Economic Development

An underlying philosophy of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area is that we can find win-win opportunities to both preserve and share our region's heritage.  Promotion will help draw more visitors, whose spending will help support our artisans and musicians and will increase local revenues, which in turn can be used to fund new preservation efforts.  Investments made in our downtowns and at our heritage attractions improve the quality of life for all of us, residents and visitors alike.  Western North Carolina has already begun to redefine itself economically to include heritage preservation as part of its economic future.