A short trip to Farmville, VA
Exploring a town before it wakes up is one of my favorite secret past times. Being a runner, makes it especially convenient. I get a great workout and I get to see a lot when there is really no competition. No car, no other people (except my wife), and no distractions. Just me and the city! Here are a few of the things I observed during my time in Farmville.
Farmville is a small town of ~8,000 people, but they I think they have done a great job of accentuating their assets. They have 2 colleges — they are in fact the first 2-college town in the country — a great stock of buildings, a fantastic downtown core, and a 31-mile rail trail called the High Bridge Trail. We were able to run, walk, bike, and even renew our vows on the trail! Multi-purpose indeed!
The mural culture was alive and well in Farmville. I think murals area a great way to share a message, give a town identity, and inject some whimsy the pedestrian experience (more on that below). The town also seemed to embrace the hand painted sign aesthetic both historic and new.
To be honest I had never heard of Longwood University before my trip. I was super impressed! The campus was beautiful and (especially clutch for an early morning run) very well lit! The school was founded in 1835, but it all of the buildings looked quite new. This was definitely one of those times that I wish I had a drone because I think the pictures do not do it justice.
The Triangle has its share of famously short bridges, but none of them can hold a candle the Troll Bridge in Farmville. At a clear-height of 7'6" this bridge would have no problem taking out some of the large pick up trucks I saw in town! There is also, you know, the trolls!
All-in-all it was a great trip to a new place! As you can see above they have a wide variety of accommodations from “glamping” tee-pees to a renovated historic hotel. There also seemed to be a lot of investment taking place downtown, from new breweries, restaurants, offices, and housing, which as a developer I love to see! I think we will definitely find ourselves in Farmville again!
