Attendance at Great Smoky Mountains National Park Campgrounds: A Geographic Analysis

Cole, Robert

There are five major conclusions in this thesis. First, that attendance decreases as the distance of camper residences increases. This was substantiated by correlation coefficients ranging from -.72 to -.96 and further reinforced by "t" tests which established that fourteen out of fifteen correlation coefficients were significant at the 99 per cent level and the fifteenth at the 98 per cent level. Second, by comparing the regression line confidence bands, it was found that there is no significant seasonal variation in the concentration of camper residences. This was further substantiated by a Lorenz Curve used in conjunction with the Gini Coefficient. Third, the regression line confidence bands were used to discover that there is no significant difference between the slope of the regression line at Elkmont and Smokemont during any season. Fourth, through visual examination of maps of seasonal attendance regions based on attendance per population index numbers it was found that the seasonal attendance regions do vary significantly. Fifth, by comparing attendance per population and raw attendance regions against a hypothetical attendance region it was concluded that the primary attendance region for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park tends to be elliptical in shape with the axis of the region passing through the park. Other conclusions were that: 1) though attendance at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a function of distance the region created by this attendance is not necessarily circular, and 2) though the concentration of camper residences does not vary significantly with the seasons, different areas within the distance intervals are represented at different seasons.