Transforming the rural asset: Advancing rural place through cultural assets in the American High-Tech Economy

Many rural regions are looking for a renaissance in the high-tech economy, leveraging unique rural assets to attract new citizens. But who is positioned to realize the unique rural assets of a place for growth? Based on ethnographic research in economic development circles of an American rural region, this study shows how economic developers and municipal leaders draw on unique rural assets, transforming them to attract the right kind of outsiders they think are best suited to create high-tech rural futures. The paper argues that this transformation has implications for how we understand and promote the high-tech economy through asset-based community development in rural areas.