The Intermediate Socio-Economic Development Region: A Case Study Of North Carolina

Regional development theory has evolved essentially from traditional considerations of the bipolar model. This is a model that focuses on center-periphery relationships. The development continuum idea, on the other hand, suggests a gradation of development from the most positive in the growth core regions to the least positive in the peripheral regions. This thesis uses county data, through variable selection, integration and grouping, to verify socioeconomic development conditions which are best described as a gradation along the continuum.