Analysis Of The Industrial Development Of Orange County

Located in southwestern Indiana, Orange County is a rural community centered around the industries of hospitality, construction, and manufacturing. It is home to around twenty thousand people, and the median household income is just above forty-one thousand dollars per year. Paoli is the largest town in the county and is also the county seat. It contains the court house and town square, a former gathering hub. This researched analysis includes information from outside scholarly sources, statistical data, a Community Engaged Learning site visit to Orange County, and most importantly: an interview with Blanche Hall from the Paoli Interview Archives. Elitism, exclusivity, and economic downturn have historically plagued Orange County, and its grassroots leadership structure offers little respite. Orange County is rural, yet within driving range of the metropolitan areas of both Louisville, Kentucky and Indianapolis, Indiana. This provides possibilities and predicaments. As it is only about an hour away, some people seek employment and commute to Louisville.

Additionally, visitors from the region patronize the West Baden Springs Hotel and the French Lick Hotel and Casino providing a sizeable economic impact on the area. However, as Paoli resident Blanche Hall remarked, “the people north of [the] area, central Indiana and north of us, Indianapolis north, they looked out here in rural and southern Indiana and they think it’s not good for anything but recreation,” (page 25). The elitist, or perceived elitist, attitude from Indianapolis has negatively affected Orange County. The dichotomy of urban Indianapolis and rural Orange Country could not be more stark, and because of this there is a sense of animosity. Alan and Carol Walker, published scholars on social issues, define this elitism as a, “dynamic process of being shut out… from any of the social, economic or cultural systems which determine the social integration of a person in society. ” Orange County has been looked down upon and the citizens are starting to believe it; this attitude has permeated their mindsets and the social milieu is worse off because of it.

The elitist attitude against Orange County is reflected in the sentiment residents have toward their towns and the brain drain that occurs. Young people graduate from high school and their goal is to get out; they do not see opportunity or a future in Orange County. Orange County is a name community, therefore it is very exclusive. If you are not connected, you are a nobody in the social scene. Andy Gerber, co-founder of the Black Vulture Project and co-owner of the old Tomato Products Company with his partner Kara Schmidt, articulated this when he said, “I truly feel like a foreigner here. ” While he is a Paoli transplant, there is irony here. Andy and Kara are people who try to create community, yet they feel like outsiders. Kara is not alone in leaving Paoli. According to Indiana’s Public Data Utility, school age people make up 16. 9% of the population while college age residents make up only 7. 7% of the county’s population alluding to a brain drain. This exodus of young people furthers the exclusive attitude because people who move away from Paoli are never looked upon as favorably when they come back, such as Kara for example. Most unfortunately, it seems that this cultural elitism against rural areas like Orange County has stunted growth and development. Kara and Andy remarked about the past of Paoli; downtown used to be vibrant in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Much has changed since then including the invention of GPS technology. Modern mapping systems take people down back roads to get to the resorts in French Lick and West Baden, so there is no longer a need to drive through Paoli. This minor detail, some believe, has contributed to Paoli’s economic downturn.

While the resorts act as economic drivers in Orange County, many of the higher level management positions are staffed by outsiders. As the Carsey Institute found, underemployment has historically affected rural workers more than urban workers. The residents of Orange County who are employed by the resorts work primarily in the food service jobs and would be considered underemployed. Most have to work and farm to make ends meet. Clearly Orange County faces many issues, most of which could be remedied with the resources and resolve of a mayor’s office. As this is not possible with the towns’ limited populations and, in the face of inaction by the county council, grassroots leaders have stepped up. Kara and Andy work to build community through citizen-centric programming like Paoli Fest.

Additionally, individuals have stepped up to create a self-sustaining food cooperative and the Orange County Recycling Co-Op. In Orange County, leadership is localized. Community leaders with social capital effect change, not positional leaders like government officials. There is a sense of visionary leadership, however the shared leadership is lacking. Multiple different people have multiple different visions for Orange County and it is hard to achieve common goals when the people are not united on what the goals are. Nevertheless, economic growth could help alleviate both problems: creative, young people leaving and the stigma against the rural community. Cultural elitism has created a gap and left people wanting more. Kara, Andy, and other community leaders have a daunting task ahead of them; the future of Orange County likely rests on their shoulders.