SWVA’s Newest Mountaintop Event Venue

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GILES COUNTY, VA- The proprietors, Britt & Leigh Stoudenmire, proudly announce their newest venture in Giles County, Walker Creek Barn. Opening in June 2018, Walker Creek Barn offers a unique event venue space, lodging, and agritourism opportunities for the community and region. This new development is located in the southeastern portion of Giles, along the Route 100 corridor. The Stoudenmires have worked in the hospitality industry as owners of New River Outdoor Co. and Walker Creek Retreat for the last 14 years and see endless potential for Walker Creek Barn. Their mission is larger than this new business venture, it’s also a community development project. “Giving back has always been a foundation of our business. We want to help change lives and use this barn to create good in Giles County,” says Leigh.


Walker Creek Barn is a spacious, 5,600 square-foot meeting and event space. Situated on the crest of a 10-acre picturesque mountaintop with long-range and panoramic views of Walker Mountain, Sugar Run, Angel’s Rest, and Cloyd’s Gap, among others. Walker Creek Barn provides a truly breathtaking and one-of-a-kind location for any wedding or event. Some of its unique features include a spacious bridal loft that can convert to 2 guestrooms, a groom’s lounge, a large, well-equipped catering prep kitchen, adequate wattage for sound & AV equipment, and multiple ceremony sites. “The barn was developed with ease of access – from vendors to guests – in mind. We offer ample parking, restrooms, and we’re handicap accessible,” added Britt.


Designed and decorated with a perfect balance of rustic, elegance, and natural beauty, Walker Creek Barn can be utilized as both an open-air or fully enclosed facility. The large, plentiful windows allow natural light to filter inside while your guests can admire the impressive views outside. The barn is fully heated and air-conditioned making weddings & events comfortable in all seasons. Walker Creek Barn can accommodate weddings, receptions, retreats, conferences, and meetings up to 295 people, making it one of the largest in the New River Valley. Walker Creek Barn is easily located a half-mile off VA Route 100, a four-lane highway between Pearisburg and Dublin in Giles County, VA. Walker Creek Barn features on-site and local lodging options and eateries, yet is only 30 min from Blacksburg and Radford, 1 hour from Roanoke Regional Airport, and 2 to 5 hours from most major cities on the east coast.


This tourism development project announcement is made with the full support of the Giles County Tourism Office. Walker Creek Barn is now booking for 2018/2019 weddings, events, and associated lodging at Walker Creek Retreat. Please call New River Outdoor Co. at 540-921-7438 for more info or visit the barn’s website at www.walkercreekbarn.com.


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Giles County, Virginia is located in Southwest Virginia approximately 40 minutes south of Roanoke and just west of Blacksburg and Virginia Tech. With easy access to the New River, world class dining and lodging properties, and historical attractions for the entire family, Giles offers adventure in Virginia’s Mountain Playground™. Come find your playground at our Visitors Center located at 203 N Main Street, Pearisburg, VA 24134 or find us online at gilescounty.org or by calling 540-921-2079. For interviews or onsite visits, please contact Cora Gnegy, Tourism Marketing Director. We can arrange and assist with any media needs. For more information about planning your visit to Giles County or about activities and events, please visit www.gilescounty.org or contact us at tourism@gilescounty.org.


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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.

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NRV Among Top Affordable Metros Attracting YPs

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NEW RIVER VALLEY, VA- Virginia’s New River Valley (The Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA) ranks among the top metros that are attracting young professionals while maintaining an affordable cost of living. According to PEW, the NRV is among 10 metros that are growing almost as quickly as other well-known, attractive cities for young people like Silicon Valley or Austin, TX, but have more affordable costs of living.  

Still Affordable, But Attracting Young Professionals

These metro areas ranked high for affordability, education, and growth in young professionals.
Columbus, INBismarck, ND
Midland, MIMorgantown, WV
Bloomington, ILCedar Rapids, IA
Idaho Falls, IDNew River Valley, VA
Sioux Falls, NDRochester, MN
The data comes from the American Community Survey and was analyzed by Stateline.
Virginia’s New River Valley, has a unique opportunity for young professionals. Our region enjoys the upscale amenities residents might find in larger urban areas (like public transit and fine dining), while maintaining the perks of low-cost living and small-town charm (like low traffic, and access to outdoor recreation).   The presence of Virginia Tech, Radford University, and New River Community College elevate the importance of education in the region and provide excellent amenities in arts and culture and opportunities for young people and businesses alike to interact with the universities and benefit from their services.  
The NRV was also ranked a top destination for college graduates based on eight economic and quality-of-life factors that AIER found to influence migration patterns of college grads ages 22-35 among 260 metro areas, large and small. A few of the factors contributing to the New River Valley’s high ranking included its favorable labor market conditions, affordable housing rents, ability to get around without a car, and density of people with a college degree.
YPs can find plenty of support in the NRV with clubs and networking opportunities such as Up on the Roof, Blacksburg YPs, The Newcomers Club, and more.   Plus, the NRV is home to a myriad of festivals and burgeoning local music scenes that keep up with the times while remembering the roots of SWVA throughout history. For more activities and insight on what it’s like to live in the NRV, check out the Live Here tab!  
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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.

