Dimensions of community autonomy in timber towns in the inland northwest

Political, social, and economic dimensions of timber-dependent communities in the Interior Columbia Basin were examined based on their perceived level of autonomy. Community autonomy is defined as the extent to which communit ies are economically, socially, and politically linked to neighboring commu nities and the region as a whole. In comparison to less autonomous communit ies, autonomous communities were found to be more likely to (1) have a mix of industries within their communities and provide more services to residen ts; (2) exhibit stronger civic leadership, aside from local community gover nment; (3) have a stronger sense of community cohesiveness and place attach ment to their community; and (4) rate their community higher on measures of quality of life and sense of community. The research also found that more autonomous communities tend to be geographically isolated and more able to adapt to changes in timber resource availability. Implications of these fin dings for the future of timber-based communities are explored.