The “Creative Class” in Appalachia

Big cities get a lot of attention for attracting the “creative class,” those folks who make their living in the arts, design, architecture or other creative fields. Much has been made of the importance of attracting this community, because, as the Daily Yonder says,”the creative-class thesis holds that communities that attract and retain more workers who are in creative occupations will fare better in today’s economy.” But new research from the USDA shows that there are plenty of rural counties that are attracting the creative class as well. And why not? While many creative types enjoy living in big cities, Appalachia’s storied tradition of arts and culture, our beautiful landscape and the revitalizing downtowns of many of our towns can be inspiration for any creative type. A low cost of living and plenty of affordable office space compared to the big city just adds to the appeal. Plus, as a previous Daily Yonder column detailed, artists (of all types) in big cities can get lost among so many trying to make it, whereas in smaller towns they can make more of a mark. So where do the creative class live in central Appalachia? According to this great interactive map, the top non-metro counties (which are in the top 25% of creative-class counties nationwide) are: Wautauga County, NC – the creative class makes up 26.3% of the working population. Athens County, OH – 26% Jackson County, NC – 23.1% Madison County, KY – 22.6% Swain County, NC – 22.2% Avery County, NC –...

Berea wins “Livable Community” award to support local food...

Berea, Kentucky is one of four winners of a competition held by the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the US Department of Agriculture. The “Livable Communities” award was granted to support Berea’s continued work on expanding the local food system. This grant will help Berea develop a city lot into an “urban farm” (well, as urban as you can be in Berea!) With its popular farmers’ market, the new Berea College Farm Store, groups like Sustainable Berea, and area schools and restaurants buying locally-grown produce, it’s no surprise to us that Berea would be among the winners. Representatives from the federal agencies will be in Berea today to present the award. The other three winners are New Albany, Mississippi and Forest City and North Wilkesboro, both in North Carolina. Local food is an important component to Appalachia’s transition and taps into our deeply-held food traditions. When it seems like everyone is looking for something to fight about, food brings people together and provides common ground. We’re looking forward to seeing the new urban farm come to...

A Place Worth Fighting For

Given all the negative reporting about Appalachia’s problems and the subsequent “brain drain,” it may seem surprising that there are young people who are committed to their homes and communities, who feel an unbreakable tie to the mountains and who want to make their homeplaces better. Earlier this year, we were subjected to yet another “expose” on the region by someone who parachuted in, found what he needed to confirm his preconceived notions and ran back to write an article about it, calling Central Appalachia “the great white ghetto.” Ugh. Clearly, the author of that piece had not met Rance Garrison, a 27-year-old recent college grad from southwest Virginia. He posted an essay this morning called “Appalachia: The Great White Ghetto? Why I am Staying.” Garrison is not blind to the problems of his hometown. He reflects mournfully on the decline of the once-bustling Main Street and the growing drug problem.  And he worries about the growing income inequality in this country that will only make Appalachia’s challenges more difficult to overcome. But that’s no reason not to fight: People tell me all the time that I would be best off leaving this place, this whole general region, but roots are roots, and many times in this modern world, we have a tendency to lose touch with those roots.  In doing so, we lose a part of who we are, a part of our identity, part of the uniqueness of our human experience.  We lose touch with something that...

Welcome to the new Appalachian Transition blog!

Welcome to Renew Appalachia, the new home of the Appalachian Transition blog. We hope you like the new look, and find the site easier to navigate. In addition to our regular blog posts, in the coming months, we’ll be featuring guest bloggers from around the region who will share their own insights and ideas for the region’s transformation. Take a look around, and tell us what you think in the...

Real leadership for Appalachia necessary in upcoming elections...

