NRV Towns Ranked Among Best Places in Virginia to Raise a Family

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WalletHub.com has ranked three New River Valley towns among the 50 places in Virginia to Raise a Family.


WalletHub’s data team compared communities in Virginia across 21 key indicators of family-friendliness. Their data set ranges from “median family income” to “school-system quality” to “housing affordability.”  Based on their analysis, Christiansburg (No. 15), Blacksburg (No. 33) and Radford (No. 47) all made the list.


Read more at WalletHub.


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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of both worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.


Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.

Blacksburg Ranked a Top 10 College Town for Mountain Bikers

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January 30, 2017

Singletracks.com has ranked Virginia Tech a top 10 Best US College/University for Mountain Bikers.  Read more at https://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-trails/the-10-best-colleges-and-universities-for-mountain-bikers/10/

2016 in the New River Valley, Ranked!

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New River Valley, VA – 2016 was a banner year for the New River Valley in terms of regional and national recognition.  From Fox News to Southern Living to Area Development Magazine, both the region as a whole and the counties, city, towns, and universities within it were recognized for outstanding lifestyle, business, and educational opportunities.

Although this list is far from comprehensive, we hope that it gives you a good overview of how the New River Valley stacked up against the rest of the country (and world!) in 2016.

 

Safety First

•  Blacksburg (#6) and Christiansburg (#11) were ranked by Backgroundchecks.org as two of the top 25 Safest Cities in Virginia.


Happiness Counts

•  Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, Floyd, and Pulaski all earned top awards in Blue Ridge Country magazine’s Happiest Town in the Blue Ridge survey.

•  Christiansburg was ranked #3 Happiest City in Virginia by OnlyInYourState.com.

•  WTKR rated Blacksburg the #7 Best City for Singles.

•  Southern Living listed Floyd among its Best Small Towns.

•  Forbes called Blacksburg a Top 25 Best Place to Retire.

•  Pulaski rang in at #10 on the Best Small Towns That Offer Peace and Quiet.

 

Leading Metro

•  AIER named the a Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA #19 Top College Town.

•  In its Leading Locations survey, Area Development Magazine ranked the MSA as #30 overall and #12 among mid-sized metros.

•  The MSA ranked #4 overall and #2 among mid-sized metros in Area Development’s Prime Workforce rankings.

•  The Milken Institute recognized the MSA as #41 out of 201 small metro areas.

 

Tech-Savvy

•  Blacksburg was named one of the Best Tech Hubs in Virginia by Southern Business & Development Magazine.

•  Southern Business & Development Magazine also named Montgomery County as one of the Best Data Center Locations in Virginia.

•  NaCo ranked Montgomery County the #4 Top Digital County for counties with populations under 150,000.

 

 College Town Love

•  Garden & Gun ranked Blacksburg as the #1 Southern College Town.

•  Southern Living’s Facebook fans awarded Blacksburg the #1 College Town.

•  WalletHub gave Blacksburg the #27 ranking and Radford the #90 ranking out of 202 college towns.

 

Get Outside

•  Singletracks.com named Blacksburg the Mountain Bike Capital of Virginia.

•  Canoe & Kayak Magazine named Pembroke one of America’s (Next Best) Paddling Towns.

•  Fox News called Floyd Fest the #7 Hottest Music Festival in the U.S.

•  LifeOutside Magazine recognized both Pulaski and Floyd as top Weekend Getaways in Southwest Virginia.

•  Blueridge Outdoors magazine listed the Flat Peter/Dixon Branch Loop in Giles as a Top 10 Fall Foliage Favorite.

 

Top Tier Colleges & Universities

•  Princeton Review ranked Virginia Tech as having the #1 Best Quality of Life and the #7 Happiest Students, among others.

•  Washington Monthly Magazine dubbed Radford University a Best Bang for Your Buck school.

•  New River Community College was named one of Virginia’s Best Community Colleges for Workforce Training by Southern Business & Development Magazine.

•  Giles County was awarded the NaCo 2016 Achievement Award for its Access to Community College Education program.

•  Virginia Tech ranked #9 in Research Expenditures by the National Science Foundation.

 

If you’d like to stay up-to-date with the latest rankings for the New River Valley, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram!

About Us:

Virginia’s New River Valley is a vibrant community that’s home to two state universities, Virginia Tech and Radford University, and a diverse industry base ranging from large international corporations to small technology startups. The region is designated the Blacksburg-Christiansburg Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area and encompasses the counties of Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski and the city of Radford.

The New River Valley Economic Development Alliance is a public/private, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to market the New River Valley, to foster job creation, facilitate new investment and to improve the quality of life in the region.

