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In this @Newsy piece, @amymorona talks about impacts of #COVID19 on college towns. I share how the pandemic is turning into a domino that will fall and knock over many others. In addition to my quote, here is what else I shared: https://www.newsy.com/stories/covid-19-hits-college-towns-economies/
First, not all college towns are created equal. Boone (home to @apostate) & State College (home to @penn_state) are both mountain college towns, but the latter is at least 3x larger than the former. That changes how the community experiences pandemic-related campus closures (1/x)
Towns around large flagship/R1 campuses likely have many other employers that have cropped up given proximity to the campus. In State College, that’s places @breakingweather & @RaytheonTech. College towns of smaller, regional-focuses schools likely don’t have the same (2/x)
So, the economic impacts of campus closure in a small, #rural college town are going to be much more concentrated. There are fewer non-campus employers & local businesses rely almost exclusively on business from college activities. (3/x)
Those other employers may have different buffers from the pandemic & recessions effects, meaning a segment of the regional labor force is less coupled to the college’s reopening plans. In Boone, ASU & the regional hospital are the High Country’s largest employers (4/x)
Then there’s football (yes, 
). Businesses in places like State College rely on football traffic to stay afloat. The 8 home games + spring scrimmage (+summer @CPArtsFestival) bring revenue that carries businesses (esp high-end ones) the rest of the year. (5/x)
). Businesses in places like State College rely on football traffic to stay afloat. The 8 home games + spring scrimmage (+summer @CPArtsFestival) bring revenue that carries businesses (esp high-end ones) the rest of the year. (5/x)
And of course many college towns experience pulls around winter break & over the summer. The problem is, the lull started two months early this year & will last many months beyond August, without sports-related revenue to bail them out. (6/x)
Boone is lucky that it’s also a year-round vacation/resort community, thanks to the @BlueRidgeNPS & that’s it’s the farthest South you can ski on the East Coast. As NC had foolishy reopened, the vacation traffic has swelled, which has helped businesses survive the summer. (7/x)
But not all #rural college towns are so luck to have a backup revenue source. And even those that do aren’t immune. Large or small, expect to see a lot of small businesses close over the next two years, some storefronts turning over multiple times. (8/x)
Long-and-short: All college towns are likely to be hit hard over the next 2 years. Those in #rural areas will probably get hit harder, though secondary industries may soften the blow in places. But letting the virus run rampant will be worse.
So, #buylocal when you can! (9/9)
So, #buylocal when you can! (9/9)
PS - In the second tweet, I meant to tag @appstate, not “apostate.” Regardless of my re-opening opinions, I swear, that wasn’t a Freudian slip meant as a dig. Feels like Monday, so it must be Tuesday...
