Category: Community Development

Damascus planned as year-round destination

September 25, 2014

Many VMS communities and other localities that DHCD partners with, like Damascus,  recognize the importance of connecting downtowns to the surrounding outdoor recreation assets.  We asked guest blogger Nick Proctor, community development and outdoor recreation specialist for the Friends of Southwest Virginia, to share how it is working in one small community in Southwest Virginia.   Muddy … More Damascus planned as year-round destination

Major construction projects in Virginia’s Main Street districts

January 22, 2014

Designated Virginia Main Street communities have seen more than $741 millions of private investment since 1985. Private investment on Main Street ranges from the replacement of awnings or a new door to multi-million dollar rehabilitation or construction projects. In 2013, major construction projects added or will soon add new commercial, residential, educational and entertainment venues … More Major construction projects in Virginia’s Main Street districts

Economic Gardening Strategies

February 19, 2013

In these tough economic times when communities are struggling to retain existing businesses and to prevent more storefronts from closing up, attracting new businesses that will create new job opportunities is extremely challenging. Many communities are working hard to overcome these ills by creating an environment that fosters entrepreneurship. Research has shown that small businesses … More Economic Gardening Strategies

Embracing Nature, Culture and History: Appalachia’s new economy

January 29, 2013

All across Southwest Virginia, the stories of men and women who worked in mines, furniture factories or textile mills can be read in the buildings you see today. In the coalfields, mining towns and camps sprang up wherever the coal seam led. Miners came from farms nearby, from the deep South and from Eastern Europe … More Embracing Nature, Culture and History: Appalachia’s new economy