…Rural counties with national parks, wildlife refuges and other protected public lands may have an economic edge over other rural counties.
A study by Headwaters Economics of Bozeman, Montana, shows that rural counties in the Western United States tend to have higher per capita incomes when they have protected public land within their borders. The reason may be that counties with natural amenities like national monuments and wild and scenic rivers are more likely to attract talented workers, who have above-average earning power…