High Country Small Towns Cluster
Economic need
The mountains of northwestern North Carolina join the three towns of the High Country Cluster. Although each lies in a different county, they share small-town challenges, the culture of Appalachia and poverty rates in the range of 13 to 18 percent.
The northernmost town, West Jefferson, is also the largest, with a population of 1,080; its unincorporated neighbor of Todd also is participating. They lie in tier 3 Ashe County, where the unemployment rate is 5.7 percent. At the southern end is Bakersville, population 357, in tier 1 Mitchell County. All of these communities have suffered from plant closings in recent years. Mitchell County, in fact, saw 97 percent of its manufacturing base vanish between 2000 and 2005.
In the middle is Crossnore, a town of 242 in tier 3 Avery County. Although not a manufacturing town, Crossnore has lost its largest employer with the closure of Sloop Hospital. It suffered a setback of another sort with major damage from back-to-back hurricanes in September 2004.
History
All three towns have been working to develop crafts and tourism industries. West Jefferson seeks to capitalize on Ben Long frescoes that grace area churches. It commissioned six murals on public buildings to build on the theme and has more planned, in conjunction with downtown revitalization efforts. Bakersville has sprung back from a 1998 flood that destroyed half the town's commercial district. It credits the focus on crafts, culture and tourism with filling downtown buildings to 100 percent occupancy. Crossnore has focused on developing the Weaving Room, a museum of crafts heritage, and enlarging the Gathering Place, a community facility with potential as a venue for traditional music and storytelling festivals. Taking a cue from West Jefferson, the Crossnore Presbyterian Church has commission a fresco by Ben Long.
Vision/Goals/Expectations
By sharing resources and experiences, these communities plan to use STEP to further their development of place-based economies. They will continue to use the region's cultural traditions and natural capacity to further their goals. Those goals include improved planning capacity, increased training opportunities, joint marketing, and the development of additional cultural amenities to benefit all three communities.
Contact
Becky Anderson, Executive Director
HandMade in America
P.O. Box 2089
Asheville, NC 28802
Phone: 828-252- 0121
E-mail: info@handmadeinamerica.org
