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The culture of a community is shaped by the local environment and topography, and the patterns of human activity that define culture are recorded in the land. Thus, a “cultural landscape” arises, reflecting this ongoing interrelationship between people and the land. Many of our nation’s unique cultural landscapes now face irrevocable alteration through development or neglect. The heritage area concept offers an innovative method for citizens, in partnership with local, state, and federal government, nonprofit and private sector interests, to develop a plan and an implementation strategy focused on conserving the special qualities of the local cultural landscape. Heritage areas can be designated locally, or as part of a state or federal system of heritage areas.
A “national heritage area” is a place recognized by the United States Congress for its unique contribution to the American experience. In a national heritage area, natural, cultural, historical, and recreational resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography. These patterns make national heritage areas representative of the national experience through the physical features that remain and the traditions that have evolved in the areas. Continued use of the national heritage areas by people whose traditions helped to shape the landscapes enhances their significance.
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