National Heritage Area

Map of National Heritage Areas in US.

A National Heritage Area is a site designated by United States and intended to encourage historic preservation of the area and an appreciation of the history and heritage of the site. There are currently 49 National Heritage Areas, some of which use variations of the title, such as National Heritage Corridor.^[1]

National Heritage Areas (NHA) are not National Park Service units or federally owned or managed land. National Heritage Areas are administered by state governments or non-profit organizations or other private corporations. The National Park Service provides an advisory role and limited technical, planning and financial assistance.

NHAs are created by Congress. Each area has its own authorizing legislation and a set of unique resources and goals. Areas considered for designation must have specific elements. First, the landscape must be a nationally unique natural, cultural, historic, or scenic resource. Second, when the related sites are linked, they must tell a unique story about the U.S.^[2]

List of National Heritage Areas

There are 49 National Heritage Areas:

• Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area—Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition, Illinois
• Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area—Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance, Georgia
• Atchafalaya National Heritage Area—Louisiana Office of Tourism, Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Louisiana
• Augusta Canal National Heritage Area—Augusta Canal Authority, Georgia
• Baltimore National Heritage Area—City of Baltimore, Maryland
• Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, Massachusetts/Rhode Island
• Blue Ridge National Heritage Area—Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership, North Carolina
• Cache La Poudre River Corridor—Poudre Heritage Alliance, Colorado
• Cane River National Heritage Area—Cane River National Heritage Area Commission, Louisiana
• Champlain Valley National Heritage Area—Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership, New York/Vermont
• Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area—Crossroads of the American Revolution Association, New Jersey
• Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor—Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Inc., Pennsylvania
• Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor—Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, New York
• Essex National Heritage Area—Essex National Heritage Commission, Massachusetts
• Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area—Partnership Team, Kansas/Missouri
• Freedom's Way National Heritage Area, Massachusetts/New Hampshire
• Great Basin National Heritage Area—Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership, Nevada/Utah
• Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor—Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission, Florida/Georgia/North Carolina/South Carolina
• Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area—Hudson River Valley Greenway, New York
• Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor—Canal Corridor Association, Illinois
• John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor—Blackstone River Valley Heritage Corridor Commission, Massachusetts/Rhode Island
• Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area—The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, Maryland/Pennsylvania/Virginia/West Virginia
• Kenai Mountains - Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area, Alaska
• Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area—Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, Pennsylvania
• Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area—Delta Council, Mississippi
• Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area—Office of Coastal Management and Planning, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Mississippi
• Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area—Mississippi Hills Heritage Area Alliance, Mississippi
• Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area—Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance, Utah
• MotorCities National Heritage Area, Michigan
• Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area—University of North Alabama, Alabama
• National Aviation Heritage Area—Aviation Heritage Foundation, Inc., Ohio
• National Coal Heritage Area—National Coal Heritage Area Authority, West Virginia
• Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, New York
• Northern Plains National Heritage Area, North Dakota
• Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area, New Mexico
• Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canal Way—Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, Ohio
• Oil Region National Heritage Area—Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism, Pennsylvania
• Path of Progress National Heritage Tour Route—Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission, Pennsylvania
• Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor—The Last Green Valley, Connecticut
• Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area—Steel Industry Heritage Corporation, Pennsylvania
• Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area—Sangre de Cristo NHA Steering Committee, Colorado
• Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area, Pennsylvania
• Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District—Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, Virginia
• Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area, Iowa
• South Carolina National Heritage Corridor—Heritage Tourism Development Office, South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, South Carolina
• South Park National Heritage Area—Tourism and Community Development Office, Park County, Colorado
• Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area—Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee
• Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area—Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, Inc., Connecticut/Massachusetts
• Wheeling National Heritage Area—Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation, West Virginia
• Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area—Riverfront Development Office, Arizona/California

See also

• Hispanic Heritage Sites (U.S. National Park Service)
• African-American Heritage Sites (U.S. National Park Service)
• Native American Heritage Sites (U.S. National Park Service)
• Women's History Sites (U.S. National Park Service)

References

1. "National Heritage Areas Contact Information". National Park Service. November 2010. (which serves as an official list of all 49 National Heritage Areas)
2. NPS FAQ

External links

• National Park Service: Official National Heritage Areas website