Strategies for Economic Improvement in Appalachia's Distressed Counties: An Analysis of Ten Distressed and Formerly Distressed Appalachian Counties.

摘要

This report provides an understanding of the challenges confronting economic and community development efforts in rural Appalachian communities and explains the ways local governments, agencies, and community organizations plan and respond to challenging issues. The authors of this report examined ten representative case study counties, which were selected using a number of criteria, including economic performance, location, infrastructure investment, and demographic factors. The ten project counties are: Greene County, Pennsylvania; Morgan County, Ohio; Pendleton County, West Virginia; Calhoun County, West Virginia; Pike County, Kentucky; Bell County, Kentucky; Avery County, North Carolina; Johnson County, Tennessee; Lawrence County, Alabama, and Noxubee County, Mississippi. Each county was evaluated using both econometric and qualitative approaches.