I recently added the NewVa logo to the sidebar here at Noke News, and I wanted to take a moment and briefly explain the whys and whats behind the addition.

From the NewVa website:

NewVa is the brand and visual identity for the region of western Virginia that encompasses the Alleghany Highlands, the Roanoke Valley, and the New River Valley.

I see it as a way to unite Roanoke and neighboring cities, towns, and counties, and overall help to promote those things we all enjoy or want to see in our adjoining communities.

In addition to the website, there’s also a publication produced and distributed which more or less acts as a welcome guide to much of the Roanoke area.

The magazine touches on many things ranging from the climate we experience, to education, economy, and the culture of Roanoke.

Neat stuff to read, even when being a lifelong resident. Some of the information I already knew and some I forgot I knew (such as wireless internet being available in parts of the downtown area) and was thankful for the reminder.

Even taking into consideration my college days at Radford University, I’ve never lived outside of the NewVa region in my entire life.

While some of my highschool classmates were anxious to leave the area in search of bigger and better things, that bug just never bit me. Today, I live minutes from the hospital where I was born and merely across town from the house where I spent my childhood and teenage years.

And, certainly by choice rather than circumstance, I’d prefer things no other way.