Anson Economic Development Corporation

For AnsonEDP and Anson County in general, 2019 was a year of growth and change. Personnel-wise, the organization said goodbye to its existing industry coordinator who left to take a position with North Carolinas Southeast, our regional economic development organization. Rather than replace her, we contracted with the Chamber of Commerce to provide the front-end for those services going forward, a natural fit that will ultimately benefit both organizations. The impact of the Monroe Expressway, which opened in late 2018, was felt throughout the year in the form of increased interest in residential and commercial development, especially in the western part of the county. One of the major stumbling blocks for the Anson economy has been the perceived distance from the county to crucial business locations such as Uptown Charlotte and Charlotte Douglas Airport. The Expressway cuts travel time from Peachland to these destinations to about 45 minutes, and from Wadesboro to just under an hou

As our society becomes increasingly dependent on the internet for shopping, communication, entertainment, education and even health care, the “digital divide” between urban/suburban areas with good internet connectivity and rural areas with limited connectivity has become a major stumbling block to the continued development and economic progress of these communities. In Anson County, the areas in and around our larger towns have reasonably good broadband service available, but outside of these areas – sometimes just a mile or two down the road – service can be expensive, unreliable or even completely unavailable.  Earlier this year, the N.C. legislature loosened regulatory impediments to rural energy cooperatives providing broadband service to unserved and underserved parts of the state. Our local co-op, PeeDee Electric, has expressed an interest in providing such service and is partnering with Anson County, AnsonEDP and RiverStreet to study how such a plan might be implemented.