I was listening to the radio and happened to hear a story about the town my husband is from. Since there are only 400 people in that town, I was surprised, to say the least, though actually this is not the first time I've heard it mentioned on NPR! The story was about the Bank of Floyd, VA, and the banker there spouted the line that has become familiar to me as an observer of the place: the mythos of the self-reliant people of Floyd, VA, who never take loans from the federal government (except when they do). My father in law, a reasonable man, and quite open-minded, though he has been exposed to very little in the way of difference and diversity, proudly tells about how the little town full of farmers built a golf course back in the 60s. He was a big part of that. He admits that the town took advantage of a poverty grant for the folks of Appalachia that was not really intended for golf courses at all, but truthfully, the golf course is still a great draw. It brings in tourists who are already there to see the Blue Ridge Parkway and to eat pancakes at Mabry's Mill, a beautiful working mill on the Parkway and one of the most frequently photographed places in the country, according to Kodak. And it has made money for the town, so it has brought prosperity to a relatively poor place. But not for the poorest members of the community--probably for the wealthier ones, truth be known.
Here is the link to the story. I'll try to find a picture of the Mill for you too.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95263509
Here's the other story about Floyd, from 1999:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1054818
2 comments:
What a pretty little place. I hope the golf course created jobs for residents.
It is beautiful, and the pancakes are world-class, I must say.
The golf course did create jobs and a second home for my father-in-law (and for Richard too when he is in town).
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