Blue Ridge National Heritage Area

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area encompassing the twenty-five westernmost counties of North Carolina, which are associated with the Blue Ridge Mountains. The designation provides a framework for the promotion and interpretation of the area's cultural and historic character, and the preservation of the natural and built environment. The National Heritage Area includes the North Carolina portions of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Other attractions include Mount Mitchell in Pisgah National Forest, Nantahala National Forest and the North Carolina portion of the Appalachian Trail. The Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is also within the National Heritage Area. The area's musical heritage and folk craftsmanship are also recognized by the National Heritage Area.

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area was established 10 Nov 2003 by Public Law 108-108.

References

"Blue Ridge National Heritage Areaa" (PDF). Blue Ridge Heritage. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
"Blue Ridge National Heritage Area". National Park Service. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
"S 941 IS". Library of Congress. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
Vincent, Carol Hardy; Whiteman, David (July 12, 2004). "Heritage Areas: Background, Proposals, and Current Issues" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. pp. CRS-5. Retrieved March 18, 2012.

v t e National Heritage Areas of the United States
Abraham Lincoln Alabama Black Belt Arabia Mountain Atchafalaya Augusta Canal Aviation Heritage Baltimore Blackstone River Bronzeville – Black Metropolis Cache La Poudre Corridor Cane River Champlain Valley Coal Heritage Crossroads of the American Revolution Delaware and Lehigh Downeast Maine Erie Canalway Essex Freedom's Frontier Freedom's Way Great Basin Gullah/Geechee Hudson River Valley llinois & Michigan Canal Journey Through Hallowed Ground Kenai Mountains - Turnagain Arm Lackawanna Heritage Valley Maritime Washington Mississippi Delta Mississippi Gulf Coast Mississippi Hills Mormon Pioneer MotorCities Mountains to Sound Muscle Shoals Niagara Falls Northern Neck Northern Plains Northern Rio Grande Ohio & Erie Canalway Oil Region Path of Progress Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley Rivers of Steel Sangre de Cristo Santa Cruz Valley Schuylkill River Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Silos & Smokestacks South Carolina South Park Southern Campaign of the Revolution Southern Maryland St. Croix Susquehanna Tennessee Civil War Upper Housatonic Valley Wheeling Yuma Crossing