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Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. It is a distinctive cultural region known for its craft, music and natural beauty. Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Virginia counties on the Appalachian Plateau, all Virginia counties west of the Eastern Continental Divide, or at its greatest expanse, as far east as Blacksburg and Roanoke. Another geographic categorization of the region places it as those counties within the Tennessee River watershed. Regardless of how borders are drawn, Southwest Virginia differs from the rest of the commonwealth in that its culture is more closely associated with Appalachia than the other regions of Virginia. Historically, the region has been and remains rural, but in the 20th century, coal mining became an important part of its economy. With the decline in the number of coal jobs and the decline of tobacco as a cash crop, Southwest Virginia is increasingly turning to tourism as a source of economic development. Collectively, Southwest Virginia's craft, music, agritourism and outdoor recreation are referred to as the region's "creative economy."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Virginia's Creative Economy )〕 Counties that have been included in the definition of Southwest Virginia include: Alleghany County, Bedford County, Bland County, Botetourt County, Buchanan County, Carroll County, Craig County, Dickenson County, Floyd County, Franklin County, Giles County, Grayson County, Henry County, Lee County, Montgomery County, Patrick County, Pulaski County, Roanoke County, Rockbridge County, Russell County, Scott County, Smyth County, Tazewell County, Washington County, Wise County, and Wythe County. Unlike other states in the U.S., Virginia draws a sharp distinction between cities and counties. Under state law, all municipalities incorporated as cities are independent of any county. Independent cities in Southwest Virginia include Bristol, Buena Vista, Covington, Galax, Lexington, Martinsville, Norton, Radford, Roanoke, and Salem. ==Culture== Southwest Virginia is recognized for its unique culture and, only a decade ago, began to tell the outside world about what it has to offer. In particular, the region is known for its music, craft and outdoor recreation opportunities. Heartwood - The center of Southwest Virginia's creative economy movement is Heartwood: Southwest Virginia's Artisan Gateway, a regional visitors' center with a restaurant and craft galleries located off of Interstate 81 in the town of Abingdon. This $17 million facility, built through a collaborative state and regional partnership, opened in 2011 and serves as the hub of regional networks and driving trails that cater to visitors. The Crooked Road - Southwest Virginia's musical heritage has been promoted since 2002 through an internationally known driving trail called The Crooked Road. The east-west driving route of more than 300 miles links together a variety of culturally significant music performance venues and destinations in the region. 'Round the Mountain - Southwest Virginia's craft heritage is celebrated with the "best of the best" artisan work at Heartwood, but many more artisans belong to Round the Mountain: Southwest Virginia's Artisan Network. 'Round the Mountain has established 15 driving trails in different parts of the region that link artisan and agricultural destinations along with unique local lodging and dining experiences. Appalachian Spring - The region's newest initiative is Appalachian Spring, which is working with communities in the region to link together key recreation destinations in a similar network. The focus is on further developing nine major existing recreation destinations so that they'll be easier to visit and enjoy. Ultimately, Southwest Virginia's goal in opening up to the outside world is economic development, sharing its culture in ways that enable artisans, musicians and entrepreneurs within the region to make a living while continuing to keep their valued cultural traditions authentic, distinctive and alive. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Southwest Virginia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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