TRAIL TRICKS: Cites big and small find greenways to be a savvy path to success.

• Author: Ellis, Kevin

People noticed changes occurring in Rutherfordton when the Purple Martin Greenway neared completion three years ago. A bicycle shop opened, an ice cream store changed locations to be nearer the trail. A developer won town approval in 2019 to build Park Crossing, a 180-unit apartment complex at one end of the greenway.

None of that would have happened if not for a two-mile paved path that connects two parks, says Doug Barrick, town manager of the town of 3,600 residents that is 55 miles southeast of Asheville. It allows visitors to explore wildlife, creeks, waterfalls and local plant life, not far from downtown.

"It hasn't happened overnight, but it's growth that's in line with what our rural community's needs are," says Barrick, in his ninth year of leading the town.

Big cities like Charlotte and Raleigh, along with small towns like Rutherfordton, are using greenways as a way to improve quality of life for current residents, and attract tourism dollars and new businesses.

With that in mind, North Carolina lawmakers designated 2023 as the "Year of the Trail," a celebration of greenways and paddleways. It's also a nudge to prompt residents to visit a greenway, state park or recreation area to hike, bike, ride a horse or even paddle a kayak in this geographically diverse state.

There's plenty of money in all of this, too. People spend $28 billion annually on outdoor recreation in North Carolina, according to the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. Tourism related to trails also sustains more than 160,000 North Carolina jobs, according to the Year of the Trail organization.

A mix of 60 state organizations, nonprofits and businesses, including NC State Parks, VisitNC, and State Employees' Credit Union, are helping to support the Year of the Trail campaign with special events. The Great Trails State Coalition, a group that lobbies for more state spending on trails, wants to promote events in all 100 counties with tie-ins for local governments and businesses.

Local governments say greenways can improve the physical health and well-being of residents, while also easing road congestion and serving as an economic development tool. Since 2014, Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have been working to create the Cross Charlotte Trail, a 30-plus-mile greenway from Pineville through center city and north to the UNC Charlotte campus and Cabarrus County. It is costing more than $110 million including land acquisition and construction.

The Cross...