could the kentucky trail town program be an answer to economic development?
TRANSCRIPT
38th Annual Appalachian Studies ConferenceMarch 27-29, 2015
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, Tennessee
Could the Kentucky Trail Town Program be an Answer to Economic
Development?
Peter H. Hackbert, Berea College
13 States of Appalachia
Where we do our
service for 7 years
Berea Kentucky
Source: Ezzell,T., Lambert, D., and E. Ogle. Strategies to Economic Improvement in Appalachia’s
Distressed Rural Counties, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Washington DC: ARC. February 2012. 4/2/2015 Peter H. Hackbert, Berea College 4
Source: Ezzell,T., Lambert, D., and E. Ogle. Strategies to Economic Improvement in Appalachia’s
Distressed Rural Counties, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Washington DC: ARC. February 2012. 4/2/2015 Peter H. Hackbert, Berea College 5
Source: Ezzell,T., Lambert, D., and E. Ogle. Strategies to Economic Improvement in Appalachia’s
Distressed Rural Counties, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Washington DC: ARC. February 2012. 4/2/2015 Peter H. Hackbert, Berea College 6
Small Rural Appalachian Community Economic Development (CED)
Traditional ED Strategy / Tool
Alternative ED Strategy / Tool
CD Capacity Building Strategy / Tool
Economic Development Approaches
Economic Outcomes
Other Outcomes
Direct, Short-term
Indirect, Long-term
• Industrial development• Business retention / expansion• Workforce development• Tourism
• Entrepreneurship• Downtown development• Arts / Creative economy• Cluster-based development• Residential development
• Transportation• Broadband / Internet / Social Media • ED finance• Philanthropy• Strategic planning• Leadership development• Organizational development
1. Recruit firms from the outside2. Strengthen/expand existing firms3. Promote development of new firms
• jobs• firms• prosperity• wealth
• social• civic• environmental
Source: 2007 Comprehensive Eastern Kentucky Adventure Tourism Plan, Dallas TX,
Pro Consulting
Drive Time Analysis
Recreational trails and rivers can really help boost a community’s tourism traffic.
A Trail Town is a destination along a long-distance trail or adjacent to an extensive trail
system.
Appalachian Trail
TransAmerican Bike Trail South
TransAmerica Trail, through Berea and Eastern Kentucky
Wagon Road 1720-1763
Wilderness Trail
Populations
1,602
357
175
1,764
747
1,081
EPG learned about the value of trails in small towns through Becky Anderson and the HandMade Program and Small Town Program in Western North Carolina. We have driven these trails and visited these small town business owners.
Case Study 1
Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, West Virginia
Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, West Virginia
Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, West Virginia
Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, West Virginia
Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, West Virginia
Case Study 2
Abingdon, VA
Abingdon, VA
⅓ retired
3 hours
56%
Trip Advisor
$337 per day
$735 per trip
Creeper Trail – Old Alvarado Station
Old Alvarado Station
Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shuttle & Rental
City Revenues 1978: $90,350
City Revenues 2014:
$1,177,600
Case Study 3
Warriors Trail
Boone Trace Trail
Wilderness Trail
Skaggs Trace
TransAmerica Bike Trail
TransAmerica Bike Trail
TransAmerica Bike Trail
Bluegrass Bike Trail
Boone Trace Trail
4 Worksheet A - Usage of Trail by Month and User WorksheetESTIMATED # of YEARLY USERS
TRAIL SYSTEMS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
Cyclist Trails and Loops
1 TransAmercan Bike Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 3,000
2 Peytontown Loop Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 1,500
3 Red Lick Valley Artisan Loop Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 1,000
4 African American Heritage Loop Trail1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 300
5 Anglin Fall Bike Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 400
6 Indian Fort Bike Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 1,300
7 County Stores Trail -
8 Martins Trail -
9 BeeBee White Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 4,500
10 Mayde-Menelaus Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 1,000
11 Peggy Flats 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 600
12 Lackey Airport Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 500
13 County Airport - John Ballard Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 500
14 Hagen's Mill Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 500
15 KY 21 Moran Summit Loop 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 300
16 Paint Lick Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 250
17 Poosey Ridge /KY River Trail 1 2 2 3 4 4 3 2 2 1 250
Hiking Trails
18 Boone Trace Trail 1 2 2 2 3 4 3 2 1 100
19 Central Kentucky Route 1 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 3 1 200
20 Indian Fort Hiking Trail 1 1 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 2 1 5,000
21 Ellipse Trail1 1 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 7,000
22 Cross County Hiking Trails 1 1 2 3 4 3 3 3 4 3 2 1 2,000
23 Artisan Center Hiking Trails 1 1 2 2 2 3 4 4 3 3 2 1 1,000
24 City Park Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 3 3 2 1 6,000
Mountain Biking System
25 S-Tree Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 3 3 2 1 300
26 Turkeyfoot Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 3 3 2 1 300
Bike Hike Trail System
27 Indian Fort Bike Hike Trail 1 2 2 2 4 3 3 4 3 1 500
28 Anglin Falls Bike Hike Trail 1 2 2 2 4 3 3 4 3 1 500
Water Trails System
29 Silver Creek (seasonal) 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 100
30 Owsley Reservoir 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 2 1 300
Other Trail Systems
31 Bluegrass Bike Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 100
Curtis Penix And Givan Fox, Adventure Hikers
Boone Trace Trail Hiker Reception
What’ Next?
Trailheads
Trailheads
Destination Signs
Destination Signs
Trail Identification Signs
Trail Identification Signs
Regulatory (Usage Control) Signs
Regulatory (Usage Control) Signs
TransAmerica Trail, through Berea and Eastern Kentucky