On November 14, 1935, the rural electrification movement got its start in Piqua with the installation of the first electric pole financed by the Rural Electrification Administration in partnership with the Miami Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. The pole was constructed to support a 193-mile power line that brought electricity to nearly 700 farms in the county. When the federal government established the Rural Electrification Administration, only 10% of the rural population had electricity. Today, electric cooperative lines reach more than 36 million consumers in 47 states.