New River Valley

Local TV stations and tourism marketing promoters [1][2] use the phrase to mean the counties of Giles, Pulaski, Montgomery and Floyd, the towns within them (e.g., Blacksburg), and the independent City of Radford, all located in the New River watershed.

Radford is nicknamed "The New River City," as it and the nearby Radford Arsenal are wrapped by bold loops in the river where it turns from flowing northeast to flowing northwest into West Virginia.

The first European to explore the valley was Abraham Wood of Fort Henry in 1671 and settlements began to develop in the 18th century.

While the U S. census does not count the "New River Valley" as a region, the government-recognized Blacksburg–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, including Virginia Tech, Radford University, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and New River Community College.