Page 17 - High Knob Master Plan

REGIONAL ASSETS
The High Knob Region boasts a wealth of natural, cultural, and economic assets. From the peak of High Knob to the bedrock of Natural Tunnel State Park, the region encompasses unparalleled geologic resources and landscapes. The highest point in the Cumberland Mountains, High Knob is characterized by undulating terrain, numerous streams, rivers, and lush forests. The region, which includes the Clinch and Powell Rivers and the Jefferson National Forest, abounds with avastarrayoffloraandfauna.Nativeplantsand animals flourish due to a climate of abundant rain and snowfall. Some species are even rare and protected. Spectacular underground caves and dramatic karst landscapes that formed as water eroded soluble rock over the course of centuries are also natural features that distinguish this region.
Looking beyond the evident scenic beauty, the careful observer will uncover a rich American history that dates back centuries to the frontier of European settlement in the eighteenth century, then as an agrarian community, and later as the center of America’s coal-fired growth spurt in the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Visitors can take advantage of the numerous cultural attractions the region has to offer, such as the Appalachian coal camps or Norton’s Country Cabin, one of the major venues on The Crooked Road.
Located in the coalfields of Virginia, the region contains large mineral deposits, including the Coeburn Gas Field. A strong timber economy supports multiple saw timber mills, pulpwood processors, and biomass utilization, including a power plant that converts green biomass to offset coal use. While natural resource extraction and processing are the historic underpinnings of the regional economy, new economic assets are emerging to support the growing tourism and outdoor recreation industry. Restaurants, hotels, and small businesses are examples of these assets. These new assets also complement and support existing regional economic drivers, such as the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Norton Community Hospital, and Mountain View Regional Hospital.
The Assets Archive is available at: http://friendsofswva.org/
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