Pearisburg’s Woods Hole Hostel Named One of the Best Meals off the AT

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GILES COUNTY, VA– The Trek named Woods Hole Hostel in Pearisburg, VA one of the best Hostel Meals off the Appalachian Trail. Located just half a mile off the AT, the bed and breakfast has been around for 32 years. It’s a great place for hikers and even offers a shuttle service to the trail.

From the Trek:

This place is a slice of heaven that is not to be missed. Woods Hole offers home cooked, family-style meals that are made from local, organic, and homegrown foods. Fan favorites here are the homemade bread and organic salad (that is pulled straight from the garden). One of the most special aspects about the meals served at Woods Hole is the communal based aspect of food preparation and clean-up. They offer up the ingredients, and Neville then leads the team in creating the meal. Dinner costs $14, and breakfast is included with your room (or there is a “Broke Hiker Jar” for those who may not be able to afford the meal & room).

www.woodsholehostel.com

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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for a beautiful 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.

Narrows Completes RALLY Southwest Virginia Project

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GILES COUNTY, VA– RALLY Southwest Virginia is building community leadership capacity and reinforcing collaborative communities across the region of Southwest Virginia. The region consisting of 19 counties, from Giles to the far southwest counties in Virginia, has embraced this program and others to find creative outlets for suppressed economies and the revitalization for downtown areas.

The Town of Narrows is the first community in the New River Valley to participate in this new mini-grant program, facilitated by Opportunity SWVA. The mini-grant program provides a $3,000 award to communities to implement a community development project through a team structure. The team in Narrows is comprised of citizens, small business owners, town staff, and county representatives. The group gathered for the initial meeting early in 2017 to discuss the potential of the RALLY program and begin brainstorming how this mini-grant could be utilized to support ongoing development efforts in Narrows.

Since March of this year a group of local leaders have planned and implemented multiple mini-projects that will soon complete their RALLY Project. The final presentation will happen at the Narrows Fall Festival on October 28. The festival will run from noon until 8:00pm, with a special RALLY presentation at 1:45pm. The presentation will unveil a new downtown sign directing residents and visitors to the multiple community and outdoor assets in the community that is cohesive with the Giles and New River Water Trail signage for familiarity and to continue to foster collaboration.

The sign is housed in a new kiosk designed and built as part of a local young man’s Eagle Scout project. In addition to the kiosk at the Duck Pond, the RALLY group identified buildings throughout downtown to install large pictures highlighting the recreational opportunities within the nearby area. The pictures were provided by local citizens and the Town orchestrated a photo contest to add to the collection.

The pictures are installed throughout downtown in an attempt to also highlight the space available for future business locations. The local group worked with building owners to share that part of this process was to communicate availability of space for business. In addition the New River Valley Regional Commission assisted with pulling together resources and information that potential businesses would need through their startup or expansion process. This printed packet will be available at the Narrows Town Hall as well as downloadable on their website. On October 28 to draw attention to the RALLY components and provide an activity for guests at the Fall Festival, the RALLY group has facilitated a Scavenger Hunt with prizes to be awarded.

The sign, the pictures, and the kiosk combined to complete the Narrows RALLY project. The local RALLY group identified that these actions would help draw attention to the community for positive development and usage of the surrounding natural resources. In addition to the RALLY presentation the Narrows Fall Festival will feature knockerball, kids games, a bouncy house, face painting, a corn hole tournament, and disc golf tournament at Camp Success along the New River. The festival goers will enjoy live music all day with performances by 90 Proof, Destiny Quartet, Melanie Vaught, Chad Robertson & Corey Lowe, Giles County School of Dance, and Dance Motion. Street and food vendors along Main Street from noon until 8pm. To round out the evening there will be a Street Dance beginning at 6pm featuring The Cadillac Ranch Band. The Narrows Fall Festival is presented in partnership by the Narrows Recreation Department and FNBP-Narrows. More information can be found on their Facebook event page.

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For more information or to schedule an interview prior to or the day of the Narrows Fall Festival, please contact Cora Gnegy, Tourism Marketing Director. For additional information on RALLY Southwest Virginia please feel free to contact Robyn Lee at 276-376-3453 or rlee@uvawise.edu.

