USDA Rural Development and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service at NC State University announced today that Anson, Montgomery, and Stanly Counties have been selected as a Stronger Economies Together Phase 7 (SET) region. Collectively known as the “Uwharrie Region,” these counties will now benefit from a focused initiative to explore regional economic advantages. The SET initiative will enable the Uwharrie Region to formulate an economic blueprint that strategically builds on the current and emerging economic strengths of that region. The Uwharrie Region will be joining six other regions across five states participating in SET during 2017-2018. Launched in 2010 by USDA Rural Development and the nation’s four Regional Rural Development Centers, the Purdue Center for Regional Development and their land-grant university partners, SET is now in place in more than 94 regions in 32 states. SET is intended to help strengthen the capacity of communities/counties in rural America