A friend of mine recently graduated from Radford’s Nursing program. She said – rather matter-of-factly – that 90% of her

graduating class did not have a job. Here I thought health care was THE field to be in, and she’s saying that 9 out of 10

graduates can’t find work.

Reprinted from http://www.nrvliving.com/2010/06/01/blacksburg-christiansburg-radford-a-best-place-for-college-grads/

Top Places To Live

By Jeremy Hart, NRVLiving.com and Coldwell Banker Townside, Realtors Blacksburg, VA

Welcome to the working world, class of 2010. But there’s

good news, particularly if you’re looking for a place to

relocate. CreativeClass.com just named the Blacksburg-

Christiansburg-Radford area a Top 25 “Best Place” for

recent college graduates (it should be noted our neighbors

to the east and north were noted, as well).  Some of their

criteria included:

▪ Presence of 20-somethings (20-24-year-olds) in the

population.

▪ Singles – measured as the share of unmarried

people.

▪ Earnings potential – measured as average salary.

▪ Unemployment rate.

▪ College-educated workforce – the share of the

workforce with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

▪ Rental housing – Having an abundant, available

stock of rental housing is key. We measured this as

the share of all housing made up of rental units.

▪ Youth-oriented amenities – like bars, restaurants,

cafes, sports facilities, and entertainment venues.

▪ Creative capital – we use this to capture the

creative energy of a place. It’s measured as the

share of employed artists, musicians, actors,

dancers, writers, designers, and entertainers in

the workforce.

▪ Openness – a region’s openness to new and

different kinds of people reflects a lack of barriers

and willingness to let newcomers, including

young people, have a go. Our measure is the

share of gays and lesbians and foreign-born

residents in a community.

Yep, we’ve got all of that here in the New

River Valley.  And TheDailyBeast.com takes

the discussion of the “Twentysomethings”

even further:

Twentysomethings understand well they face

not only fewer job options but dwindling

corporate commitment—it’s not only harder to

find a job, it’s also easier to lose it. So it makes

good sense to pick a city where the labor

market is thick with job opportunities as a

hedge against economic insecurity. What

twentysomethings value the most is the ability

to meet people and make friends. This also

makes very good sense actually. Personal

networks are about much more than having

fun, they’re among the best ways to find a job

and move forward in a career.

Twentysomethings rank the availability of

outstanding colleges and universities highly.

Many want to go back to school to pursue a

graduate degree or professional degree, and having these options available where you live is a big plus. Of course, young people value

amenities, too—from parks and open space to nightlife and culture. It’s less about all-night partying though, twentysomethings

prefer places where they can easily go for a run or bike ride, work out or walk their dog, grab a coffee, take in a concert, see

interesting new art, or take in a good meal with friends.

I’m seeing this more and more among people who are graduating from Virginia Techand Radford.  While the pull of NOVA and

other areas is appealing, quality of life seems to be mentioned as a higher priority among the Twentysomethings I meet.  Is

there a shift happening?  With telecommuting and the ever-expanding reach of this here Internet tube, I think so; in fact, I

think the shift has already occurred.

That’s a soapbox for another day.  For now, rest assured that we’d love to have you here in the New River Valley, Recent

College Graduate.

Jeremy Hart a licensed real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Townside Realtors in Blacksburg, Virginia, and founding member of NRVLiving Real

Estate.  If interested, his license number is #0225077937, and he’s been a licensee in good standing of the New River Valley Association, the Virginia

Association, and the National Association of Realtors since January 2004.  You can contact him at jeremy at nrvliving dot com. 

Disclaimer: I’m just a real estate agent and while I’m one piece of the puzzle, don’t forget to consult your attorney, tax professional and librarian

before making a financial or real estate decision. It should be noted that the articles in this blog are solely my opinion, and likewise those who leave

comments are providing their opinions, as well..  These are not the opinions of Coldwell Banker Townside Realtors, their affiliates or any employee

thereof.  Coldwell Banker Townside has been gracious in allowing me the freedom to discuss real estate in whatever way I choose, but they are not

responsible for the content included herein.  Any information or statistics I post are deemed accurate, but are not guaranteed.  I will also not sell or

release your email address to anyone unless ordered to do so by a court of law.  I won’t contact you unless you contact me first.  Finally, all content

is protected by Creative Commons and US Copyright.  If you like something you read here, feel free to use and quote small portions of text as long as

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