GO Virginia

The Virginia Initiative for Growth and Opportunity (GO Virginia) was created by the passage of legislation during the 2016 General Assembly session. Launched by Virginia’s senior business leadership, GO Virginia supports programs to create more high-paying jobs through incentivized collaboration between business, education, and government to diversify and strengthen the economy in every region of the Commonwealth.

Region One

Region One includes the counties of Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington Wise, and Wythe; and the cities of Bristol, Galax and Norton. The Appalachian Mountains run through many of the 13 counties and 3 cities that comprise the region. Located in the most southwest corner of Virginia, Region One is mainly rural, with an estimated population of just over 393,000 at the time of organization, making Region One among the least populated of the GO VA regions. The beauty of the mountains along with the rural amenities of the region also bring the challenges of a sparsely populated area where mountains can make navigation difficult to connect residents with jobs.