Textiles mills once dominated the Haw River’s economy. But by the 1990s, most of the mills had closed and the mill towns struggled to survive. In recent years, mill structures have been rehabbed for a new generation of residents, and a wide variety of new uses.
Taking a look at the critically important economic impact that cultural tourism has in North Carolina’s Triangle region.
Discovering sometimes hidden community assets can lead to big economic benefits.
What is most striking along the 46 mile stretch of Indiana bordering Lake Michigan is the intermixing of natural beauty and heavy industry — primarily steel mills, transmission lines, and power plants. I learn about the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission’s plans for the lakeshore.
I walked along Oil Creek in Titusville, Pennsylvania, on a sunny afternoon. But if you could find a time machine and go back 150 years, 4 months, and 22 days (that is, to August 27, 1859), you’d be with Colonel Edwin L. Drake as he struck oil right here for the first commercially drilled oil well in the United States.
“Steamtown” is a national park site in the heart of downtown Scranton dedicated to railroading. I worked on the initial plan for Steamtown back in the 1980s when I was a National Park Service planner — and was quite curious to see how Steamtown looked (and worked) today.
Enjoying a day off in a unique American small town: Cooperstown, New York.
Many people enjoy visiting national parks and other scenic attractions. A growing number have also decided to pack up and move to the small cities and towns close to these special places.
Ed McMahon considers how a growing number of communities are making the connection between tourism and environmental values.
Planning for tourism can help in identifying and making use of a city or region’s special character. But successful tourism strategies must first take into account the needs of local residents.
