HGTV Hometown Takeover - Alderson, WV (2020 Candidate)

Описание: Alderson, WV has entered HGTV’s “Hometown Takeover!” Ben and Erin Napier of the popular TV series "Home Town" will hit the road in an upcoming series "Hometown Takeover," their biggest renovation project ever -- to makeover an ENTIRE town! Individual family homes, public spaces, local eateries, and more will all undergo a life-changing revitalization -- The new series will air in 2021. We implore HGTV to consider Alderson, West Virginia...the "Gem in the Hills!"

Alderson is a small residential community nestled in the lush Greenbrier
Valley of southern West Virginia. The town was originally settled in 1777 by "Elder" John Alderson, a frontier
missionary for whom the town is named, who organized the first Baptist church in the Greenbrier Valley. It
boasts a unique location situated in both Greenbrier and Monroe Counties along the beautiful Greenbrier
River, just 30 minutes southwest of the famed Greenbrier resort.

Affectionately known as "Gem of the Hills," Alderson is designated as a National Register of Historic Places
with 1,390 acres and 165 structures of historic or architectural significance. This historic town experienced its
most prosperous time after the railroad came through in 1873. This growth boom declined after the 1930s, but
not before building a commercial historic district and beautiful Victorian era houses. The predominant building
styles include Federal, Greek Revival, and Queen Anne styles, with the exception of Alderson's Store, the
oldest store in West Virginia, which features a distinctive Art Deco style. The main street area also features two
prominent historic landmarks -- an 1896 C&O Depot and a 1913 pedestrian bridge, the only concrete arch
bridge remaining in West Virginia. The historic district is where Alderson's Main Street organization concentrates
efforts for revitalization as it's where you'll find many of the buildings in need of repair or repurpose.

As a river town, Alderson provides numerous recreation opportunities--from fishing, canoeing, kayaking,
swimming, and tubing. In fact, it's Alderson's hope to continue enhancing the riverbank by creating boat
launches, river walks, and more. Alderson also has a large municipal park in need of a development plan to
improve and better utilize the space to create more family recreational activities.


Alderson may be a small town, but it certainly has a lot going for it in the way of beautiful landscapes,
hospitality, and numerous events. The town has festivals throughout the year, but most notable is the 4th of
July Celebration, the largest in the state and named "Best July 4th Celebration" by West Virginia Living
Magazine in 2012.

Alderson truly has an interesting history and even more interesting stories waiting to be told. We are the
only town in America that has ever had a town ordinance mandating all lions in town must be on a leash.
"French" the lion was raised in Alderson from 1890-1894. He was adopted from a traveling circus and
roamed free until frightening an out-of-town salesman who jumped in the river. Hence, the ordinance. There
are also many interesting people with roots in Alderson, for instance Ada "Bricktop" Smith, a jazz-era singer
who went on to own clubs in New York, Paris, and Rome. These are just a couple of the many stories begging
to be shared.

Alderson has been working for the last 15 years to bring economic development and improvements to the
area, but it is slow going and the town could desperately use the help with much-needed funds, manpower,
and national exposure, which HGTV could provide. We truly believe if you build it, they will come, and we
hope HGTV will choose our small gem in the hills as the setting for your next Hometown Takeover!

Learn more about the new HGTV series, here: https://www.hgtv.com/shows/home-town/...

Learn more about Alderson Main Street, here:   / alderson-main-street-594432723925664  

Learn more about the Town of Alderson, here:   / townofaldersonwestvirginia  

Special Thanks to the Greenbrier County Convention & Visitors Bureau for some B-Roll Footage: https://greenbrierwv.com

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