The Appalachian Mountains run through many of the counties and cities that comprise the region.
Located in the most southwest corner of Virginia, Region 1 is mainly rural with an estimated population of just over 381,000 making it among the least populated areas of the Commonwealth. The beauty of the mountains along with the rural amenities of the region also bring the challenges of a sparsely populated area where mountains can make navigation difficult to connect residents with jobs.
The Southwest Virginia region consists of:
Cities – Bristol, Galax, Martinsville and Norton
Counties – Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Grayson, Henry, Lee, Patrick, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe
Regional stats:
Total Population 381,015
Total Employment 149,694
Unemployment Rate 4.1%
Median Income Level $34,237
Mfg. Establishments 527
Mfg. Employment 17,767
Target industries:
Advanced Manufacturing, Agriculture, Food and Beverage, Manufacturing, Information and Emerging Technologies, Energy and Minerals
Strategies:
Talent Development, Sites and Infrastructure, Innovation and Scale Up Support
Select clients served within Southwest Virginia:
Appalachian Distributing, Inc.
Blue Wolf Sales & Service, Inc.
Clarke Precision Machine, Inc.
NorrisBuilt Fabrication, Welding & Machine Shop
PEMCO Corporation
RL Structural Engineering PLLC
The PBE Group
West River Conveyors
