Amenities, Natural Resources, Economic Restructuring, and Socioeconomic Outcomes in Nonmetropolitan America

This article explores the changing role of natural resources in community development in the United States. At one time, nonmetropolitan communities were dependent on traditional natural resources such as forests, minerals, and the soil, water, and climate necessary for agriculture. Where those resources were more abundant, populations were greater and life could be lived more abundantly. Amenity resources mattered little. It is apparent that circumstances have changed significantly. Data analyzed in this article explored the extent to which the presence or absence of amenity versus traditional natural resources influenced community development in recent years. A model was developed and tested to guide the analysis. It was found that from 1980 to 2000, communities with extensive amenity resources had a much greater increase in service employment. As a consequence of increased service sector employment, amenity rich counties had more extensive population growth. At the same time, high amenity communities also experienced a lower proportion of both adult males and females who are employed, an increased proportion of female-headed households, and higher poverty rates. These findings have significant implications for community leaders and community development specialists, which are discussed in this article.