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. / Graduation date: 1977
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/26694 |
| Date | 01 April 1976 |
| Creators | Waldron, Raymond Wesley |
| Contributors | Fitch, James B. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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