This summer, five towns (technically four towns and one city) were voted to top spots in the Happiest Mountain Towns reader poll by Blue Ridge Country magazine. Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, Floyd, and Pulaski all received top honors in the magazine’s rankings which used quantitative data like unemployment rates and commute times as a baseline, but also accounted for readers’ passions for their hometowns.
Canoe & Kayak featured an article titled, “(Next) Best Paddling Towns: Pembroke, VA Exploring the New River Water Trail through Giles County, Va.”
New River Valley, VA – The New River Valley is one of the hottest places in America for new and expanding business, according to Area Development. The magazine recently released its ranking of the top 100 Leading Locations in the U.S. for 2016.
The Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metropolitan statistical area (MSA), encompassing the entire New River Valley, ranked No. 30 overall and No. 12 among mid-sized metros with populations between 160,000 to 600,000. The New River Valley was one of only two metros in Virginia designated a Leading Location. Richmond, VA made the list at No. 68 overall.
Two New River Valley towns are among the safest places in Virginia, according to BackgroundChecks.org. The public safety focused organization recently ranked the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg on its 2016 list of the 25 Safest Cities in Virginia. BackgroundChecks.org had this to say about Blacksburg and Christiansburg:
#6 Blacksburg “Located in Montgomery County, Blacksburg is a town that has a current population of 42,600 residents. Best known as the home of Virginia Tech, the town was named by Business Week as one of the best places in the U.S. to raise kids and by Southern Living as the Best College Town in the South. The violent crime rate here is 90.6, and residents of Blacksburg have a 1.1% chance of being involved in a property crime.”
New River Valley, VA – Floyd continues to rack up third party recognitions as one of the best towns in the South. Over the past year, it has been featured on lists by USA Today and Southern Living.
In February, Southern Living Magazine named Floyd as one of the South’s Best Small Towns for 2016. Published since 1966, Southern Living highlights the beauty and culture of the growing South and has a reach of more than 23 million people each month. Floyd was among 20 small towns to be featured on its list.
NerdWallet.com has ranked the Town of Pulaski the No. 9 Best Place in Virginia for First-time Homebuyers.
For the third consecutive year, the Town of Blacksburg has been ranked among the “25 Best Places to Retire,” by Forbes.com.
In its first annual Employment Destinations Index, the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) ranked the most attractive places in the U.S. where young college graduates want to live and work.
Floyd Fest is five days filled with music, plus outdoor adventure, brews and activities for kids. Set aside some time to go hiking and tubing down the nearby river too.
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