Reprinted from http://www.nrvliving.com/2010/03/29/walk-scores-in-the-new-river-valley/

How Walkable is the NRV?

By Jeremy Hart, NRVLiving.com and Coldwell Banker Townside, Realtors Blacksburg, VA

Care to take a walk?

My wife and I just returned from a trip overseas, where we

walked … everywhere.  We’d take the train between

towns, but over the course of a two week period we

covered a lot of ground just walking.  It was nice to put

down some miles by foot, and it’s no wonder so many

Europeans are in great shape.

But it reminded me that walking isn’t just important in

other countries.  More and more I’m having clients stress

the importance that their new home be close enough to

walk to points of interest.  That’s why I recently started

adding Walk Score statistics to every single property

website I do – if it’s important to buyers I work with, it’s

probably important to other buyers, as well.  Now, when

you visit a property I have listed, you’ll see the Walk Score

for that particular home; the New River Valley isn’t terribly

walkable – the average score in Blacksburg is 52 out of 100,

and in Christiansburg it’s only 39 out of 100 – but

nevertheless it’s important to know whether things like

grocery stores, restaurants and local parks are within

walking distance.

Each website will have, in the Description, a map showing

where the home is located, and how close it is to

convenient places.  This house, for instance, has a Walk

Score of 34.

It’d be great to see neighborhoods begin to include

walking paths and connections to existing trails in their

future plans, or even for local governments beginning to

require things like sidewalks in their zoning requirements.  There are health benefits, sure, but what about the social

aspects of community that are fostered by neighbors just

meeting on the street?  The Italians have a word for that –

passeggiata – and they participate in it every single night.

Walk Scores aren’t important to everyone, I know, but I

suspect we’ll see that continue to change over the next

several years.  And who knows – personal flying machines

were supposed to be the future, but maybe we’ll get back

to a good, well-designed boot.

Mine were made for walking.

Jeremy Hart is a licensed real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Townside Realtors in Blacksburg, Virginia, and founding member of NRVLiving Real Estate. 

If interested, his license number is #0225077937, and he’s been a licensee in good standing of the New River Valley Association, the Virginia Association, and

the National Association of Realtors since January 2004.  You can contact him at jeremy at nrvliving dot com. 

Disclaimer: I’m just a real estate agent and while I’m one piece of the puzzle, don’t forget to consult your attorney, tax professional and librarian before

making a financial or real estate decision. It should be noted that the articles in this blog are solely my opinion, and likewise those who leave comments

are providing their opinions, as well.  These are not the opinions of Coldwell Banker Townside Realtors, their affiliates or any employee thereof.