Over the past few weeks, I’ve written columns where I took on the daunting task of describing why Eastern Kentucky is so poor. This is a subject I’ve thought a lot about in my four decades of life in this place. I am influenced by having grown up the son of a miner in Leslie County and having the fortune of being partially raised in other communities in the area — McCreary and Clay; in practicing law in courtrooms around the entire region; and in working in more than 25 counties on a regular basis for the Kentucky Innovation Network as an economic developer and business consultant.
My experiences have opened my eyes to what I think are our biggest challenges: geography (too hilly), location (too remote), and culture (we are not a people who think like the rest of the world). That’s my thesis. For these reasons, we’ll never be Gatlinburg, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Asheville, or Huntington. If you want to attract industry, go to China (or its latest competitor, Vietnam). We will also not build an economy based on high-brow, eclectic art, the way Asheville apparently purportedly has.
What can we do? I think our biggest hurdles are our biggest
Article source: http://www.floydcountytimes.com/news/opinion/3056355/Eastern-Kentuckys-competitive-advantage:-Geography-location-culture If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com
