New River Valley Pioneered Online Communities in the 1990s

New River Valley, VA – Did you know that Wade’s Supermarkets, a local New River Valley grocery chain, pioneered online grocery shopping decades before AmazonFresh? Or that Montgomery County Public Schools were the first in the nation to be 100% connected to the internet? Read more

Lane Stadium the Largest Stadium in VA

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. The Hokies’ stadium has been around since 1964, and has undergone many expansions and renovations since. The stadium also ranked as […] Read more

Entrepreneur Month Workshops in the NRV

New River Valley, VA – This November, the New River Valley, along with communities all across America, are celebrating National Entrepreneurship Month by hosting community workshops. These workshops aim to educate and empower individuals interested in starting or expanding their small businesses in the region, and will be led by local business leaders and entrepreneurs. Read more

NRV Towns Voted Happiest in Blue Ridge

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. Read more

NRCC Students Primed for Careers in Advanced Manufacturing

New River Valley, VA – This past month, the New River Valley Alliance was invited to tour New River Community College, along with Radford University’s President Brian Hemphill and several other community and business leaders. The tour and discussions focused on how NRCC prepares students for careers in advanced manufacturing and technology. New River Community College emphasizes real-world experience, and one of its goals is to develop curricula that enable students to find jobs in their field here in the New River Valley. Read more

2016 Alliance Annual Dinner Draws Record Attendance

New River Valley, VA – Last Wednesday, we celebrated the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance’s 26th anniversary with our biggest and most impactful Annual Dinner to-date. With over 115 local business, government, and community leaders in attendance, we recognized the past year’s accomplishments, outlined our vision for FY2017, and listened as our keynote speaker, Melody Warnick, presented research on current trends in economic development. Read more

Pembroke in Giles County, VA Named A Top Paddle Town

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 […] Read more

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

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. Read more

Blacksburg, Christiansburg among safest places in Virginia

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.” Read more

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

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. Read more