Elkins is one of eight communities which will benefit from the launch of a new program to build local economies.
The West Virginia Community Development Hub has announced Downtown Appalachia: Revitalizing Recreation Economies, a strategic three-year initiative which will focus on a group of communities in the Monongahela National Forest region of the state.
Taking part along with Elkins will be Cowen, Franklin, Marlinton, Parsons, Petersburg, Richwood and White Sulphur Springs.
“While the tourism industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, state and national parks have been an exception to the rule, including in West Virginia which saw a 9% increase of visitors to these locations in 2020,” a Hub press release states. “Communities located near parks and recreational areas, like the eight participating in DARRE, are ideally placed to take advantage of the state’s investment in tourism attraction and its connected investment in remote worker attraction.
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