Lynchburg Metro ranks high in Forbes Biz Ranking (Bedford, Altavista: fit in, transplants)

[badger74]

Highest metro in Virginia. Bring it haters.

Hill City ranks high in Forbes business index | Lynchburg News Advance (http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/business/local/article/hill_city_ranks_high_in_forbes_business_index/26113/ - broken link)

[richmondpics]

All of Virginia's largest metro areas ranked in the top 50.

[thejoe]

I'm sure. But it's still a boring place.

[Mr_Jonas]

If I read those stats correctly, you can get people to come and work for a low wage and that is a huge plus for employers, right?
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/1/bizplaces09_Lynchburg-VA_2487.html


The low crime rate and cheep housing brings up the over all rating. Look at some of the other ratings Culture and Leisure # 191 and Income Growth # 195, basically this town is at the bottom, or am I reading something wrong?
Look at Educational Attainment # 164 and Job Growth Projected # 129. Not exactly top of the class, right?


Am I clinically insane or do I have a point, at least a tiny point??

When I hear the term "Best Places For Business And Careers" I expect more, sorry. A whole lot more….

[thejoe]

These fraudulent data misinterpretation practices must be stopped!

[roanoker 4]

There are so many people who view the Lynchburg area negatively due to its image as the home of Liberty University. Most of the locals in this region I feel also are ambivalent toward LU. Nevertheless there is a lot of money floating around Lynchburg due to this university and it has been a positive economic engine for the local economy.

[Tom Lennox 70]

I'm really not surprised. I've had the priviledge of spending a summer in Lynchburg for an internship and recently was there to visit friends. In my opinion its second to none in terms of where to raise a family and I've travelled all over the country. The only place that comes come would be Maryland's Eastern Shore. I love the friendly people, the wonderful food (Country Kitchen especially is delicious AND cheap), and the beautiful mountain scenery and the historical charm of the area. I live in Baltimore now and Lynchburg and VA in general (except Northern Virginia) is superior in every way. Lynchburg is big enough to have a good selection of restaurants, enough nightlife, and all the modern conveniences without the traffic, crime, drugs, gangs, pollution and harried pace of life of a large city. I've foudn that I fit in pretty well there.

There are many people from places like NOVA who have said stereotypical things about Lynchburg and the rest of Virginia. I've been asked by acquaintances from New Jersey, NOVA, and DC if Lynchburg was named after a man who lynched his slaves (like the way surnames like Potter or Weaver came from professions) and if there is a lot of Klan activity. I've always known this to be false since I'm a minority and was born in Louisiana but its amazing how much ignorance there is. In Lynchburg and the small towns around it like Altavista and Bedford people get along a lot better and there is much less segregation and polarizatoin than places up north or California. It really is God's country down there. I also believe TRBC and the other churches in the area are a positive influence on the community in making it a wholesome place to raise a family.

I personally think that Liberty University and TRBC have have a tremendous and positive impact on our country. I can understand why some of their decisions may be unpopular with some locals especially in terms of development but town-gown relations are always an issue with a large university and in any area where a major employer dominates the economy and provides a large proportion of jobs whether it be a church/school, steel plant, tourist industry, manufacturing, whatever there will be concerns about the dominance of that influence. I do hope that these differences can be settled and people realize LU and the city complement one another. I've gone through my wild phase in undergrad and in perspective must say that Liberty's students are the best college students one can find.

There seem to be some people who just hate Liberty and Dr. Falwell (may he rest in peace) so blindly but if it was my alma mater on Liberty/Candlers mountain, there will be burning couches and large mobs blocking off Wards Road every year when the NCAA tournament comes around. Yes, LU does bring a lot of development but at least the newcomers are not like other transplants elsewhere in the south who vote for tax-hiking and pro-abortion Democrats and lecture people on how its happy holidays not Merry Christmas. Honestly Lynchburg is a truly wonderful place

[Mr_Jonas]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oaGqmXbuGQ
This clip from Youtube says so much more about Lynchburg then any statistics. Pay extra attention to the mother at 1.11

[thejoe]

'I live in Baltimore now and Lynchburg and VA in general (except Northern Virginia) is superior in every way. Lynchburg is big enough to have a good selection of restaurants, enough nightlife,'

Superior?? Good selection of restaurants and nightlife?? Where??

[roanoker 4]

I have never heard of Klan activity in Lynchburg, unless you want to discuss the republican party. When the Larry Flynt trial was going on I remember the put-downs of Lynchburg as the place where lynching went on. You must go farther south into NC to see the Klan stuff. The people of NoVa, NJ, etc really know nothing about this region and few have ever been here. The YouTube clip of people dancing were for the most part experiencing "free" entertainment and whom many probably couldn't afford to go anywhere else.