PA Wilds, McKean County recognized in national study

Press Release – Appalachian Regional Commission

New Research Documents Economic Resilience Across Appalachia – Case Studies Offer Economic Growth Strategies in the Face of Industry Disruptions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) released Strengthening Economic Resilience in Appalachia, a new study identifying factors common across communities experiencing persistent economic growth in the aftermath of the 2008 Recession and other economic disruptions. The research includes a statistical analysis of key factors common to economic resilience, as well as a guidebook featuring ten communities that have rebounded after experiencing significant economic shocks.

Both the Technical Report and the Guidebook are available at www.arc.gov/resilience.

Related Articles:

McKean County, PA Wilds lauded in national study
Bradford Era

PA Wilds Center Executive Director Ta Enos said a lot of people and organizations from the public and private sectors in the region contribute to the Wilds effort. “It is great to see their work and ours recognized on the national stage through this report,” Enos said. “Our region has seen decades of population decline and the Wilds effort is part of the answer of how we stem that; it’s long-term work that takes many people all pulling in the same direction.”

Promoting economic resilience in Appalachia: Lessons from successful communities
Penn State News

“Economically resilient communities, such as Pennsylvania’s McKean County, can teach us about strategies for promoting resilience elsewhere in the region,” said Stephan J. Goetz, professor of agricultural and regional economics in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development. “By identifying the resilience-promoting factors these communities share, our findings will help other communities select strategies and policies to enhance their own future economic prospects.”

About the Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission (www.arc.gov) is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.