Forbes ranks Blacksburg metro among “Best Small Places for Business and Careers"

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Montgomery County, Va. – Forbes magazine has again ranked the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) among the “Best Small Places for Business and Careers” in America.  The metro - also known as the New River Valley - ranked 32nd in the nation out of 184 MSAs with populations less than 255,000.

The 2012 Best Places for Business and Careers report was release on June 27, 2012. To compile the rankings, Forbes considered 12 metrics relating to job growth (past and projected), costs (business and living), income growth over the past five years, educational attainment, projected economic growth through 2014 and several quality of life indicators.

The “Best Small Places for Business and Careers” ranking is the second time this year that the metro has been recognized by Forbes. In April the metro showed up number 5 on Forbes’ list of the “Best Small Cities for Jobs” in the U.S.

The Forbes accolades add to the growing list of recognitions received by the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA. Here are a few that the MSA has received over the past year:

• Area Development Magazine names the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA a "Leading Location for 2012." The metro ranked ranked 6th within the South-Atlantic Region and 64th nationally out of 365 MSAs
• Southern Living Facebook fans vote Blacksburg the "Best College Town in the South" (2011)
• Bloomberg Businessweek names Blacksburg the "Best Place in the U.S. to Raise Kids" (2011)
• NAMM Foundation designates Montgomery County Public Schools a “Best Community for Music Education” for fourth consecutive year (2011)
• Sporting News names Blacksburg the 57th “Best Sports City” in America (2011)
• Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metro named 4th “Top Metro by Number of Projects” (2011)
• Bleacher Report ranks Lane Stadium - home of Virginia Tech Hokie Football - the18th "Top Stadium in the Country" (2011)
• Aquatics International Magazine designates the Christiansburg Aquatic Center one of 13 "World-Class Aquatics Facilities" (2011)
• Blue Ridge Country Magazine names several Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA outdoor amenities to its 2011 "Blue Ridge Outdoor Bucket List," including: New River Junction (tubing), Appalachian Trail (hiking), New River Trail State Park (biking) and the New River (canoeing/kayaking)

You can view a comprehensive listing of community accolades at Accolades.YesMontgomeryVA.org