MANHATTAN, Kan. – (January 10, 2013) Nearly two years have passed since the city of Joplin, Mo., was ravaged by an EF5 tornado that left 161 people dead and a large swath of devastation in its wake. But rather than buckle under, the city has since bounced back with a building boom – one that is being helped along by Joplin’s new government website, which was built in cooperation with CivicPlus, the leading provider of local government websites.

In a newly released case study, officials from Joplin detail how the website has served as both an information portal for the residents of the city and as a catalyst for driving economic development opportunities throughout the community.

With the city of Joplin riding a wave of a nearly $1 billion rebuilding effort, one that will not only replace what the tornado took away but also serve to position this city to continue growing well into this century, the new Joplin website is helping fuel the growth by making information easily available and interaction with city officials easier than ever.