InterCity Visit

The InterCity Visit program is a community development initiative that plans and executes the visit of the Asheville area’s civic, education, business and community leadership to a city that has successfully addressed issues/challenges that our community currently faces. Prior visits include the first InterCity Visit to Charleston, South Carolina, 1994; second annual to Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1995; third annual to San Antonio, Texas, 1996; fourth annual to Burlington, Vermont, 1997; fifth annual to Boise, Idaho, 1998; sixth annual to Savannah, Georgia, 1999; seventh annual to Austin, Texas, 2000; eighth annual to Portland, Oregon, 2002; and the ninth annual program to Providence, Rhode Island, 2003.

A few highlights of initiatives generated as a result of past visits include the involvement of Asheville in the statewide effort to pass North Carolina Senate Bill 725, which, after a successful state referendum, now enables communities to take advantage of local option project development financing modeled in Portland, Oregon, and other cities; the Asheville-Buncombe VISION process; tourism management initiatives; riverfront development efforts; public/private partnership development; The Great Asheville-Buncombe Litter Clean-up; renewed emphasis on the arts; increased community focus on “growing our own talent”; and the importance of protecting and marketing our quality of life strengths.

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