outdoor recreation ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Empowering Wnc communities

Launched in 2022, the “Building Outdoor Communities” (BOC) program is designed to support Western North Carolina’s community leaders to better leverage their natural assets and collaborate to advance their outdoor community and economic development goals, centered around healthy people and places. The program supports communities to align key stakeholders, identify priorities, and develop implementation guidance to advance the work at the county and regional scale across 25 counties and the Qualla Boundary.

Participating Community Working Groups are taking part in a 7-month planning process, performing qualitative and quantitative assessments of their outdoor economic ecosystems while using impactful data to drive projects forward.

For more information, contact Building Outdoor Communities Specialist, Bradley Spiegel at: bradley@madexmtns.com.

Building Outdoor Communities Values

    Connect

    Connect

    Connect local businesses, cultural heritage, and the natural landscape through high-quality outdoor infrastructure

    Enhance

    Enhance

    Enhance quality of life and sense of place across Western North Carolina

    Steward

    Steward

    Care for the towns and public lands that make this an extraordinary region

    Grow

    Grow

    Build local capacity and provide resources for communities to make the economic case for further outdoor recreation investment

    Support

    Support

    Advance the outdoor economy equitably across the region

    Catalyze

    Catalyze

    Create an outdoor infrastructure network that catalyzes entrepreneurship, business expansion, and recruitment of new businesses and talent

Western North Carolina

KNOXVILLERICHMONDVIRGINIA BEACHVIRGINIATENNESSEEGEORGIACHATANOOGAATLANTAAUGUSTACHARLESTONSAVANNAHCHARLOTTEGREENSBOROWILMINGTONASHEVILLE
Western North Carolina is within a one day drive of 50% of the United States population - over 178 million people.

Project partners

    These mountains make us industry leaders, thinkers, builders, growers, dreamers, makers, athletes and caretakers. How will these mountains make you?

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