Brace yourselves; election season is coming. We’re already seeing political ads claiming this candidate is taking us to hell in a hand basket, or that candidate is going to single-handedly save Kentucky. Unfortunately, so far there have been few candidates with any solid plans for helping eastern Kentucky. With SOAR receiving so much news coverage, I had hoped that we might get some new ideas and discussion about real, lasting economic transition. Instead, it’s just been the same rhetoric about the so-called “War on Coal,” which gets us nowhere. A recent op-ed in the Lexington Herald Leader by a former eastern Kentucky coal miner expresses some real frustration about the power coal operators have in the political process here: It’s true that I’m pretty tired of the coal corporations and coal barons telling our elected leaders what they can and cannot do. But I am absolutely sick and tired of political leaders — or candidates — who let them. We are starved for leaders who will look out for Eastern Kentucky instead of doing what the coal companies tell them. We are ready for leaders who will help us build the bright future we deserve here. There are people in every county working to develop the next economy here in Eastern Kentucky. Slowly but surely — and with precious little help from our elected leaders — we are working to create new jobs in energy efficiency, local food, shops and markets, and more. It’s hard work filled with risk...

Kentucky General Assembly tinkers but doesn’t change way it spends severance funds...

The Kentucky General Assembly came to a close last week, and its accomplishments (or lack thereof) leave much to be desired for eastern Kentucky. A bill to make permanent scholarships for coal county students attending coalfield schools passed, but beyond that, little was done to support eastern Kentucky’s struggling miners, communities and economy. Proposed bills to give unemployed miners preference in hiring, to promote renewable energy and to protect Appalachia’s waterways went nowhere. Neither did the attempt to return all coal severance revenues back to coal-producing counties. It was, however, a budget year and as such more attention was given to how we spend our coal severance revenues. This two-year budget takes only small steps to ensure  more strategic use of severance funds for the long-term development of eastern Kentucky’s economy. An editorial from the Lexington Herald Leader on Friday sheds light on this problem: Preparing for coal’s decline as a source of jobs and revenue was the idea in the 1990s when the legislature designated half of the coal severance tax for coal-producing counties. Eastern Kentucky failed to diversify its economy, nonetheless. Too much of the tax revenue that was supposed to create a post-coal economy still subsidizes the coal industry through everything from coal-haul road repair to training mining engineers. And then there are the goodies handed out by lawmakers, popular amenities that do nothing to create jobs. In the just ended session, the House earmarked severance revenue for an American Legion Post, a chess team, volunteer...

Photo Post: Floyd, VA

Greetings from Floyd, Virginia, a little town with a big personality! I’ve spent the last two days here with the Central Appalachian Network and CAN grantee SustainFloyd. Though the town itself has under 500 residents, Floyd has a great downtown with locally-owned businesses and is seeing more entrepreneurial-minded young people moving into the area. It’s also host to FloydFest, a rapidly-growing annual music festival. SustainFloyd is a local organization working to promote the area’s food and farm economy, with a Farmer’s Market, farm-to-school, and pocket farm programs. Floyd is a great example of small-town economic development in Appalachia, and it was great to be here!...

Public radio covers coal’s decline in east Kentucky

The decline of the coal industry is getting some national attention – and, finally, some decent reporting. American Public Media’s Marketplace program (aired on many NPR stations) covered the economy of eastern Kentucky earlier this week on two separate shows, with more nuance than the region normally gets from national news. The first part of the report explored why the industry is collapsing: mined-out seams, competition from other coal regions and fuel sources, and environmental regulation. The second part of the report asks the same question we have been asking for years: what’s next?  Communities are just now beginning to seriously discuss economic alternatives. Some blame the slow start on the “War on Coal” rhetoric, saying it’s distracted attention from preparing for a “low coal” future. Others say political leaders have spent coal severance tax money on basic services instead of diversifying the economy. Regional leaders who gathered in the mining town of Hazard to talk to Marketplace stressed they didn’t believe there was one single thing that could “replace” coal. They hope a new bi-partisan effort called SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region) will come up with some alternatives. The region has already been targeted for special assistance from the federal and state government, but residents fear the money won’t be enough. “I mean, what happened in Detroit when that industry was threatened,” says Jeff Whitehead, executive director of the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program.  “There was a lot of government support. Lots of it.”  Jennifer Bergman, JobSight Services Director at the program, says the region should develop...