Light Industry

Summary:
Before the end of the year in 1995, the last of Oneonta's railroad workers were told they were losing their jobs. They held off until February 1996, but then the shop building closed, signalling the end of the Delaware & Hudson in Oneonta after roughly 120+ years.

When one thinks of an "industry", we may not immediately come to the conclusion on how other institutions may become prominent to uplifting Oneonta, to help fill the locomotive-shaped void left by the railroad's departure.
At that time, it was good that Oneonta could be upheld by other institutions, such as the presence of SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College which were still bringing thousands of students to the area. The Bassett Healthcare system was expanding, especially as the FoxCare center took over the previous Pyramid Mall in the late 1990s. There are indeed many different medical practices in the area, and there's plenty of students at Hartwick studying in nursing majors.

Most recently, the rise of the youth-baseball leagues with both the Cooperstown All Star Village and Dreams Park campuses have brought residents from across the country (and around the world) to Oneonta & Cooperstown. Many of these families are staying in area hotels, shopping in Southside, and walking around in the downtown during some down-time.

However, this is not Oneonta's first time being a major hub for tourism, for the Central New York Fair was held where current day Belmont Circle is. The 'circle' in question was previously a racetrack, used for events such as horse racing and floral parades, with floats ornately decorated entirely with flowers from different Oneonta organizations. The fair brought thousands of visitors to Oneonta to see the races and other various attractions, including hot air balloons and blimps! This all began in 1873 and lasted until 1927 when it was canceled due to declining attendance.

As evidence, answer the following questions:
Do we know someone who has moved here because of a new job with the college or in the healthcare fields? Have you noticed any changes to how Oneonta has felt since the baseball tourism has had such an impact, especially over this past decade?

As evidence, answer the following questions:
Would you consider these as 'industries' at all, or perhaps you'd consider them as something else? How might the tourism industry's impact on Oneonta currently differ from how it looked when the 'light' industry was background to the 'heavy' industry of Oneonta's yesteryear?