New River Valley

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.
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 ecosytem would lose its health and vitality without these seasonal events.(top)

It’s been said:

1) How odd it is that an “old river” would be named “New River”, but there are many theories about how it got its name. Scientists have varying opinions about the age of the river, anyway.
2) The New River is the only or one of the few rivers in the world or Western Hemisphere that flow north or “mostly north”. It just ain’t so. Read on…
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Virginia’s New River Valley Activities*

- Hit the river in a canoe or raft with Tangent Outfitters.
- Spend the weekend at beautiful Claytor Lake.
- Go hiking in a National Forest.
- Take a bike ride with the New River Valley Bicycle Association.
- Go shopping in Christiansburg or Roanoke or ‘Antiquing’ in Wytheville.
- Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Blue Ridge Music Center near Galax.

- Go to the New River Valley Fair.

- Visit one of the area’s fine museums or attend a festival!

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* The main area of southwest Virginia, including: Grayson county, Carroll county, Whythe county, Pulaski county, Montgomery county, and Giles county.