2017 Annual Report

Communications & Outreach

BLACKSBURGMSA RANKS INTOPMETROS TO ATTRACT YOUNG PROFESSIONALS In November, The PEW Charitable Trusts released an article discussing the top metropolitan areas that millenials and young professionals have been moving to. Cheaper cost of living, a more tightknit community, and a chance to make these smaller places their own have driven young professionals to move to areas outside of the city life they expected. Among those metropolitan areas was the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA, which ranked high for affordability, education and growth in young professionals. The Blacksburg MSA was among some well-known localities, such as Austin, Texas, Silicon Valley, and Nashville, Tennessee; the report noted that the Blacksburg metro offers more affordable housing than these other localities. SPONSORED EVENTS The Department sponsored several events in 2017 for business outreach and to support the initiatives of its many partners and allies.

Events Sponsored: • Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament and Annual Banquet • Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council TechNite Awards Banquet and Fall Gala • New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Development Board and GENEDGE: Cyber Security Forum • AUVSI Ridge and Valley Chapter Unmanned Systems Symposium

YESMONTGOMERYVA.ORG TOPS 14,000 VISITS YesMontgomeryVA.org is the official website of the Economic Development Department, and showcases the quality of life and business climate in Montgomery County. In 2017, the website had over 14,088 visitors from 100 countries and all 50 U.S. states. The Department sent out elevennews releases, via email marketing and social media, that generated 4,150 page views. The news releases marketed community accolades and business announcements.

Top Metro Areas by Visits 1 Blacksburg, VA 2,541 2 Charlottesville, VA 461 3 Washington, DC 392 4 Roanoke, VA 325 5 Richmond, VA 238 6 New York, NY 120 7 Chicago, IL 118 8 Charlotte, NC 107 9 St. Louis, MO 67 10 Nashville, TN 60 Top International Visitors 1 Canada 181 2 India 156 3 Brazil 63 4 Ukraine 36 5 Germany 33

YesMontgomeryVA.org visitors from U.S.

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