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2017 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 952
Commending the City of Buena Vista.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 15, 2017
Agreed to by the Senate, February 22, 2017

 

WHEREAS, the City of Buena Vista, nestled between the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains and the Maury River, commemorates the 125th anniversary of its charter in 2017; and

WHEREAS, Buena Vista traces its beginnings to the late 1800s, when Benjamin Cline Moomaw founded a town then-called Green Forest and opened a simple tannery, laying the groundwork for what would become an industrial and cultural hub at the western foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains; and

WHEREAS, in the late 1880s, as hotels, churches, businesses, railroads, and homes were built, the town was renamed Buena Vista and granted a town charter in January of 1890; two years later, the state granted Buena Vista a city charter on February 15, 1892; and

WHEREAS, the industry and economics of Buena Vista evolved over the next century, and the city flourished as a business, tourist, and educational destination in Southwest Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the city has been home to numerous landmarks, including the Buena Vista Opera House, Blue Ridge Tannery, Alleghany Ore and Iron Company Furnace, Buena Vista Glass Company Works, Hotel Buena Vista, which is now part of Southern Virginia University, and Glen Maury Park; and

WHEREAS, seven old homes and buildings in Buena Vista are currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the original brick courthouse built in 1890 that still stands in the historic downtown and has housed the A. B. Modine Memorial Library since 1971; and

WHEREAS, the City of Buena Vista values education and higher learning and is home to Southern Virginia University, formerly Southern Seminary, which was founded as a school for women and served young ladies from all over the country for years; and

WHEREAS, Buena Vista has completed several projects in recent years that will ensure the vitality of the city for the future and has undertaken efforts to promote revitalization and economic growth, especially in the historic downtown district; and

WHEREAS, the $34 million Jim Olin Floodwall, which features a beautiful walking trail, was dedicated in 1999; Buena Vista was designated a Virginia Main Street Start Up Community in 2001, and an 18-hole premier golf course was completed in 2004; and

WHEREAS, Buena Vista offers spectacular views and its proximity to Interstate 81 and the Blue Ridge Parkway have made it a tourist destination where people come to enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing, or just taking in the scenery; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the City of Buena Vista on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of its city charter; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Larry Tolley, Mayor of the City of Buena Vista, as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the city’s long and illustrious history as an industrial, educational, and cultural hub at the western foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.