A study of the industrial and commercial development in Montgomery County and Radford, Virginia from 1930 through 1954

In recent years, particularly during the past decade, there has been a definite and an ever increasing movement of industry and commerce from the northeastern part of the United States into the South. This ever increasing shift of industry and commerce into the southern states has been and still is the result of a number of factors. High tax rates imposed by all levels of government in the North, the high cost of labor, scarcity of favorable industrial sites, and frequent union troubles are but a few of the undesirable conditions that harass industry and commerce in the North. By contrast, the South offers industrial and commercial firms many excellent sites with relatively low tax rates, and, in many cases, prospective industries are offered special tax concessions by local governments to induce them to locate a particular area. In addition, labor costs in the South are lower than in the crowded northeastern states. Many portions of the southeastern United States have a relative abundance of water which is essential to most industrial and many commercial firms. With some exceptions, unions in the South have not developed to the point where they cause frequent and expensive strikes as is the case in the North. For these as well as other reasons, many industrial and commercial firms presently located in the North are seeking new locations and are building in communities throughout the southern part of the country. In connection with this movement of industry into the South, this writer is of the opinion that the area involved in this study, i.e. Montgomery County and Radford, Virginia, has not only developed as a partial result of this relocation process, but will benefit to an even greater extent in the future. This writer believes that the current study is timely in that it brings into focus the rate and nature of commercial and industrial development of the area during the past twenty-five years which, in turn, presents a clear and useful grasp of trends for future years. Secondly, the study serves as a valid indicator of the potential facilities which the area can offer as well as limitations which would have to be considered by interested firms.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Business Administration

Department dc:contributor.department

Business Administration

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Year dc:date.issued

1955

Author dc:creator

• Lucas, James Theodore

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/52194

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/52194