Virginia'sNew River Valley region, colloquially named, is a four-county area along theNew River inSouthwest Virginia in theUnited States, including such major features asClaytor Lake, part of theJefferson National Forest, the city ofRadford, the town ofBlacksburg, and the river itself, including the Pulaski terminus of theNew River Trail State Park.
Local TV stations and tourism marketing promoters[1][2] use the phrase to mean the counties ofGiles,Pulaski,Montgomery andFloyd, the towns within them (e.g., Blacksburg), and the independent City of Radford, all located in the New River watershed. While Floyd County is not on the New River itself, it shares theLittle River (New River tributary) with Montgomery and Pulaski.
Radford is nicknamed "The New River City," as it and the nearbyRadford Arsenal are wrapped by bold loops in the river where it turns from flowing northeast to flowing northwest into West Virginia.
The "New River Valley" name is also used by other institutions in the region, including theNew River Valley Community College andNew River Valley Regional Jail,[3] both in the Pulaski County town of Dublin, although they serve a wider region than the tourism-centered "NRV" promotions.[3] With the exception of Floyd, the communities in the NRV promotion area comprise the statisticalBlacksburg–Christiansburg metropolitan area.
Further south in Virginia, outside the "Visit NRV" marketing campaign, the New River also flows throughWythe,Carroll, andGrayson Counties, and its physical watershed includes parts ofTazewell andBland Counties, and small portions ofSmyth andCraig Counties. Outside of Virginia, the New River continues upstream intoNorth Carolina and downstream intoWest Virginia.
Geologically part of theGreat Appalachian Valley, the New River Valley became a contested frontier area in colonial times, and continued during the westward expansion of the United States. The firstEuropean to explore the valley wasAbraham Wood ofFort Henry in 1671 and settlements began to develop in the 18th century. A branch of theGreat Wagon Road led through the valley. The area was the location of several small American Civil War battles.
While the U S. census does not count the "New River Valley" as a region, the government-recognizedBlacksburg–Christiansburg metropolitan area includes the three larger counties and the city of Radford; adding Floyd County, population 15,000, puts the "NRV" region's population over 190,000. The New River Valley has several institutions of higher learning, includingVirginia Tech,Radford University,Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine andNew River Community College.
