Site Selection Factors Series: #3 Quality of Life

March 6, 2017

PCED Staff Note: This week’s post is part of a series on evaluating site selection factors from a local perspective titled, “Site Selection Factors”. The aim of the series is to outline the criteria used by companies to determine where they will build new facilities or expand existing ones. We will examine the top 10 factors as adapted from Area Development Magazine’s, “The Top Factor’s to Navigate the Location Maze”¹. Those factors, listed in order of priority, are as follows: Availability of Skilled Labor, Highway Accessibility, Quality of Life, Occupancy or Construction Costs, Available Buildings, Labor Costs, Corporate Tax Rate, Proximity to Major Markets, State and Local Incentives, Energy Availability and Costs. Guest bloggers will contribute each week from their area of expertise. Some topics may span multiple weeks.

Quality of Life

 
Welcome signs to greet Personians, Visitors and Passers-Through.

As we continue through our series, “Site Selection Factors”, we land at #3, Quality of Life. This factor must be quite significant to be considered in the top 3, but what exactly does Quality of Life encompass, and, if we can define it, how do we measure it?

While it should be acknowledged that this week’s topic is likely the most subjective of all the items in the top ten, from an economic development standpoint, we’ll consider how Person County provides for excellent opportunities for academic, physical, creative, spiritual and relational well-being.

Academic

Person County is within an hour’s drive of Research Triangle Park, an area that was named for the “triangle” formed by the line of travel from Duke University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The graphic below shows our proximity to the top universities in the state, with much more information available on our Education page.

Right here at home, Piedmont Community College continues to expand its resourcefulness to the community and beyond by crafting programs to meet the needs of today, including a path to a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, by holding articulation agreements with the following institutions:

• Averett University
• North Carolina Wesleyan College
• Pfeiffer University
• North Carolina Central University
• University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• University of Mount Olive
• North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

Physical

Person County is located just north of the Rex, Wake Med and UNC healthcare systems, as well as Duke University Medical Center, which is rated among the top 5 healthcare facilities in the US.

In fact, our local Person Memorial Hospital is part of the Duke Lifepoint Healthcare System. More about Person Memorial as well as our Urgent Care facilities is found on our Healthcare page.

However, physical well-being is better obtained through disease prevention, and while plenty of support for disease prevention is available in medical facilities, it’s a lot more pleasantly achieved through the numerous recreational opportunities available in Person County. Person County Parks and Recreation offers sporting programs for youth and adults, exercise and dance classes, canoeing and kayaking on Mayo Lake, and endurance races such as the Mayo Lake Catfish Crawl Mud Run.

For even more adventure, there are countless hiking opportunities throughout the rolling terrain of the county, as well as water sports on Hyco Lake or at the Jibtopia Wake Park.

Creative

The cultural amenities of our locale also abound.  Just a half hour’s drive from Person County is the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC), ranked among the top 5 theaters in the US. There are plentiful possibilities for day trips to innumerable parks, museums and amusements. Likewise, there are year-round opportunities for local theatrical performances, concerts, art displays and more at the Kirby Cultural Arts Complex in Uptown Roxboro. For more leisurely outings in Uptown Roxboro, explore the shops located inside Hall’s Way, along Main Street and its tributaries, and keep an eye out for more development on the horizon.

Each fall, the Personality Festival draws in thousands for food, rides and fun, and more about our rich history is on display at the Person County Museum. Fun for all ages awaits at Palace Pointe, home to bowling, skating, and movies, with other creative amusements being added all the time.

Spiritual and Relational

Hundreds of churches and civic organizations² provide for spiritual community and service opportunities.

Person County is a place rooted in faith and community. Many families residing here go back for generations. It’s a place where people call each other by name and where southern hospitality is alive and well.

As a Person County native of 40-plus years, I can speak firsthand about this attribute of our county. So much more could be said about all that we have to offer for high-quality living. I am grateful for the choices in education that are available to my children. I have enjoyed being situated in an area where family-oriented activities abound and where my husband and I can find meaningful work close to home and family. We have the benefit of finding any activity imaginable within a day’s drive, from the mountains to the coast. Should they choose to do so, my children will have the opportunity to live, learn, work and play right here where they are growing up, while still experiencing what the world has to offer. Roots and enrichment go hand-in-hand here. The community feel and rural beauty combined with all the amenities of urban life just a short, scenic drive away are predominately why I consider Person County to offer a high Quality of Life and why I continue to grow in my belief that “Everything is Better in Person”!  

¹ "The Top Factors to Navigate the Location Maze." Area Development, Volume 51, Number 4, Q42016, pp. 24-36. ²This information was compiled by and for the 2014-2015 Roxboro Area Chamber of Commerce Community Resource and Business Guide.

This post was authored by Sherry Wilborn, Person County Economic Development Senior Administrative Support. Sherry was born and resides in Person County. Though she has traveled to many other areas, she is always glad to return home to Person County.