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Tourism gets a bad rep but it's one of the few things that gets money into poor areas. What would the Algarve or Florida look like without pensionados from the
by WeylandYutani 3y ago
Tourism gets a bad rep but it's one of the few things that gets money into poor areas. What would the Algarve or Florida look like without pensionados from the North?
- CapitalistCartr 3y agoFlotida would still be a major producer of lumber, seafood, citrus, cattle, and Winter vegetables.
- blamazon 3y agoAlso mining - Florida has a majority of the phosphate mining operations of the USA.
- malfist 3y agoI'm from kentucky, and I agree with your assessment. The town I grew up in has ~80% of it's gross income come from welfare. It's rural as rural can be. Tucked into the mountains, dial up internet still the norm. At one point we were ranked 26th in poorest counties in the country (next door Owsley county was second poorest). It's a beautiful area, unspoiled, old forests lots of water, caves, just beautiful. The county over went wet (meaning they can sell alcohol) and turned themselves into a hippy tourist destination. Rock climbing, craft beer, caving, kayaking, zip lines, the whole nine yards. Over the last decade they went from 3 restaurants to supporting dozens. The place has really prospered. My home town has a median household income of 16k/yr, vs the tourist destination at 44k/yr. My hometown is still dry, not a tourist destination, and is exactly the same as it was when I left it.
- jghn 3y agoWhat is the name of the hippy tourist county?
- malfist 3y agoSlade is the city, Powell is the county
- reportingsjr 3y agoThe area OP is talking about is referred to as the Red River Gorge, it spans a handful counties (powell, wolfe, menifee, and lee county) which are in various states of development. Definitely an interesting place to travel around. You can go drive 20 minutes and go from fairly developed tourist-ville with gift shops and well kept cabins galore to rough oil/logging roads with people living in rundown buildings in extreme poverty. Lots of incredible natural resources that have been poorly protected compared to a lot of wild areas out west. Unfortunately it doesn't look like things are getting any better in that regard.
- MH15 3y agoRed River Gorge is a gem for the rock climbing community. I frequented the area a few years back, there's plenty of places to dirtbag around outside of the tourist cabins. Hoping the continued development stays positive.
- malfist 3y agoRock climbing is what really started this whole thing honestly. I remember my grandmother complaining about all the "devil worshipping rock climbers" at the Gorge when I was growing up. Funny how moving to a less homogeneous place gives you a lot different perspective on different people.
- mistrial9 3y agotourism does bring a share of modern problems -- money does not fix everything. Also, the name "hippy" is a word from the outside media.. its not respectful and is often a slur. Maybe those "hippy" people deserve some kind of respect after all ? source: real people
- malfist 3y agoWhen your median household income is 16k a year, money fixes a heck of a lot of problems.
- ChrisBland 3y agoSad that your town keeps electing the same leadership with no long term vision on how to improved the community. Sad to see towns stuck in their ways to move forward