New River Valley, VA – In 2025, Virginia’s New River Valley was recognized as a great place to live, work, and do business in a variety of different ways. From our low cost of living to our beautiful college campuses, the stories from 2025 highlighted the best of the NRV. Join us as we count down this year’s ten most popular blog posts from TheNRV.org website.
10. Virginia Tech Ranks Top 3 Best College Campuses in America
Virginia Tech ranks third in the 2020 Best College Campuses by Niche.com.
9. NRV Communities Recognized for Low Cost of Living
Niche.com, a trusted platform for evaluating schools, neighborhoods, and communities nationwide, has recognized several New River Valley communities among the most affordable places to live in Virginia.
8. NRV Second Fastest Growing Economy in Virginia
Virginia’s New River Valley (Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA ) was Virginia’s second fastest growing economy in 2023 ( 3.7%), second only to Charlottesville (4.2%) according to the Old Dominion University’s State of the Commonwealth Report.
Forbes’ travel section recently highlighted Virginia’s New River Valley (NRV) in an article called “Explore Virginia’s New River Valley: What To Do Near Virginia Tech.”
6. NRV Ranks Among Top 25 Best Performing Small Cities in the US
The Milken Institute recently released its “2025 Best Performing Cities: Mapping Economic Growth across the US” report, ranking the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA, otherwise known as Virginia’s New River Valley (NRV), among the top 25 best-performing small cities in the U.S.
5. The Palisades Named Most Charming Restaurant in Virginia
The Palisades Restaurant in Eggleston has been named the Most Charming Restaurant in Virginia by LoveFood.com, a national authority on all things culinary.
4. Virginia Tech Partners with Pulaski County
Virginia Tech, located in Montgomery County, recently reported that its students were working with Pulaski County to transform a former middle school into market-rate apartments in the community.
3. VT Named to Most Beautiful College Campuses List
Virginia Tech has been recognized by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the 54 Most Beautiful College Campuses in the United States.
2. Pearisburg Named One of the Best Places to Live in Virginia
WorldAtlas has recognized Pearisburg as one of the 11 Best Places to Live in Virginia in 2025, highlighting the town’s natural beauty, outdoor lifestyle, and a low cost of living as key reasons why it stands out as a top destination for relocation.
1. Montgomery County Ranks as a Top County
Niche.com, a leading platform for evaluating schools, neighborhoods, and communities across the U.S., has recognized Montgomery County as a top county to live in.
Discover the rest of the stories that made 2025 an incredible year for the NRV here.
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.
