FAIRFIELD – Fairfield and Jefferson County are becoming known around the world as a hub of innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability.

International organizations are taking notice, and one of them bestowed one of the highest honors possible on Fairfield by naming it one of the Top 7 Intelligent Communities of 2025. The honor was bestowed by the Intelligent Community Forum, which made the announcement on June 17 during an awards dinner in Madrid, Spain.

Fairfield and six other cities will now compete to be named the ICF’s Top Intelligent Community. According to the ICF’s website, the seven competitors are:

• Assaí, Paraná, Brazil
• Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, Türkiye (formerly Turkey)
• Durham Region, Ontario, Canada
• Fairfield/Jefferson County, Iowa, USA
• Hilliard, Ohio, USA
• Kingston, Ontario, Canada
• Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain

ICF Executive Director Matthew Owen wrote a paragraph on each city and why it was included in the Top 7 list. For Fairfield/Jefferson County, Owen noted that it had nearly six times more small businesses per 100 people than the average for U.S. cities. He mentioned its high percentage of households with broadband internet, MIU’s computer science department attracting global talent, Fairfield’s CoLab fostering start-ups, as well as achievements in solar power, child care and the arts.

Read the full story at southeastiowaunion.com.