Towns include: Cave Spring
Best Places to Live rank: 89
Unemployment rate: 5.6%
Don't underestimate this popular retirement community nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Thanks to the Carilion Health Clinic, a number of nursing facilities and a large hospital, job opportunities are thriving.
"It doesn't matter if it's a boom or bust time," said economic development specialist Joe Zielinski. "People come here for the jobs."
Even outside the health care arena, banking, defense contractors and insurance companies provide thousands of additional jobs for working families. Some of the area's top employers include Wachovia, Allstate Insurance and ITT Night Vision.
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