What it’s like to come from a one stoplight town
Yes, Floyd County, VA has one stoplight in the center of town and there are more cows than people
I grew up in southwest rural Virginia for all of my life, until I moved to the ‘big city’ of Charlottesville. I call it a city because I can’t count all of the restaurants here on one hand.
Growing up in a small town where everyone knows your name, (is a line from a some song I’m sure), but it is not that great when you are stuck there for eighteen years. My senior year of high school I could not wait to leave because I knew there was more out there for me to go do.
If you ever find yourself stuck in little ol’ Floyd, here are a few things to know.
Hiking shoes are necessary
Buffalo Mountain is one of the most popular hiking excursions and it has lovely views, where you can see into North Carolina on a clear day.
The mountain got its name because it looks like the hump of a buffalo, and it only makes sense for that to be the high school mascot too.
High school is your peak
On that note, I became really good at spelling “Buffaloes” when I was a cheerleader, so it was funny when they misspelled it on our new gym floor one year.
I’ll also add that Floyd has four elementary schools and one high school – no middle school. So when you talk about your ‘awkward middle school years’, I still do not quite understand. Our entire high school, which started in eighth grade, still had fewer students than some of the graduating classes in NoVa (~800 students).
Floyd is also nestled right along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway
Where, like I said there are plenty of cows, horses, and sometimes the occasional miniature donkey frolic in the fields.
Everyone has animals
Not one single person I grew up with was dogless – though our dogs probably never met because everyone lives fifteen miles from their closest neighbor.
There’s a jamboree every Friday night
Crooked Road Trail is where bluegrass is known to have its roots. Every Friday night there’s a jamboree at the General Store where local musicians come to play there banjos, basses, and mandolins.
And there is the annual FloydFest
This is actually in Patrick Country, but we do not like to talk about that. This music festival has been going on for at least ten years, and it has had some big names like the Lumineers, Allison Krauss, Greensky Bluegrass, and the Wood Brothers. I have never been, ever, but it seems fun and if you like chill jam sessions you should go.
People can’t find it on a map
If you want to find Floyd on a map, it is about 45 minutes from Blacksburg.
This is a bit too close to our rivaling Hokies for my taste, so when I go home I pack all of the UVA gear I own.
I highly doubt anyone makes Floyd, Virginia a destination, but it has a won many small town awards for being so quaint and charming.
If you find yourself here: drive to the stoplight where RT 8 and 221 meet, and do not be scared when friendly older men wave from their trucks, they do that to everyone.
The pace and southern drawls are slow, but the people are kind, even if they do not know your last name and family relations. Floyd is a great place to call home.