The First Impressions program was designed to help communities learn about their strengths and shortcomings through the "fresh eyes" of first-time visitors. This Extension-led community assessment program has been implemented in over 500 communities since the 1990s, yet scant literature exists regarding the program's theoretical…

The need to invest in our nation's crumbling infrastructure goes back decades. But today, with millions of people unemployed, there is unprecedented momentum to act. Women, immigrants, and people of color are disproportionately represented in these numbers as are young adults. President Joe Biden and Congress are counting on infrastructure…

In many parts of the United States it is difficult for families, particularly low- or moderate-income families, to be able to afford a suitable home in a transit rich neighborhood with good schools. Neighborhoods with all three elements are exceedingly rare. As a result, people often have to sacrifice one of three elements to make their lives…

Most towns were crucial to the initial colonization and economic development of the Great Plains. Many were, directly or indirectly, creatures of railroad corporate planning, owing their location as well as their physical layout to the townsite companies controlled by railroad officials. This article examines how these facts shaped the fundamental…

Describes current changes in rural transportation services. Describes general thrust of innovative efforts to provide rural passenger transportation despite declining resources. Describes public-private transportation cooperation, human-service agency coordination, linking state and local bus services, mixed passenger-package functions, community…

Highway interchanges offer rural counties practically ready-made sites for development, but some interchanges offer better development opportunities than others. A study of a Kentucky interchange identified seven factors that make a difference in development, including traffic volume, distance to an urban area, ruggedness of terrain, and sale of…

The child care industry has not been fully integrated into economic development activities despite its growing importance in the economy. This is, in large part, because child care is not usually thought of as an element of economic development. As a result, states in the North Central region are not maximizing the economic benefits from quality,…

Describes increases in federal aid that affect: (1) the rural telecommunications infrastructure, access to the Internet for rural schools and libraries, and distance learning and telemedicine programs; (2) nonmetropolitan airports and other transportation; and (3) water treatment and wastewater facilities in rural, American Indian, and Alaska…

This paper discusses the development and evolution of the University of Maryland's UniversityCenter in downtown Baltimore since its conception in 1991. UniversityCenter is a geographic location, one of six downtown districts that resulted from Baltimore's latest development plan. It contains not only the University of Maryland's Baltimore campus,…

Although fiscal year 1981 was a time of uncertainty for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Congress did appropriate $218.2 million for the highway program and $87 million for area development, research and local development districts (LDDs), and administrative costs. Coupled with other federal funds and funds from state and local sources,…

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency representing a unique partnership of federal, state, and local governments. Established by an act of Congress in 1965, the Commission is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chairperson. Grassroots participation is provided by…

During 1970, the Appalachian Regional Development Program completed its 5th year of operations. Authorized under the 1965 Appalachian Regional Development Act, the program tries to cooperatively promote Appalachia's future economic and social development through a phased series of public investments to improve education, health, transportation,…

Covering the 1976 fiscal year and the one-time transition quarter of July 1, 1976 through September 30, 1976, this annual report on the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) presents narrative and tabular data re: (1) A Year of Strengthening the Partnership (highlights on the Federal, state, and local partnership which constitutes ARC); (2) Growth…

Focusing upon Clinton County, New York and the numerous programs sponsored by the New York State Rural Development Advisory Council in conjunction with the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (Cornell) via Rural Development Act Title V funds, this publication describes January 1974 through June 1976 program development in terms…

The Appalachian Regional Commission, created via the Regional Development Act of 1965, documents a decade of contributions to Appalachian socioeconomic development in this 1975 annual report. Topics covered in this report include: the ten years of foundation building; the Region before 1965; the Region and the Appalachian Regional Commission;…