Also, a schoolhouse built in 1877 was renovated, with over one million dollars in donations, into public and municipal offices. The structure, known simply as the 'Gray Building', reopened to the public in 2004. The facade has been completely renewed and it remains the most visible building in Northfield, due to its position on a hilltop and the relatively low-lying village center, positioned along historic Route 12 (New England)Route 12. These recent developments have filled previously empty storefronts and have revived parts of the town center. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northfield%2C_Vermont