Photo by Elkins-Randolph County Tourism CVB .
As if this isn ’ t exciting enough , Elkins was also recently named the fourth community for Ascend West Virginia , the nation ’ s premier talent attraction and retention program that offers incentives to remote workers who choose to make the Mountain State their home .
“ They ’ ve hired a program director and they ’ ve started the first round of interviews for Ascenders to move to Elkins ,” says Morris . “ They had over 2,000 applications in the first round , so we expect those individuals to start moving into the area later this year . As part of the event center , they ’ re going to have 3,500 square feet for the coworking space that is provided to the Ascend members , so that ’ s going to have everyday activity going on down there and we ’ re really excited about that .”
Characterized by vast amounts of rural land and farming communities , this region is also taking advantage of agritourism . In Hampshire County , the second annual Farm Crawl provides a unique opportunity for people to visit their local farms and learn more about the agricultural industry . The first event went so well , in fact , that Hampshire County has decided to lengthen it to a two-day event this year , as opposed to its previously planned single day .
Each unique region of the Mountain State brings with it a new reason to take pride in being a Mountaineer — whether by choice or by chance — and the Potomac Highlands region is no exception . Overflowing with opportunity and showcasing beauty at every turn , this region and the determined people who inhabit it continue to bring heaven a little closer to home . •
Tourism
Always searching for ways to attract visitors to the area , the Potomac Highlands region is introducing a myriad of exciting new projects and annual events . In Randolph County , a Tygart Hotel Renovation Project is already well underway .
“ It ’ s a $ 16 million renovation of what was the grand hotel in Elkins back in the day ,” says Robbie Morris , executive director of the Randolph County Development Authority . “ It then became subsidized housing and kind of a blight in downtown Elkins , was purchased and is now being renovated back into a boutique hotel . We ’ re really excited for what it ’ s going to do for downtown Elkins . A lot of the buildings in and around the hotel are starting to fill up with retail spaces , and the domino effect is already starting .”
The county is also currently in the final stages of planning for a brand-new event center in an old railyard that will attract a myriad of new visitors to the region .
“ It ’ s going to have a 420 to 450-seat performance theater and a conference center that can host up to 600 people ,” says Morris . “ That ’ s going to be about a $ 13 million project , which will incorporate the hotel side of things and the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad . Right now , we have this gap — a lot of people want to come to Elkins for a lot of different attractions , like outdoor recreation and conferences , but we haven ’ t had the facilities to host them . I think this is going to open up a whole other market from a tourism perspective .”
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