This is the fourth episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. In the coming months, we’ll be visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the positives going on in their towns, and the challenges they face.

The Beaufort County town of Aurora, population 450, is one of a number of rural communities staking their economic futures on industrial park developments designed to attract employers. Longtime Mayor Clif Williams has been working for years on a 25-acre industrial park that will bring more jobs and a community college campus to the town that's seen a declining population — despite a thriving phosphate mine nearby that employs hundreds of people.

WUNC spoke with Williams about the project, and other initiatives to bring growth to Aurora.