AG 2002 08 19 (Regular) - Laserfiche WebLink

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APPLICATION SOUTH CENTRAL PIEDMONT RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT AREA NORTH CAROLINA Council Name: The name of our Council is the South Central Piedmont RC&D. General Description of Area: The South Central Piedmont Resource Conservation and Development Area is located in the south central section of North Carolina. The area contains 3,649 square miles of land area and 199 square miles of land that is covered by water. In 2002 there are approximately 1.58 million people residing in the area. The population increased by an average of 2.5% annually during the period from 1995 to 2002. The average population density for the area is approximately 433 persons per square mile. Based on 2002 census data the average per capita income for the area was $26,197 and the average median family income was $59,500. In 1995 the average number of households in the area was 57,773. The topography of the area is characteristic of the Southern Piedmont Land Resource Region of North Carolina. Generally the soils in the area have clay-like or loamy subsoil. Land slopes range from gently sloping to strongly sloping for the most part. Approximately 50% of the land area is covered with woodland vegetation. Woodland vegetation includes undergrowth species such as dogwood, honeysuckle, briars, and over story made up primarily of short leaf pine, white oak, sweet gum, yellow popular, sycamore, and hickory. A majority of the cleared land is in small farms and is used primarily for producing cultivated crops and livestock. The most commonly grown crops in the area include tobacco, small grain, corn, cotton, and soybeans. Livestock operations include dairy, beef, swine, and poultry operations. There are two major river basins included in the area. Most of the area is included in the Yadkin- Pee Dee and the Catawba River basins. There are numerous large lakes in the area, which are used primarily for municipal water supplies, power production, and recreation. Some of the more prominent lakes are High Rock, Tuckertown Reservoir, Badin, Lake Tillery, Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, and Mountain Island. Employment The South Central Piedmont Resource Conservation and Development Area has a very diverse workforce. Unemployment tends to be lower than the state average, however many of the jobs are not considered to be high paying jobs. In the more rural counties the workforce is closely tied to industrial types of jobs. The chief industries involve manufacturing, professional services, manufacturing and retail sales. The chief occupations are laborers, trades persons, and ~ administrative. Approximately half of the South Central RC&D Area is highly urbanized and can offer the citizens living in this part of the area and those within commuting distance higher paying jobs than are available in the less urbanized part of the area. The most urbanized area included Mecklenburg, Gaston Cabarrus, and Rowan County. The more rural portion of the area includes Stanly, Lincoln, and parts of Rowan, and Union Counties. £-I1