Blue Ridge Parkway gateway communities

More than 130 leaders from North Carolina and Virginia gathered to discuss strategies for unifying and strengthening communities adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway during the Blue Ridge Rising Two-State Summit on Dec. 5-6 in Blowing Rock.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has secured two grants totaling $911,117 from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to support economic development planning in the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor in Virginia and North Carolina. The grants are funded through the American Rescue Plan Act and U.S. EDA’s programs to advance economic recovery and resilience in travel, tourism, and other sectors.