County In Strong Position For Economic Development, Expert Says

Oconee County is in a really strong position as it plans for the future, Craig Lesser, managing partner of the Pendleton Group, told the Oconee County Task Force on Economic Development on Tuesday morning.

The county has the third highest median household income among the state’s 159 counties, Lesser said.

Nearly three quarters of the persons 25 years old or older in the county have at least some college education, with a half having a bachelor’s degree or higher, he added.

The unemployment rate for June of this year was 2.9 percent, Lesser said.

The 10-person Task Force, meeting for the first time on Tuesday, has been asked by the Board of Commissioners to create an economic development strategy for the county for the future.

To that end, Lesser asked the members of the Task Force, assembled at the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce meeting room in Watkinsville, what they wanted for the county for the future.

The answers were varied and complex, but a concern about the future of housing in the county dominated much of the discussion.

For more on the story, with a video of the entire Task Force meeting, please go to Oconee County Observations.