An Opportunity for Historic Preservation, Active Living & - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

An Opportunity for Historic Preservation, Active Living & Economic Development

Commemorates campaign of 2,000 horse-mounted patriot militia men (some from “over -the mountains”) to Battle of Kings Mountain

 1 st National Historic Trail east of the Mississippi  Only Historic Trail in South Carolina  Covers 300+ miles through four states

 Commemorative Motorcade Route  Non-motorized route – closely follows the actual historic route (84 miles of trail on the ground)  Links 2 National Forests, 4 National Parks, several state parks, 15 counties and dozens of communities

U.S. National Park Service  Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce  Cherokee County Recreation District  Gaffney Downtown Business Association  Appalachian Council of Governments  Overmountain Victory Trail Association  Carolina Thread Trail  HessAmerica  City of Gaffney  Town of Blacksburg  Ten at the Top  Eat Smart, Move More  Limestone College 

 NC State conducted economic impact study of OVNHT in 1995/96  Surveyed 2,815 trail users at 14 sites

 Trail users spent on average $49.05 per day  Estimated 1,148,832 visits to 14 sites

 Just over $16 million in direct spending by visitors from outside the 15 OVNHT counties

Trail supports 521 jobs in the fifteen OVNHT counties

Cherokee County Body Mass Index  Project Collaborative effort of Cherokee County School  District and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control 2016: Of the total of 1 st , 3 rd and 5 th graders in the  county, 92.6% (1850 of 1,997) were measured.

Cherokee County Health Behavior Rankings  Cherokee County ranks 37 th out of 46 counties in South  Carolina in overall Health Behaviors Cherokee South Top U.S. County Carolina Performers Adult Obesity 37% 32% 26% Physical Inactivity 31% 24% 19% Access to Physical Activity 64% 71% 91% Opportunities

 SC Recreational Trails Program (www.sctrails.net)  U.S. National Park Service  Carolina Thread Trail  Federal Highway Administration – Millennium Trails Program  Cherokee County Accommodations Tax Program  City of Gaffney  Town of Blacksburg  OVT Association

 90+ percent of the OVNHT corridor passes through private land holdings  Outreach to private landowners is key to long-term access to land for trail development  OVNHT Landowner Outreach

Dr. Paul LeFrancois plefrancois@limestone.edu