A Comparison of Land Use Legislation in Western North Carolina and Vermont

Recreational development caught Western North Carolina and Vermont unprepared to guide and manage growth. When shoddy construction and land speculation began to create environmental and social problems, the local citizenry became alarmed. These two relatively isolated areas had never experienced such an influx of outsiders; yet, both hoped new construction would revive their sleeping economies. Citizens of Western North Carolina and Vermont have existed outside the economic mainstream. Partially because of this fact, both underdeveloped areas still contain valuable scenic resources demanded by affluent outsiders, and they remain dependent on the recreation-hungry urban areas for much of the capital investment in their rural economies