Carolina Public Press: Income Mobility story 5-28-15

Here is a recent story I wrote for Carolina Public Press on income mobility in Buncombe County.

How important are the quality of neighborhoods in determining the future income of children?

According to a recent study by a pair of Harvard economists, quite a bit.

The study, The Effects of Neighborhoods on Intergenerational Mobility: Childhood Exposure Effects and County Level Estimates, by Raj Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren, analyzed data from more than 2,400 counties and determined that where you live isn’t just correlated with poverty — it causes it.

And for children living in poor families in Buncombe County, escaping poverty may be tougher — substantially tougher — compared to other counties across the nation.

Essentially, the study found, for poor children in Western North Carolina, it is better to live in Jackson, Watauga or Yancey counties than it is to live in Buncombe County, measured by how much that person would later earn at age 26.

Read the entire story HERE.

WNC Magazine feature on natural healers and herbalists

Here’s a link to a feature I wrote recently for WNC Magazine about natural healers and herbalists in the region.

To see the entire story link here: WNC Herbalists