For Economic Justice in Western North Carolina:

 

1. Although Western North Carolina’s economy has shown signs of improvement in the

first quarter of 2010, the region’s economy is still struggling.  The unemployment rate for
Western North Carolina registered 11.3%, which is worse than the state’s rate (10.8%) and the nation’s rate (9.9%).  The unemployment rate of the region’s rural counties is even worse
(11.5%).  Even though 24 of the 25 Western counties reported decreases in unemployment rates, 10 counties still had unemployment rates above 12%.

 

2. North Carolina has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2008 data, 14.6% of North Carolinians were poor as compared to the 13.2% of the population that falls below the poverty line in the United States as a whole.

 

3. According to the NC Department of Commerce, 11 of the 25 Western NC counties have been designated “Tier 1” counties for 2010.  This designation means that these counties are among the 40 most economically distressed counties in the state.

 

4. The NC General Assembly considers 23 of the 25 Western NC counties to be rural"
counties.  Rural counties in NC have a child poverty rate of 18.5%, and 11.3% of individuals in rural counties receive food stamps.  32% of people in rural counties have a high school diploma, and only 15% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

 

5. North Carolina also falls behind the national average in median household income. 
North Carolina’s median household income was $46,574 as compared to the nation’s
median household income of $52,029.  Furthermore, every Western North Carolina county (25 total) has a median household income below the state’s median income, and 19 of them were greater than $5,000 below the state’s level.

 

6. Tourism is a key contributor to the Western North Carolina economy.  Four counties in
Western North Carolina generate over $150 million in visitor spending and have over 1,500 jobs directly related to tourism (Buncombe, Catawba, Henderson, Watauga).

• The Blue Ridge Parkway is the most visited unit of America's National Park System,
  consistently attracting almost twenty million visitors each year.  The Parkway meanders
  470 miles between Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks, with 253
  of these scenic miles in North Carolina.

 

7. Since the 1950s, native Cherokee in Western North Carolina have depended heavily on tourism for their income. About 75% of the tribe's revenue is derived from the tourism industry, including Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.  Yet according to indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Cherokee County is still plagued with deep poverty.

 

8. Many people do not associate North Carolina’s farmworkers—who are often treated unfairly with respect to wages and living conditions—with the Western region of the state.  Many farmworkers, however, work in the state’s vast Christmas tree farms, which are located in Western North Carolina. North Carolina has over 1,600 growers producing an estimated 50 million Fraser fir Christmas trees on over 30,000 acres in 14 Western NC counties.  Fraser fir trees represent over 96 percent of all species grown in the state.  The North Carolina Christmas tree industry is ranked second in the nation
in number of trees harvested.

 

For the Land of Western North Carolina:

 

9. Air pollution is among the most serious threats to national parks.  It damages plants, harms fish and other wildlife, and even affects the health of visitors and park staff. Most of the air pollution affecting national parks results from the burning of fossil fuels, especially by coal-fired power plants.  These plants, such as those operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), are the largest stationary sources of the harmful, haze-producing pollutants affecting the southern Appalachian region.  Researchers in the Smoky Mountains National Park have documented air-pollution damage to 30 different plant species and impacts on another 60 species.  Polluted air can also
darken the horizon and ruin scenic views.  Scenic views in the park should extend for more than 100 miles, but air pollution cuts those views to around 25 miles.

 

10. North Carolina is home to more open air coal ash storage ponds than any other state in the country.  Coal ash is the toxic waste that remains once coal is burned, and these coal ash ponds are negatively affecting Western NC’s water quality.  Toxic metals from these ponds are leaching into the nearby ground water.  This toxic material (including arsenic and mercury) has been found in the French Broad River, which runs through Western NC, and has caused over 35% of the fish to be over the safe limit for mercury.

 

11. Water quality is also a key environmental issue related to agriculture and forestry.  Many streams and lakes continue to have declining water quality in spite of highly successful point-source pollution control programs.  Attention has turned to non-point-source pollution, such as contaminants from farm fields and stormwater runoff.  When rain flows into the storm drain system, it picks up pollutants like
pesticides, paint, household chemicals, sediment, yard waste, detergents, oil and grease, trash, and pet waste.  The stormwater runoff empties directly into creeks, rivers, and other bodies of water.

 

12. Large producers of paper and wood are engaged in unsustainable forestry practices such as large-scale clearcutting, the conversion of natural forests to sterile tree plantations and the heavy use of chemical fertilizers and herbicides.  These practices not only destroy the region’s rich biological heritage but also degrade the socioeconomic well-being of rural communities.

 

13. Developed land has increased 77 percent in Western North Carolina in the last two decades. The region's population continues to soar, and the mountains are predicted to lose another 490,400 acres of forests, farms, stream banks, and wildlife habitats by 2022 — a size almost as large as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

 

 

SOURCES

 

1. Center for Economic Research and Policy Analysis, Appalachian State University, “Western North
Carolina Economic Index,” http://www.cerpa.appstate.edu/wncindex.php.

2. U.S. Census Bureau, 2008 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates: North Carolina, http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US37&-qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_
G00_DP3&-context=adp&-ds_name=&-tree_id=308&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format=; 2008 American
Community Survey 1-Year Estimates: U.S., http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_
bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-qr_name=ACS_2008_ 1YR_G00_DP3&-context=adp&-ds_name=&-tree_id=308&-_lang
=en&-redoLog=false&-format=.

3. NC Rural Economic Development Center, Inc., “Economic Tiers,” http://www.ncruralcenter.org/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=399&Itemid=154.

4. NC Rural Economic Development Center, Inc., “Rural County Map,” http://www.ncruralcenter.org/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=155.  See also: “Rural Data Bank,” “County Profile for Rural Counties,” http://www.ncruralcenter.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=150.

5. U.S. Census Bureau, State and County QuickFacts, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37000.html.

6. NC Department of Commerce, Tourism Research, “What Does Tourism Mean to North Carolina’s Economy?” http://www.nccommerce.com/en/TourismServices/PromoteTravelAndTourismIndustry/TourismResearch/; Blue Ridge
Parkway 75, Inc., “Background Information,” “Interesting Facts,” http://blueridgeparkway75.org/media/.

7. Frommers, “Introduction to Cherokee, NC,” www.frommers.com/destinations/cherokeenc/1795010001.html;
North Carolina History Project, “Cherokee County,” www.northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/88/entry; U.S.
Census Bureau, State and County QuickFacts, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37000.html.

8. NC Christmas Tree Association, “Tree Facts,” http://ncchristmastrees.com/tree_facts.htm. For information
on the unfair treatment of NC Farmworkers see: www.ncfarmworkers.org.

9. National Parks Conservation Association, “Clean Air in our National Parks,” http://www.npca.org/cleanair/;
“Press Release: TVA Pollution,” www.npca.org/media_center/press_releases/2000/page-27598819.html.

10. Sierra Club of Western North Carolina, “Newsletters: March/May 2010 and January/February 2010,
” http://northcarolina.sierraclub.org/wenoca/newsletter.htm.

11. Southern Research Station Headquarters, www.srs.fs.fed.us; City of Asheville, NC,
“Stormwater Utility,” www.ashevillenc.gov/residents/public_services/stormwater/default.aspx?id=428.

12. Dogwood Alliance, “About Us,” www.dogwoodalliance.org/content/view/20/37.

13. Blue Ridge Forever, “Mountainous Land Protection in 2006, “ www.blueridgeforever.info/2006_success.html