Our Blue Ridge Towns
Recent Stories
Joan Vannorsdall
Our Blue Ridge Towns: Jonesborough, Tennessee – Where ‘Story’ Defines a Town
This is a story about Story. It’s got unforgettable characters. A beautiful setting. A happy ending. And the promise of more to come. Read more
Our Blue Ridge Towns: Sylva/Dillsboro, North Carolina
Where Small Business is Big Business: An hour southwest of Asheville, two adjoining North Carolina towns have earned themselves a string of “firsts” and “onlys.” Read more
Joan Vannorsdall
Our Blue Ridge Towns: Thomas, W.Va. – "Everyone’s Hometown"
"Everyone’s Hometown." That’s what you see on the welcome signs coming into Thomas, West Virginia, population 554. Is a hometown feel enough to grow a remote high-valley town surrounded by national forest? Read more
Our Blue Ridge Towns: Whitesburg, Kentucky Comes Back
With the region’s coal mining jobs largely gone, the east Kentucky town is at work on new ways of success. Read more
Chuck Almarez, Fire and Light Gallery
Our Blue Ridge Towns: Riding the Art Train in Clifton Forge, Virginia
How does an out-of-the-way mountain town—pretty much left for dead a few decades back— make a comeback? It’s a long story that finally comes down to this: creativity and courage. Read more