Abstract:
Alleghany County is OUR STATE magazine's featured county of the month. The county is somewhat distinct among the mountain counties because the landscape is more like a plateau combined with mountain ranges and high summits. The county is among the state's smallest, but it ranks third in the production of Christmas trees. The Blue Ridge Parkway and the New River and its tributaries attract tourists. Loss of some manufacturing facilities has slowed the economy, but the county is still home to manufacturers who produce a variety of products, including paper products, game boards, packaging materials, wrought iron furniture, and structural products, like truck trailers.