outdoor-Driven ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Empowering Wnc communities
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.
Building Outdoor Communities Values
Connect
Connect local businesses, cultural heritage, and the natural landscape through high-quality outdoor infrastructure
Enhance
Enhance quality of life and sense of place across Western North Carolina
Steward
Care for the towns and public lands that make this an extraordinary region
Grow
Build local capacity and provide resources for communities to make the economic case for further outdoor recreation investment
Support
Advance the outdoor economy equitably across the region
Catalyze
Create an outdoor infrastructure network that catalyzes entrepreneurship, business expansion, and recruitment of new businesses and talent
Western North Carolina