 Along with other rural regions which have received national notoriety, changes brought by heavy tourism and population growth from re-locators present a double-edged sword.Local business benefit from increased economic revenue but increases in costs of living, over-dependence on a tourism economy and loss of natural habitat to development can degrade the quality of life for which the region became noteworthy.There are 82 mountain peaks between 5,000 and 6,000 feet (1,500-1,800 m) in elevation in western North Carolina, and 43 peaks rise to over .