Good roots: City and county prove they're fertile ground for growth

Destination Wayne.

Now that the Maxwell Center is in place and open for business, and downtown Goldsboro is undergoing a kind of renaissance, it seems the county seat is poised to become a mecca of sorts.

But for whom?

The highway construction projects meant to tie Raleigh to the coast will be forced not to bypass Goldsboro. That's because there will be, ideally, enough to do here that the city and surrounding area will be a draw to outsiders.

Those who come to put on or attend the goings on at the Maxwell Center will see a thriving downtown with restaurants, shops and nightlife to rival cities of similar size or larger.

Already we see new boutiques and eateries popping up, a growing arts community and gradually more living space becoming available.

 To pull this resurgence off, however, the powers that be must formulate a plan that appeals to the budding generation of the working class and offer jobs to support them.

Agriculture alone isn't going to cut it. Not anymore.

That isn't to say, forget about farming. Of course not. Agriculture is and will remain our largest industry and source of revenue. But the market is ripe for new manufacturing jobs and services -- arts, marketing, software and design, tech and engineering. For Goldsboro and the surrounding area to really thrive, people need to want to live and work in this community, and it seems that some of that groundwork having been laid over the last several years is beginning to take root.

It will be interesting to see where the next five or 10 years take us.

Published in Editorials on March 4, 2018 10:19 PM