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Lamar County - Paris Economic Development Plan <br />Commuting Time: <br />Traffic congestion in some metropolitan areas has caused workers to endure lengthy commutes <br />to their worksite. Oftentimes the commute can be as long as one hour. Not only is this a "quality <br />of life" issue for the employee, but employers begin to have trouble retaining their workforce <br />when commuting times exceed 30 minutes. <br />The Census Bureau determined the average commuting time in Paris to be 16 minutes in 2000. <br />This is the lowest time the Researcher has discovered; the Texas and national average are both <br />25 minutes. <br />Recommendation: There is no specific action the community needs to take regarding this issue <br />relative to economic development. <br />Railway: <br />During the 1970's and 1980's, as a result of reduced market demand, many railroad companies <br />abandoned rail lines and spurs in rural communities. The rights of way were sold or donated to <br />the local government and the rails were sold for scrap metal. <br />Paris is fortunate to continue to have rail service. Rail service is a market driven industry. <br />Should a new employer need to ship via this method, the rail companies will likely accommodate <br />the user. <br />Recommendation: The Paris Economic Development Corporation should monitor the rail <br />service availability. Direct communications should be made with the rail companies serving the <br />area to discover if there are any issues that would reduce service to the area. <br />Commercial Airport: <br />Virtually every county in the United States has an "airport." A vast majority of these are general <br />aviation facilities which serve the local recreational flyer. <br />A commercial airport, one which provides direct jet air service to major hubs, is essential to most <br />businesses today, as their employees need to travel to meet with customers, or customers need to <br />travel to the business. Communities which have air cargo capability provide an additional <br />service to many manufacturers which make high value, low bulk products. <br />Communities which are not located within a 60 minute drive to a commercial airport are placed <br />in a significant competitive disadvantage. An extremely large number of companies simply will <br />not locate in an area which does not have a commercial airport. <br />Paris has scheduled commercial air - freight service. Air service for Paris is one of the most <br />important transportation assets the area has. Without it, the opportunity to expand the economy <br />will be greatly diminished. <br />Paris Economic Development Corporation Page 25 <br />