Episodes

Season Six

Episode 6: Vacant lots are a problem for towns throughout Appalachia, but in Radford, Virginia, city leaders have brought life back to two empty pockets of the community. Save Our Towns shows how addition by subtraction is helping Radford create gathering places in once-forgotten spaces.

 

 

 

 

Season Six

Woman standing in a farmhouseEpisode 5:Town leaders in South Hill, Virginia, worked with a nearby small farmer to bring a million-dollar food hub project to fruition.

 

 

 

 

Season Six

Episode 4:Town leaders in Erwin, Tennessee, moved from attempting to hush up the execution of a circus elephant a century before to playing up the possibilities with an annual elephant festival.

 

 

 

 

Season Six

Episode 3:A new idea for an old mountain road is lighting an economic fire in Tazewell, Virginia. The town, whose fortunes had fallen with the coal industry, now is a destination for motorcycle and sports car enthusiasts from around the world.

 

 

 

 

Season Six

Episode 2: Fincastle, Virginia, hadn’t changed its boundaries since 1772. But when elected leaders first attempted to expand acreage and population a few years ago, the effort stumbled. Can they create enough unity to bring growth to the town of about 300 people?

 

 

 

 

Season Six

Episode 1: Up-and-comers in Wytheville, Virginia, weren’t happy with how things were playing out at Town Hall. This younger generation of leaders made their voices heard and are changing the face of downtown.

 

 

 

Season Five

Episode 6: Danville, Virginia, was characterized in national discourse as a ghost town “left for dead.” But that rhetoric didn’t ring true at City Hall, where leaders saw a different reality unfolding. Then the Small Town Big Number segment explores a perennial favorite – railroads in Appalachia – followed by an expert tip focused on other assets that attract people to small towns. In Marion, Virginia, the latest update shows how the idea of big splashy murals is taking wings.

 

 

Season Five

Red buildingEpisode 5: In 2016, and city leaders in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, weren’t prepared to cope with catastrophe. But when flash flooding struck, city hall mobilized to deal with 75 destroyed homes and other devastation.

 

 

 

Season Five

Episode 4: Bedford is the first town in Virginia to devote public land to a solar farm. See how its commitment to renewable energy is paying off. Plus see an aerial view of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a project covering more than 300 miles through Virginia and West Virginia.

 

 

 

 

Season Five

Episode 3: Christiansburg, Virginia, bets on a high-priced, high-stakes asset to make a big splash, and Marion looks at a winning scheme to pump up its downtown. Billions of dollars roll into small towns from the USDA. Is your town getting its share?

 

 

 

 

Season Five

A bookstore featuring rows of shelves.Episode 2: In Lewisburg, West Virginia, all signs show that appearances count. Marion, Virginia, preserves its heritage while looking toward a vibrant future. And Mayor David Horton talks about making Radford a well-known gem in the region.

 

 

 

Season Five

Save Our Towns, Season 5, Episode 1 - The maverick mayor of Glen LynEpisode 1: Glen Lyn’s one-of-a-kind mayor explains his modus operandi, and Save Our Towns mentor Andrew Davis offers his best-yet advice to towns.

 

 

 

 

Season Four

Save Our Towns, Season 4, Episode 8 - Fighting the opioid epidemicEpisode 8: Huntington, West Virginia, has not been immune to the opioid crisis that rages throughout Appalachia — but the response of its mayor has earned national recognition.

 

 

 

 

Season Four

Save Our Towns, Season 4, Episode 7, St. Paul prospers on the Western FrontEpisode 7: When we last visited St. Paul, Virginia, town leaders were intent on transforming one of its historic downtown buildings. Their persistence paid off with the recent opening of the Western Front Hotel.

 

 

 

Season Four

Save Our Towns, Season 4, Episode 6 - Pikeville's perfect stormEpisode 6: More than a decade ago, city officials in Pikeville, Kentucky, envisioned a future beyond strip mining. Leaders took a risk on a huge investment that paid off — an industrial park that was filled within 10 months.

 

 

 

Season Four

Save Our Towns, Season 4, Episode 5 - Storytelling Capital of the WorldEpisode 5: In search of the town’s most marketable claim to fame, residents of Jonesborough, Tennessee, sought out the help of a consultant. In the end, the answer was obvious: positioning the town as the “Storytelling Capital of the World.”

 

 

 

 

Season Four

Save Our Towns, Season 4, Episode 4, Sustainable WilliamsonEpisode 4: In Williamson, West Virginia, popularly known as the “Heart of the Billion Dollar Coalfield,” town leaders are investing in life after coal.

 

 

 

 

Season Four

Save Our Towns Season 4, Episode 3, Books bring businessEpisode 3: In Vinton, Virginia, town leaders discovered that locating a new library downtown would provide a boost for other businesses.

 

 

 

 

Season Four

Save Our Towns, Season 4, Episode 2 - Going green and cleanEpisode 2: Embracing the use of clean energy is the goal in Boone, North Carolina, where town leaders made national headlines after resolving to end the use of fossil fuels by 2050.

 

 

 

Season Four

Save Our Towns, Season 4, Episode 1, Small business TLC

Episode 1: Damascus, Virginia, provides our first Example of Awesome in the season four opener, and we introduce Pennington Gap, the town we’ll be following for a year.