Better Together: Creating a Shared Direction for Rockingham County
About: A community report for Rockingham County, NC, prepared by The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation in partnership with Reidsville Area Foundation.
Authors: Richard C. Harwood and Michael Prihoda
Publish Date: 2026
Description: The people of Rockingham County cherish their community. There’s a shared history. Pride runs deep. And shared values of faith and family shape people’s lives. Yet the area is dealing with pressing challenges and faces a fundamental choice: Stay on the current path and risk decline or work together to address what matters to people and restore hope?
This report includes the main themes that emerged from conversations and interviews; voices of the people from Rockingham County; a snapshot and analysis of the fundamental structures, networks, and norms of Rockingham County through the lens of The Harwood Institute’s Public Capital Framework; and key recommendations for investing in and growing the community's civic capacities and renewing a sense of possibility and hope.
