Resource Analysis Union County Oregon PDF Download

Rural areas tied to natural resource-based economic activity are encountering difficulties in preparing for economic growth and development. An important problem facing local officials of such an area, Union County, Oregon, is the identification of county characteristics that may induce the expansion of local businesses and location of new plants. What are Union County's most important locational advantages and disadvantages? This thesis attempts to answer these and related questions through the use of a survey of Union County businessmen. During the summer months of 1975, interviews with 30 percent of all Union County businesses were conducted. The primary locational determinants for firms in all business sectors were found to be personal and market factors. With few exceptions all firms assigned the same importance to these and other location factors, regardless of type of firm, geographic location in Union County, respondent's role in the location decision, year the firm was founded, or future expansion plans. The industry types that would be expected to expand or locate in Union County are lumber and wood products, light industry (small manufacturing), general agriculture, tourism, and wholesale-retail trade. The policies and incentives available to Union County officials are limited due to the role of factors, such as personal preference and market demand, over which the county has little control. Maintenance and improvement of the existing county infrastructure and reevaluation of land use regulations as they affect business location, operation, and expansion offer the most potential for influencing firms to locate in an area that offers both pleasant surroundings and the opportunity to sustain economic growth.