Corp of Cadets member waves VT flag at Lane Stadium, the largest stadium in VA

Lane Stadium the Largest Stadium in VA

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BLACKSBURG, VA – Lane Stadium is the largest stadium in VA according to Fox Sports. The well-known home of Virginia Tech football has 66,233 seats, which beats Scott Stadium in Charlottesville by about 5,000.

Photos of the crowd at Lane Stadium, the largest stadium in va, from the 2017 Homecoming Game against the University of North Carolina Tarheels.

The Hokies’ stadium has been around since 1964, and has undergone many expansions and renovations since.

The stadium also ranked as the #1 homefield advantage stadium by Rivals.com. Plus, back in 2007, ESPN’s Bruce Feldman also ranked Lane Stadium as the #2 scariest stadium for opponents to play.

For more information about Lane Stadium and Worsham Field, visit HokieSports.

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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of all worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.

Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.

NRV Towns Voted Happiest in Blue Ridge

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Date:  October 28, 2016

New River Valley, VA – 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.

The initial 96 towns were whittled down to 61 for readers to choose from, and the coverage area included the mountain regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and South Carolina.  Blue Ridge Country vetted the 61 initial choices by setting “minimum happiness-base standards” (i.e. a commute of <30 minutes, a below-average cost-of-living, unemployment rate below 10%, etc.), but then left the poll open for readers all over the nation to vote for their favorites.

In the 10,000-49,999 category, three New River Valley towns cracked the top twenty: Blacksburg (#6), Christiansburg (#17), and Radford (#18).  Blacksburg and Christiansburg, both located in Montgomery County, are strongly affiliated with Virginia Tech and the many companies that have spun-off from or located near the research university.  Radford, of course, is closely tied to Radford University and its award-winning business, nursing, education, and liberal arts programs.

All three places boast a low cost-of-living, easy accessibility to the outdoors (the 7-mile Huckleberry Trail connects Blacksburg and Christiansburg and the New River snakes its way along the edge of Radford’s downtown and campus corridor), and a strong arts community.

Floyd (#3) and Pulaski (#26) clinched a top spots in the <10,000 category.  Heralded by Southern Living as one of the South’s Best Small Towns, the top tier ranking is no surprise.  What Floyd lacks in numbers, it makes up for with style, small town charm, and impactful events.  Floyd’s innovative business climate offers start-ups, entrepreneurial ventures, and artisanal producers a welcoming place to do business.

Pulaski, a former furniture and textile manufacturing town, has undergone a massive revitalization initiative including the renovation of the Jackson Park Inn, clean-up of Peak Creek, and improvements to Calfee Park, the ninth oldest professional Minor League Baseball Park in use in America.  While many diverse manufacturing jobs still exist in Pulaski, other home-grown business are sprouting up and the town is working to attract a mix of industries.

Both towns offer unlimited outdoor recreation opportunities like paddleboarding the Little River, biking the New River Trail State Park, or hiking the region’s trails.  They also both promote large community farmers markets and music-oriented events like the Floyd County Store Friday Night Jamboree.

To learn more about the poll, its methodology, and to see how the New River Valley stacks up, visit Blue Ridge Country.

Pembroke in Giles County, VA Named A Top Paddle Town

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Canoe & Kayak featured an article titled, “(Next) Best Paddling Towns: Pembroke, VA Exploring the New River Water Trail through Giles County, Va.”  Author Natalie Warren said:


Sometimes one town on its own is too small to truly be considered the Next Best Paddling Town. Sometimes it takes collaboration and pooling of resources by neighboring communities to provide paddler amenities for a larger region. The five municipalities in Giles County, Virginia do just that, focusing their energies on the New River, one of the geologically oldest rivers in America.

Read more at Canoe & Kayak.


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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of both worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.


Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.

Business Announcements Inmotion Ribbon Cutting

NRV a top 30 “Leading Location” for new and expanding businesses

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Date:  June 15, 2016

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.

In its sixth year, the Leading Locations for 2016 rankings analyzed economic and workforce data for 394 MSAs to determine recent and long-term economic vitality as well as each metros capacity to support business growth. The four primary indicators used to compile the rankings included Prime Workforce, Economic Strength, Year-Over-Year Growth, and Five Year Growth.

Prime Workforce helped propel the New River Valley to its high overall ranking. The region ranked No. 4 overall; No. 2 among mid-sized metros. A high ranking in Prime Workforce was attributed to an area’s strong and growing nucleus of well-educated and qualified 18- to 44-year-olds in the workforce.

