Fairmont, home of the first Fathers Day service, boasts several regional and national high technology firms as area employers. Companies expanding here specialize in applied research, e-business knowledge management and application engineering in the vast areas of biometrics, wireless technology, and software engineering. NASA also maintains a presence in Fairmont with its independent verification and validation facility.

As for quality of life, West Virginia enjoys the second lowest cost of living in the country and a consistently low rate of violent crime. The state's public schools scored the best in the country for five years running in Education Week's "Quality Counts" analysis and its citizens have a median personal income 10% above that of the typical small city. The property taxes are 43% below the median for cities of this size and 72% below the national average.

Finally, if you crave nature and adventure, there are plenty of places in the area to satisfy your hunger. Outdoor recreation is a major attraction and benefit of the area. Within a short drive of city-like conveniences, residents can take advantage of world class golf courses, hiking, horseback riding, white water rafting, mountain biking, and snow skiing.

As Virginia’s centrally located capital, Richmond is easily accessible to the state’s attractions including the Blue Ridge mountains, wine country, beaches, and historical sites like Colonial Williamsburg and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. An eclectic mix of the old and the new, its Southern heritage offsets modern day urban features that make for a charming combination.

Richmond and its surrounding areas offer the outdoor enthusiast top ranked golf resorts, skiing, hiking, white water rafting by way of class IV rapids within its city limits, and NASCAR via its national racing stop at Richmond International Raceway. Home to numerous art venues, scenic gardens, beautiful state parks, and world-class museums, Richmond was recently rated as the best medium-sized city in the South by Money Magazine. It’s a true hotspot with all the positive attributes of a big city, without the hassles of metropolitan life.