At the April 10 Community Forum in Swain, County Economic Development Director Ken Mills congratulated the Mountain Landscapes Initiative outreach team on “doing the right thing.”

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He said, “That’s not just accolades. I think it’s the right thing. We got to hear how spread apart out citizens are. And I’m guessing you’re hearing more of that, especially in the western counties.”

The question, said Mills, is: “Where is the balance? As far as dealing with that, you’ve done a good job. . . It’s about education.”

Kate Welch, a member of the Mountain Landscapes Initiative Steering Committee and also on the Bryson City Board of Alderman, was pleased with the participation of locals in the Forum: “I feel good about what I heard,” she said. “The ones that were here were really interested.”

With most of its land area controlled by federal lands or the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Swain County has unique challenges for encouraging growth, yet maintaining its identity as a gateway into some of the most beautiful public lands in the East. Its population of 13,445 (as of the 2006 U.S. Census estimates) qualifies it as one of the smaller counties in the seven-county region.

Watch this page for more county-oriented updates and reports.

Cindi Quinnett, Swain County Resident