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Governor’s Task Force focuses on health, education, entrepreneurship

Rafters negotiate rapids past spectators Sunday, July 17, 2016, near the Ocoee Whitewater Center. A new study on rural counties recommends that counties like Polk with natural attractions seek to promote more tourism to spur more economic development and narrow the income gap with urban areas.
Rafters negotiate rapids past spectators Sunday, July 17, 2016, near the Ocoee Whitewater Center. A new study on rural counties recommends that counties like Polk with natural attractions seek to promote more tourism to spur more economic development and narrow the income gap with urban areas. Rafters negotiate rapids past spectators Sunday, July 17, 2016, near the Ocoee Whitewater Center. A new study on rural counties recommends that counties like Polk with natural attractions seek to promote more tourism to spur more economic development and narrow the income gap with urban areas.

By The Tennessean 2 min read

Distressed counties

Among the 17 counties in Tennessee that rank among the bottom 10 percent of all U.S. counties for income, wealth and employment, three are in Southeast Tennessee:* Bledsoe – 28.5 percent of population in poverty* Grundy – 26.1 percent of population in poverty* Van Buren – 20.6 percent of population in povertySource: U.S. Bureau of Census

To improve Tennessee’s rural communities, the Governor’s Rural Task Force is recommending new resources for entrepreneurs, incentives for rural teachers, healthy eating initiatives and employment resources for former inmates.

The task force, created by Gov. Bill Haslam last year, seeks to address challenges in rural areas that have held those communities back as Tennessee’s overall economy thrives. While household income is at a record high statewide, seventeen rural counties in Tennessee fall in the bottom 10 percent of the nation, according to a report released Monday by the task force.

“Despite the unprecedented growth occurring in our state, many of Tennessee’s rural areas are not experiencing the same prosperity as urban areas,” Tennessee Economic Community and Development Commissioner Randy Boyd, a co-chair of the task force, said. “This strategic plan provides a potential menu of options to help transform and grow our rural communities.”

Read more at our news partner’s website, tennessean.com.