Lewisburg is the “Coolest Small Town,” can it also be the happiest? Lewisburg is nominated in the “Happiest Town” reader poll conducted by Blue Ridge Country magazine. The winner will be announced in the magazine’s May/June 2016 issue.
Blue Ridge Country magazine is seeking the “Happiest Town” in three population categories: less than 10,000, 10,000 to 49,000, and more than 50,000. Sixty-one finalists were selected based on several happiness indicators such as crime rate, educational achievement levels, cost of living, walkability and other factors.
In towns with a population of less than 10,000, Lewisburg is currently in first place with 40 percent of the vote; this is the most competitive category with 31 other cities vying for the title. The closest competitor is West Virginia neighbor, Marlinton, with 8 percent of the vote. Bowling Rock, NC and Jonesborough, TN have close to 5 percent each and popular destinations Abingdon, VA and Gatlinburg, TN both have 3 percent of the total vote.
“Lewisburg loves a good competition,” said Kara Dense, executive director of the Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Recently many local businesses did well in the “Best of the Blue Ridge” competition by Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine.”
Lewisburg has a strong lead, but the competition still has several weeks to go, so the public is encouraged to vote at blueridgecountry.com/business/happy-towns-survey. Voting continues through midnight Jan. 17 and one vote is allowed per email address.
Blue Ridge Country is a bimonthly publication featuring original photography and award-winning stories about the history, travel and lifestyle of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, West Virginia and Kentucky.
For more information, please contact, Kristi Godby, media relations manager at the Greenbrier County CVB at 304-645-1000.
