MIDDLEBURY, Conn. -- In an economy where jobs are disappearing, one town is welcoming more than 1,000 new positions.

The only steady growth at the old Timex World Headquarters is the grass growing in the parking lot, but that will change when the U.S. Census Bureau moves 40 full-time jobs and 1,000 part-time jobs into the empty office space in Middlebury.

The bureau is opening the regional office for the 2010 census. Officials said it will be there for at least a year and could be there for a year and a half.

Middlebury officials said the town has been trying to attract new business for a while, which is why it recently changed the zoning along part of Route 188 to allow retail and restaurants.

Rebecca Fabiano and her mother run Latte More, a coffee shop in town. She said they've seen a slight decline in customers and worry it will get worse.

But Fabiano said she's optimistic things will turn around, especially after hearing 1,000 new jobs are coming to town.

"I'd love to prepare for extra business," she said. "I might be able to hire another one or two people for our staff."

For information about the U.S. Census Bureau's job openings, visit its Web site.