Western North Carolina Communities Double Down on National Movement to 'Live Anywhere, Work Everywhere'

NC Firm, Destination by Design, Partners with Counties to Attract New Residents

BOONE, N.C., April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Destination by Design (DbD) is an economic development firm working with McDowell County, NC to develop strategies and new infrastructure designed to take advantage of the cultural shift to Live Anywhere, Work Everywhere. Western North Carolina (WNC) communities are actively working to attract residents from across the country who are no longer tethered to employment hubs – updating out-of-use or rundown assets, including old railways and empty warehouses, for community use into greenways, trail systems and multi-purpose spaces.

According to an Upwork survey, 48% of companies plan to go fully remote or engage in hybrid workforce strategies within five years, creating 40.7 million remote workers. The pandemic has also helped spur the trend of working with remote freelancers. According to a recent NYT article, many of these newly-remote workers are choosing to relocate, creating an uncertain economic future for many large cities reliant on full office buildings and commuters.

However, this growing move towards a mobile workforce is reinvigorating small communities, as U.S. residents seek out a higher quality of life, including increased access to outdoor recreation, quaint yet vibrant downtowns and walkable communities. "The quality-of-life movement has finally hit critical mass, which is great news for rural communities in North Carolina," said Eric Woolridge, Director of Planning at DbD. "We're proud to help places like McDowell County build on their community assets and promote their small-town lifestyle."

Destination by Design is also supporting Wilkes County via the Wilkes Outdoor Action Plan, Watauga County via Imagine Watauga and Rutherford County via (Rutherford Bound) counties as these WNC communities plan, design and promote their historic downtowns and develop new destination-quality parks, trails and recreation areas. The areas already boast historic main streets, temperate climates and beautiful surroundings. Many WNC residents live near public lands, providing easy access to national and state parks.

"This is a pivotal moment between the decline of manufacturing in rural NC and the rise of telecommuting nationwide. These communities realize they have a chance to rethink their identity, take stock of what they have, and capitalize on this trend," said Matt Powell, Place Branding Director at DbD.

For more information, visit www.DbDplanning.com 

SOURCE Destination by Design