Spotlight: Greencastle.

• Author: Lewers, Christine
• Position: Indiana

Norman Crampton has no regrets about growing up in Chicago, but he remembers being curious at a young age about small-town America.

So when the opportunity came in 1990 to leave Chicago for a position as director of the Indiana Institute on Recycling in Terre Haute, Crampton and his family decided to live 30 minutes away in Greencastle.

"Moving to Greencastle helped me to understand quickly a lot about small-town life," says Crampton, who turned his interest into a book, The 100 Best Small Towns in America, published by Simon & Schuster in 1996.

The book ranks Greencastle 80th among the most livable small towns coast to coast. Not that Greencastle got special consideration. Crampton relied on census data and statistical analysis for objectivity.

Still, it's not surprising Greencastle made the cut. Forty miles west of Indianapolis and 35 miles east of Terre Haute in the center of rural Putnam County, Greencastle offers its 10,000 residents small-town living not too far from big-city attractions and career opportunities. In addition, the presence of DePauw University means Greencastle residents reap the cultural and economic benefits of being a college town.

The fact that Greencastle made Crampton's book also points to the resiliency of a town that 12 years ago faced near economic ruin when IBM announced it was leaving and taking 965 well-paying jobs with it.

Of the six major businesses Greencastle has wooed since IBM's departure, all have recently undergone or are in the midst of major expansions, says Bill Dory, executive director of the Greencastle/Putnam County Development Center.

Two of these companies, autoparts manufacturers Heartland Automotive and HAPPICO are celebrating their 10-year anniversaries in Greencastle this year after major expansions.

Lear Corporation, which manufactures auto trim parts, has expanded twice since its 1987 arrival in Greencastle. The company currently employs about 900, making it the city's largest employer.

In addition, Wal-mart completed a $10 million expansion of its Greencastle distribution center about two years ago. The center, which came to Greencastle in 1990 and employs about 750, spans 34 acres. F.B. Distro, which arrived in Greencastle in 1987 and is the distribution arm of the retailer Fashion Bug, also expanded about three years ago.

Crown Equipment Corp., the nation's largest supplier of electric fork lifts, relocated to Greencastle in October 1995 and is already planning a $3 million...