Will Griffin has served as the mayor of the small town of Floyd, Virginia, for 10 years. During that time Floyd has received national recognition from USA Today and Southern Living magazine as one of the best small towns in the South. Will and his wife, Misty, are the proud parents of twins, Reed & Addie. The Clemson Tigers, golf and bourbon are the three things that excite him outside of his family and community.
Will Griffin, second from left, with his mother, Gayle Griffin, son Reed, wife Misty and daughter Addie.
As an 18-year-old in 1986, I could not wait to leave my small hometown of one stoplight. Leaving Floyd that fall was easy. And the thought of ever returning home again permanently never crossed my mind. I attended college at Clemson University at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina and somehow finished with a degree in accounting. After graduation, job opportunities took me to Charlotte. Once my wife, a true Floyd native, and I had twins, we began thinking of returning home to raise our family. Floyd remained home to my parents and my in-laws so the benefit of being close to family was there.
Something I did not realize until parenthood was the strength of community in Floyd. What was an aggravation as a youth was a blessing as a parent. Given Floyd’s size, it was not unusual to look over your shoulder before making a bad decision to see who was going to witness this who also knew and would likely tell your parents.
Floyd has been the best decision our family has made. Career-wise, Charlotte obviously offered far more. However, the quality of life has exceeded our wildest expectations. I am in my 10th year serving as the mayor of our ½-square-mile, population-of-450 town.
Floyd has changed so much since 1986 but at the same time, it has not changed much at all. It is still a largely agriculturally based community but gone are the garment factories that contributed so greatly to our job base. Floyd is full of artisans, musicians and do-it-yourself entrepreneurs. The resurgence of old time and bluegrass music, combined with the creation of the Crooked Road and our accessibility to the Blue Ridge Parkway has solidified our position as a music destination. That has intensified in recent years with the growing success of Floydfest.
The history of our long-standing businesses such as The Floyd Country Store and Farmers Supply blend nicely with the innovation of more recent homegrown businesses such as Red Rooster Coffee Roaster and The Harvest Moon. Floyd continues to attract and maintain a very broad and loyal visitor base. We have created a vibrant tourist economy without giving up who we are. While many small towns have withered up and died on the vine, Floyd continues to thrive. We have been so fortunate that the people envisioning our future have never lost sight of our past and do not compromise when trying to preserve our history.
The story above appears in our July/August 2019 issue. For more, subscribe today or log in to the digital edition with your active digital subscription. Thank you for your support!