Business View Civil and Municipal | February 2021

88 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL FEBRUARY 2021 Allaire boasts that the railroad was also one of the things the state and city were well known for. He reports, “For many, many years we were the railroad capital of Vermont. We still have a fairly good freight rail system that comes through – Vermont Rail Systems – based in Rutland and Burlington. So, there’s still a lot of freight that comes through here, but we are also very big with passenger rail. In it’s heyday, it was a destination and also kind of a hub for several different railways that went in four or five different directions. But when the railroads went out and passenger cars became the mode of transportation things began to change.” Rutland eventually became one of the most profitable and marble-rich places and was the marble capital of the United States. It was also one of the world’s leading marble producers. A large number of people with immense experience in the industry came from Italy to Rutland with their families. This migration for marble fueled enough growth and investment that in 1886 the center of town incorporated as Rutland village. Most of the town was split off as West Rutland and Proctor, which contained the bulk of the marble quarries. Rutland City was incorporated as Vermont’s third city on November 18, 1892. Since the closure of many of the city’s manufacturing companies in past decades, Rutland has had to reinvent itself and change direction from mining, railroad, and manufacturing to a more service-based and tourism-driven economy. Tourism, although not as profitable for residents, is suited well to the