(MONEY Magazine) – Nestled in the southwestern hills of Virginia, the sleepy college town of Blacksburg is as far from Silicon Valley as you can get. Yet the town offers a Valley-style glimpse into America's online future.

The Blacksburg Electronic Village (www.bev.net) has connected some 85% of the town's 36,000 residents and 75% of its businesses to the Internet. Developed six years ago as a cooperative experiment by Virginia Tech, Bell Atlantic and the town, BEV has "knit the community together," says Andrew Cohill, the program's director. Soccer parents, for instance, pass on information with group e-mail. Community calendars allow people to organize events online.

BEV has had a profound impact on the local economy: Blacksburg now has one of the fastest-growing commerce parks in the U.S. Cohill estimates at least 250 communities worldwide have contacted him about forming their own electronic villages.

--BRIAN L. CLARK