SPRINGFIELD - There are several towns across the country that have the same name as this tiny farming and cattle ranching community in the far southeastern corner of Colorado.

Springfield shows up on maps of Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee and several other states. There's even a fictional Springfield in the animated television show "The Simpsons."

But officials in this historic town say their Springfield is the best.

The town, a statutory town that is the Baca County seat and the most populous town in the county, has about 1,500 residents. It was named after Springfield, Mo., because most of its early settlers came from there.

"We are without a question the best Springfield in the country," Town Manager Jodi Ricker said. "With the town being in Colorado, it makes it unique because we are out here not quite in the mountains, but close enough with a day's drive to see some of the most beautiful country in the world."

Visitors can expect a warm hello and a handshake from just about all of its residents, Ricker said. The town sits about 45 miles south of Lamar, near the borders of Oklahoma and Kansas.

"It's a quiet life out here. It's very nice and it's got a slower pace, not the rat race with the traffic and pollution," Ricker said.

"We are always happy to have people here in town."

People in Springfield rightly pride themselves on the resourcefulness, independence and ethic of environmental responsibility.

Ricker said that the relentless winds that blast the brittle grasslands in Baca County can be harnessed and used as an economic tool.

"We are always looking for more wind development out in this direction. We've been told, and studies have shown, that we have some really good wind and it would produce really good green energy," Ricker said.

The Colorado Green Wind Power project spanning 11,840 acres of grassland between Lamar and Springfield is the fifth largest wind farm in the nation and the largest in the state, and Ricker said she welcomes any new wind developments.

Baca County Administrator Kristin Rau said that the commissioners are aggressively trying to bring wind energy companies to the area.

Rau said that the main problem in getting companies to take advantage of the wind is that there are not transmission lines in place.

"We have had study after study in Baca County and we have the best wind in the state. We just have no transmission to get it (energy) out of here," Rau said.

Rau said that several large wind energy companies have shown interest in locating in Baca County.

"The stopping point is always transmission. So our commissioners are trying to see what they can do to get those issues resolved so we can get some wind farms here," Rau said.

Last year, Springfield created a 3-percent lodging tax that goes directly toward economic development for the town and the county.

"We give all that money to the Baca County Economic Development Commission, and that helps to fund their part-time position. That's a big thing for us to help economic development in our county," Ricker said.

"That's been a big boost to see that the people of the town of Springfield have backed economic development by supporting the measure."

Ricker said that town council is asking the state's office of economic development to assess the town to help find strong points and to see if there are other areas that the town can develop to help recruit people into the area and retain the businesses the town currently supports.

"We have really good collaboration with the chamber of commerce and the Southeast Colorado Hospital to complete this assessment and see if we can follow through with some of the recommendations," Ricker said.

Ricker, who has served as the town manager and clerk since 2007, said the town council is very open-minded and that it works well with the town's department heads.

"They are up for good ideas and they want what's best for the town. We have a great council here that's very progressive," she said.

Springfield has one school district, which Ricker said plays a vital role in the community.

The school's current enrollment is 268 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

"The school district gives the town its identity. We work very closely with the school district," Ricker said.

Ricker said that the school mascot, a longhorn bull, can be seen throughout the town.

"You see longhorns everywhere, the red, white and blue colors are on display year round. It's a sense of pride," Ricker said.

The town not only is home to the area's only hospital but also has an airport.

"The airport was completed in the late 1990s and has a 5,000-foot concrete runway," Ricker said.

"It makes our airport extremely useful. Bigger aircraft can now land here and that helps with economic development and the hospital can now transport patients in critical condition to other facilities."

Ricker said the community has made a strong push to beautify itself, particularly in the downtown area.

The chamber of commerce and the high school Future Business Leaders of America are going to try to line Main Street with trees.

"They have raised part of the funds for one block and the chamber of commerce will be donating additional funds. The FBLA group will concentrate on completing one block this year," Ricker said.

Ricker said that the entire county comes together in times of need and that every town is unique in its own way.

"Every town has its own identity, but we also kind of all see ourselves as being from Baca County. That's the one thing that keeps us all together, whether it be a downturn in the economy or a bad year for crops, I think everybody is in it together," Ricker said.

"There's just a really strong sense of community out here whether you are from one town or another. You see each other on a day-to-day basis and realize that we are all in the same boat," she said.

Other Baca County towns include Campo, Deora, Lycan, Pritchett, Two Buttes, Vilas and Walsh. The population of the county is about 4,500 residents.

Rau agreed that the citizens are always available to help each other. She said the county showed cohesiveness to help especially during back-to-back blizzards in late 2007 and early 2008.

"We were covered in more than four feet of snow and everybody just came together and it was just amazing," Rau said.

Baca County is home to several wheat and corn producers as well as hundreds of cattle ranchers.

"Our economy depends heavily on the weather. It's vital we get the necessary rain and enough moisture to keep the crops growing," Ricker said.

Rau said that economically, the county really isn't suffering.

"When you start out poor to begin with I don't see the effects that other communities probably recognize during this time right now," Rau said.

In the small town of Walsh residents decided to reopen the town's only grocery store after it closed in 2007.

"It's just a testament of what people are willing to do. They don't want to lay down and die instead they want to step up and take care of it themselves," said Walsh Mayor Clarence Jones.

Citizens formed a corporation and sold shares in stock to open the store.

"We had support all the way around and the store is doing extremely well right now. The entire town is behind it," Jones said.

Jones said that the town store was featured in People Magazine in April.

Southeastern Colorado has been suffering a drought for more than seven years, with dry weather wreaking havoc on producers from Pueblo to Lamar and Springfield and every town in between.

"This year the rains have come, but it's going to take a lot more to get out of this drought," Ricker said.

"We are all hoping that this trend continues and that maybe this is the first signs of being outside this drought. This is the first year we have seen some signs of the light at the end of the tunnel.

"We have optimism, but we are very reserved. We don't know if this is the beginning of the end of the drought or just a small reprieve, but everybody's got their fingers crossed that this moisture continues," she said.

Ricker said that although most of the town's young people move away, some come back to raise their families.

"It's quiet, safe and you don't have the crime that you do in the bigger towns, so it gives you a sense of security. We do see kids moving back offering their education and ideas and services back to the town," Ricker said.