The New River and the New River Valley are the backdrop for folk tales, stories of survival, and original music. They have lent themselves to both legends and lore, happy times and heartache, forming and nurturing good-hearted people with rugged character and simple lives. I hope to be always counted among them.
Radford | Dublin | Roanoke | Christiansburg
Galax | Wytheville | NRV history
Having lived near the New River in all the states that it flows through, I am one of millions who know the powerful influence it exerts. The modern way of life would be improbable in the area, were it not for the electricity it provides from the dams. The many recreational opportunities are some of the region's best, with boating, fishing and whitewater rafting that inject cash into the local economies. Farmers settled this land between the Blue Ridge and the Appalachian mountains long ago, exploiting the rich soil that ages of erosion have provided. Others have lost their possessions or lives to the many floods, yet the river's ecosystem would lose its health and vitality without these seasonal events.