Tourism might work, the area is plenty beautiful. Of course, those jobs aren't really that great. Most cities in mountainous regions are built in valleys for that reason.

But really, mountainous areas just can't support that many people, so they shouldn't be that populated anyways.

> Even worse, arable land is a rarity, it is a mountain area!

In Asia they terrace a lot. Not sure if that is a good idea though, and definitely not necessary in the states where there is plenty of good agriculture land (much of China is mountainous, so it is necessary).