The availability of a qualified workforce was one of the leading indicators included in the Leading Locations ranking. Area Development indicated that when choosing a place to locate or expand, executives generally prefer to pick a place with a solid pipeline of potential employees that will allow the company to hit the ground running and support future growth.

College communities were well represented among the Top 10 Prime Workforce locations. Area Development found this to be “no surprise” because many graduates choose to join the workforce after graduation and college towns tend to be hotbeds of innovation.

Virginia’s New River Valley is no exception to this finding. The region benefits from not one, but two universities – Virginia Tech and Radford University – and an exceptional community college – New River Community College. With approximately 45,000 students, these institutions provide a steady pipeline of talent for companies in the New River Valley to draw from. Virginia Tech, a top 40 research university, is also a major catalyst for the region’s growing technology sector.

Blacksburg, Christiansburg among safest places in Virginia

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Date:  May 6, 2016

New River Valley Economic Development Alliance

New River Valley, VA – 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.”

#11 Christiansburg “A town in Montgomery County, Christiansburg is home to 21,000 residents. Also the county seat, the community was a stagecoach stop in the 1850’s and was the residence of such legends as Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, and Booker T. Washington. The violent crime rate here is 141.1, and the chance of being affected by property crime in Christiansburg is 3.1%.”

BackgroundChecks.org is a public safety focused organization committed to increasing public safety, community involvement, transparent government and education. To compile the list of the 25 Safest Cities in Virginia, BackgroundChecks.org used FBI violent crime stats and its own proprietary research data.

To view the full list of the Top 25 Safest Cities in Virginia, visit http://backgroundchecks.org/25-safest-cities-in-virginia-2016.html 

About Us:

Virginia’s New River Valley is a vibrant community that’s home to two state universities, Virginia Tech and Radford University, and a diverse industry base ranging from large international corporations to small technology startups. The region is designated the Blacksburg-Christiansburg Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area and encompasses the counties of Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski and the city of Radford.

The New River Valley Economic Development Alliance is a public/private, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to market the New River Valley, to foster job creation, facilitate new investment and to improve the quality of life in the region.

Floyd named a best small town by USA Today and Southern Living

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Date:  April 13, 2016

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.

Southern Living had this to say about Floyd:

“You’ve got the mountains rising from all sides of town, the Blue Ridge Parkway running north and south, and all of the old time, bluegrass music you could ask for. A stop on The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, Floyd takes its farm-centric roots and adds a touch of artistic whimsy. Show up for the Friday Night Jamboree at the Floyd Country Store to see the town at its finest.”

In 2015, Floyd was ranked the No. 9 Best Southern Small Town in the nation by the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The top 20 nominees were picked by a panel of experts with the top ten being chosen by popular vote of USA Today 10 Best readers. USA Today is a national news and information media company with eight million readers daily.

USA Today had this to say about Floyd:

“A popular stop along the famous Blue Ridge Parkway, Floyd is an artist’s enclave where the Friday Nite Jamboree is just one of the regular toe-tapping events that visitors enjoy. Galleries and studios abound and regular events allow buyers (and art-loving lookie-loos) to enjoy multiple venues on one visit with ease. Floyd’s lovely Mabry Mill, featuring a working blacksmith, wheelwright, grist mill and whiskey still, keeps history alive and interactive. Not to mention fun.”

To view the full lists, visit:

• Southern Living

• USA Today

Housing in Virginia's New River Valley

Pulaski Ranks No. 9 Best Place in VA for First-Time Homebuyers

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New River Valley, VA – NerdWallet.com has ranked the Town of Pulaski the No. 9 Best Place in Virginia for First-time Homebuyers. Here is what NerdWallet had to say:


Like the other western Virginia cities of Richlands, Abingdon and Galax, Pulaski has seen healthy growth in its home values in recent years. From 2010 to 2013, the median home value jumped 17.90% to $96,800.


However, Pulaski remains the most affordable of these communities, and it would take the shortest time in the top 10 — about seven years — to save for a 20% down payment.

Read more at Nerd Wallet.


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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for an inspiring place to live and do business, Virginia’s New River Valley provides both an eclectic small town atmosphere and an innovative, collaborative business community with a loyal, highly skilled, and educated workforce. Offering the best of both worlds – magnificent mountains, cutting-edge research, arts, entertainment, and education – it’s A NATURAL FIT.


Onward NRV: Onward NRV is a public/private, regional economic development organization whose mission is to attract and retain world class jobs, investment and talent in Virginia’s New River Valley. It’s also a movement where leaders from business, government, and higher education work together to promote the economic vitality of the region.