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Giles County, Virginia is located in Southwest Virginia approximately 40 minutes south of Roanoke and just west of Blacksburg and Virginia Tech. With easy access to the New River, world class dining and lodging properties, and historical attractions for the entire family, Giles offers adventure in Virginia’s Mountain Playground™. Come find your playground at our Visitors Center located at 203 N Main Street, Pearisburg, VA 24134 or find us online at gilescounty.org or by calling 540-921-2079. For interviews or onsite visits, please contact Cora Gnegy, Tourism Marketing Director. We can arrange and assist with any media needs. For more information about planning your visit to Giles County or about activities and events, please visit www.gilescounty.org or contact us at tourism@gilescounty.org.

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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for a beautiful 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.

Onward NRV Launches New Website for Virginia’s New River Valley

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Onward NRV has officially launched the new website (www.NewRiverValleyVA.org) for Virginia’s New River Valley.


The new site is designed with the river stone branding and reinforces the culture, lifestyle amenities, and business opportunities of the NRV.


The new logo for Virginia’s New River Valley is a stack of river stones that represent the eclectic and intentional small town living of the region. The different, yet complimentary, colors invoke the NRV’s diverse and innovative business community and its collaborative culture.


This acts as the portal to a unique brand that stands out among other communities and economic development organizations. Just like the NRV, the river stones logo and collateral imagery are highly adaptable, and work to spotlight the loyal people and innovative industries of the region.


The new website features updates such as better SEO, interactive maps and sites and buildings database, and email content distribution devices.


The new site is the product of Onward NRV’s strategic planning to increase visibility for Virginia’s New River Valley. Research surrounding regional communities, industries, and lifestyles was conducted to create the content and design of the new website.


The website launch will be announced publicly tonight at the 2017 Onward Annual Investor Dinner.


For more information about Virginia’s New River Valley or Onward NRV, email info@onwardnrv.org.


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Virginia’s New River Valley: For those searching for a beautiful 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.

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.

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.

NRV Named a Top Metro by Site Selection Magazine

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New River Valley, VA – The Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metropolitan statistical area, known locally as the New River Valley, has been named a “Top Metro” for 2014 by Site Selection magazine. Among 132 metro areas with populations less than 200,000, the NRV ranked No. 4 (tie) nationally with nine new or expanding corporate facility announcements in 2014.


Published by Conway Data Inc., Site Selection delivers expansion planning information to over 44,000 readers including corporate executives, site selection consultants, and real estate professionals. The annual “Top Metros” rankings appeared in the March 2015 issue.


Site Selection used 2014 data from the Conway New Plant Database to examine new and expanding company growth in all 381 MSAs in the United States. The 2014 rankings were split into three Top 10 lists based on population, including less than 200,000, 200,000 to 1 million, and over 1 million.


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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.

Virginia's new river valley, new river valley, shopping, quality of life, town, downtown, shop local, small business

NRV Ranked No. 7 Most Secure Small City in U.S.

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New River Valley, VA – The Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metropolitan statistical area, known locally as the New River Valley, is one of the safest places to live in America, according to Farmers Insurance. The Los Angeles-based insurance company recently ranked the area No. 7 on its list of the Top 20 Most Secure Small Cities of 2013. The list, in its nineth year, identifies the most secure small metro areas in the U.S. based on safety and security statistics.


The Farmer Insurance rankings are based on the findings of a study conducted by quality of life expert, Bert Sperling. The study examined over one hundred metropolitan areas – with populations less than 150,000 – using several indicators, including economic stability, crime, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, housing depreciation, foreclosures, air quality, environmental hazards, life expectancy, motor vehicle fatalities, and employment numbers.


“Our most secure metropolitan areas are islands of security in our challenging times,” said Bert Sperling in a press release from Farmers Insurance. “Although each metropolitan area is different, they all possess a desirable combination of factors (jobs, low crime rates, housing, climate, health, reduced levels of natural disasters) that make these some of the best places to live in the United States.”

Virginia’s New River Valley has three previous appearances on the Top 20 list. Since 2010, the area has climbed from No. 19 to No. 7 on the list. The area’s highest ranking came in 2006, when it debuted at No. 3.


The Farmer Insurance accolade isn’t the first time that that the New River Valley has been recognized for its safety and security. Bloomberg Businessweek and Homes.com ranked Blacksburg the best place in the U.S. to raise a family/kids in 2011 and 2012; respectively. Both cited the area’s low crime rate as one of the factors that contributed to its No. 1 ranking.


The New River Valley has also received third-party accolades for job growth, an important factor used in assessing an area’s economic security. Since 2012, the area has been ranked the No. 5 Best Small City for Job Growth by Forbes, No. 5 Top City for Job Growth by CNBC, No. 29 Best Place for Jobs by NewGeography, and No. 2 American City Adding Jobs by 24/7 Wall Street. Christiansburg was also recently ranked the No. 10 Best Place in Virginia for Job Seekers by NerdWallet.