Elizabethton: Residential Suburb or Employer Community?

It seems today, there is a small battle going on and it plays into almost every political fight we have locally. What role does Elizabethton and Carter County play in the larger region? Some argue Elizabethton is an employment center for the people of Elizabethton and Carter County and, as such, want to push for better and more robust economic development activities. Other say they are resigned to the fact that Elizabethton is a suburb. They may not view economic development as a primary driver for the community, and would rather focus on our schools, housing, and quality of life to make Elizabethton the best place to live in the region. So, which is it – suburb or industrial community?

One indicator we can look at is the worker/employer base in Elizabethton – in other words, how many workers live in Elizabethton verse how many workers actually work in Elizabethton. As of 2014 (the most recent data available), Elizabethton has approximately 5,298 workers over the age of 16 that live in Elizabethton. Looking at the number of jobs in Elizabethton, as of 2014 there are approximately 8,296 people who work in Elizabethton. What this illustrates is that Elizabethton must bring almost 3,000 people from outside of Elizabethton to fill jobs.

If Elizabethton has to bring more people into the city, where are they coming from? Let’s look at another indicator – commuting patterns. We’ll start by looking at where workers who live in Elizabethton work. To make it easier we’ll use an example of 10 workers who currently live in Elizabethton – on average 3 work in Johnson City, 2 work in Elizabethton, 1 works in Kingsport or Gray, 1 works in Bristol, Piney Flats, Jonesborough, or Greeneville, and the other 3 work in other places like Knoxville, Morristown, or Erwin.

We’ve already established that people are coming to Elizabethton to work, but let’s look at where they’re coming from. Again using an example of 10 workers, 4 live in Elizabethton, 1 lives in Johnson City, 1 lives in Hampton or Roan Mountain, 1 lives in Jonesborough, Bristol, Gray, or Kingsport, and the other 3 live in other places such as Bluff City, Mountain City, Erwin, and Greeneville. These commuting patterns illustrate that a majority of the workers who live in Elizabethton work in either Johnson City or Elizabethton and that a majority of workers who are employed in Elizabethton live in Elizabethton, Johnson City, or other areas of Carter County.

Some conclusions this information gives us is that Elizabethton still remains an employer based community because more people clearly commute from other areas to work in Elizabethton that do the number of workers who live in Elizabethton. But the data also suggests that a large number of Elizabethton residents serve as a workforce base to other communities. This information again shows us the intricate way Elizabethton and Johnson City are intertwined. Johnson City residents commute to Elizabethton to work, and Elizabethton residents commute to Johnson City to work.

This data suggests that Elizabethton is at a pivot point or a fork in the road. In my opinion, in the next 20 years Elizabethton will shift to a residential suburb or remain in a duel role as both suburb and employer base for the area. Both have their benefits and both have their negatives. Which way would you like to see Elizabethton move? Let’s talk about it!

Breweries Could Provide Economic Boost to Elizabethton

I have written before about the impact and importance that craft breweries, wineries, and distilleries can have on our economy. The big point is that these industries are considered what we call base-export industries just like manufacturing. They produce a product and export it outside of the Elizabethton market in exchange for bringing money back into the Elizabethton market. This gives us the possibility of having a large economic impact in Elizabethton.

Breweries have the potential to have a large economic impact on their local communities. According to the Brewers Association, small and independent American craft brewers contributed $55.7 billion to the U.S. economy in 2014 and created over 424,000 jobs. For Tennessee alone, craft brewers created $159.20 of economic impact per person over the age of 20! Applying this to a local level and the impact on Elizabethton could be approximately $5,649,717! This impact on our economy is roughly the same as the impact of recruiting a new manufacturing industry that hires 10 people would provide.

Local craft breweries would also provide additional soft impacts on our community. Craft breweries tend to function as anchors to a commercial district especially after 5:00 when many other retailers are closed. Because they are destinations, they become attractive locations for other businesses that may be open after 5:00 such as restaurants, bakeries, and coffee bars.

Additionally, young adults and young professionals look for these types of businesses in a community where they desire to move. Indeed, the millennial generation (those born after 1980) has even come to adopt craft brewed beer as a central idea of their generation. Many times craft brewed beer is not inexpensive like nationwide beer brands. Often they cost $5+ for a glass, which helps prevent over consumption, yet still makes it affordable for the young accountant, store manager, or nurse. A brewery in Elizabethton will help make our community a more attractive place for young, talented, and educated people and couples to live. This also brings a more talented workforce to Elizabethton, which make recruiting a new business or industry much more easy.

While Elizabethton’s land-use policies do need to be tuned, right now a small brewery desiring to sell beer in downtown Elizabethton could do so at many locations. Additionally, many other locations outside of downtown are viable options as well! We must realize that there are many strong benefits to allowing and recruiting such an establishment and the positives will ultimately outweigh any possible negatives. Are we ready? Let’s take the next step forward. Let’s talk about it!