Detailed Description of Amite: Research Paper

Introduction

A rural community is characterized by a relatively low population density as well as being located further from major towns and cities (Curtin & Cohn, 2015). In addition, there is the tendency to have higher rates of unemployment and poverty in rural areas in comparison to urban areas. Amite is a relatively quiet and serene town in Louisiana with a population of 4,327 people according to a 2014 census. It has a largely African-American population making up over 50% of the total population followed by 43% of white people (2018). There are also Native Americans, Asians, American Indians among other races. Amite has a population density of 1,220 people per square mile with 1,310 households. As of September 2015, 6.9% of the population was unemployed with 20% employed population being in the construction industry (2018).

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Amite has a well-established health care system with more than 8 hospitals with modern facilities, with the main one being Hood Memorial Hospital. There are also public and private elementary and high schools within Amite city with close to 2,000 students attending. Over the years, residents of Amite have largely been republicans as evidenced when 65% of the residents voted for President Trump in the 2016 presidential elections. The Mayor is at the top of the government structure and is assisted by the county council.

Amite is a town with a diverse population that has steadily been growing over the years. The town presents a good environment for investors and new innovations as well as growth in technology. It currently has a relatively well-established health, education, and transport system. These, however, need to be regularly assessed and upgraded to ensure the residents are able to fully enjoy the serenity that Amite offers (Curtin & Cohn, 2015). One of the challenges facing residents of Amite is the lack of an efficient transport system for the people.

Benefits of Discovering, Appraising, and Attending Rural Areas

There are numerous benefits of discovering, appraising, and attending changing aspects of rural communities. First, the rural-urban imbalance requires being contained since the urban populations have been on an upward trajectory since the 1950s. Close to 500 people leave Amite for the urban areas annually and only about 200 people come into the area annually. The most prevalent factor leading to rural-urban migration is rural unemployment since the region basically has a shortage of technology. Also, Amite has high fertility levels compared to urban areas which have led to a serious shortage of arable land. Although urbanization leads to the thriving of the economy, problems may arise when urbanization occurs too rapidly and strains government resources, while at the same time leaving rural areas without enough people to provide or consume services, thereby creating a lagging economy (Buragohain & Landge, 2014).

Essentially, rural economies require being administered under a new paradigm because they play a central role the government's role in sustaining economic development. If the infrastructure and physical plants in rural areas are nonexistent or of poor quality, the resultant high service costs will spill over even into the urban economies. Rural economies are often hit hard by such an imbalance and this offsets a pattern of practically unceasing flow of resources to the cosmopolitan region. As a result, the ideal situation of a centrally planned economy demise and is replaced by austerity (Monsalve, Zafrilla, & Cadarso, 2016). The planners and developers of Amite region and the surrounding metropolitan areas recognize that human settlements are influenced by the connectivity of the rural and the urban areas. As such, prevalent notions such as the purpose of the rural areas is to provide fuel, food, and cheap labor are questionable because they upset this cycle. When such notions prevail, rural economies shrivel and metropolitan economies and even the government have to provide rescue funds to revitalize the countryside. Putting the development of the rural areas at par with other regions creates a self-sustaining economy that fuels its basic needs rather than depends on bailouts from regions that are performing better.

Resources and Services for Improvement

The favorable growth and strength of the Amite's economy can be based on a number of resources and services, one of them being recreation and tourism. Louisiana is a very beautiful region and Amite has definitely taken a fraction of the natural forests, landscapes, wildlife, and physical features. An economy built around amenities and tourism is sustainable since tourism is the world's second-largest industry. Tourism and amenity jobs are fairly paying and they can surely increase the job opportunities in Amite. Most importantly, the flourishing of the tourism industry will definitely lead to the thriving of other economies such as agriculture, food and beverage, accommodation, service maintenance, transport, and information assistance (Sisto, Lopolito, & Van Vliet, 2018). Establishment of tourism services in Amite serves the long-term goal of stabilizing the region's economic sustainability by creating multiple opportunities to capture shares of the tourism monies.

Conclusion

Other applicable strategies include building Amite's local capacity to establish sustainability. Prominent features of this revitalization must include the inclusion of efforts from the locals of Amite whereby they will be encouraged to think about their future and take a step towards fulfilling actions that will help them secure those futures (Rantso, 2016). Essentially, capacity building refers to the process of creating programs that will enable the rural residents to forge new skills related to understanding business with the government, conflict resolution, articulation and implementation of shared visions, and leadership.

References

Buragohain, T., & Landge, R. (2014). Measuring Rural Development. Journal of Land and Rural Studies, 2(1), 21-42.

Curtin, L., & Cohn, T. (2015). Resilience in rural communities is enhanced through supportive social networks.

Monsalve, Zafrilla, & Cadarso. (2016). Where have all the funds gone? Multiregional input-output analysis of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. Ecological Economics, 129, 62-71.

Rantso, T. (2016). The role of the non-farm sector in rural development in Lesotho. Journal of Modern African Studies, 54(2), 317-338.

Sisto, Lopolito, & Van Vliet. (2018). Stakeholder participation in planning rural development strategies: Using backcasting to support Local Action Groups in complying with CLLD requirements. Land Use Policy, 70, 442-450.

ZedFacts. (2018). Retrieved 13 April 2018, from http://www.city-data.com/city/Amite-City-Louisiana.html