Dr. Beverly Emory to lead Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

The Winston-Salem Journal reports:

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools selected its first female superintendent Tuesday by unanimous vote.

Beverly Emory, 56, will be the sixth superintendent to lead the state’s fifth-largest school district, which was created when city and county school systems merged in the 1963-64 school year. Emory, a North Carolina native, comes to Forsyth County from the Pitt County Schools, where she has served since 2006.

Click here for the complete article from the Winston-Salem Journal.

WXII/ Channel 12 reports on the incoming Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools superintendent here.

What’s the biggest surprise in Winston-Salem? Part 2

The second of 3 articles discussing our community’s most pleasant surprises.

While vacationing and visiting family in a few different places around the Eastern U.S. this past summer, the second surprise came to me almost as soon as I got back home to Winston-Salem.

I had an early meeting that was “all the way across town” from my house. And on the mere 15-minute commute that morning, I recalled just how much more difficult the commute would be if I were living anywhere else. Then I started thinking about the other aspects of life in our area that would be different.

And I realized something that I had long forgotten (more like taken for granted) about Winston-Salem, Forsyth County: how wonderfully easy it is to live here.

View of downtown Winston-Salem from Old Salem

While the morning commute provides an obvious contrast to other, larger metro areas, the “easy” factor extends to many other areas that set Winston-Salem apart from just about anywhere else.

For instance, Winston-Salem received a #10 ranking for affordability and fun in a recent Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate report along with the #10 spot in Kiplinger’s annual list of cheapest U.S. cities in which to live.

Of course, a shack in the woods can be an affordable place to live. The amazing part is what Winston-Salem has to offer in terms of amenities, schools and access to other markets, while being an affordable place to live.

People here enjoy a thriving arts community, including various festivals, theater companies and a respectably broad local music scene. A revitalized downtown keeps the streets active while cozy urban and suburban neighborhoods offer a close sense of community and familiarity.

Winston-Salem is an easy place to live. Camel City Carriage ride.
Photo courtesy of Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership.

And since Winston-Salem is so well connected to other cities and markets, it’s easy to get away for business or pleasure. More importantly, it’s even easier and more enjoyable to come home again.

Look for the next surprise in Part 3, coming soon. You can read Part 1 here.

What surprises you about Winston-Salem? Share your ideas here.

Winston-Salem is Proud to Host the RiverRun International Film Festival

The RiverRun International Film Festival is a regional event based in Winston-Salem, NC and is one of the premier film festivals in the southeastern United States. The 14th annual RiverRun will be held April 13–22, 2012.  This video provides a wonderful overview of the event:

Enjoy!

RiverRun – Sponsorship from RiverRun International Film Fest on Vimeo.

WSBI introduces free WS Business mobile app

Winston-Salem Business Inc. is pleased to announce the introduction of our new WS Business mobile app.

Developed specifically for WSBI, the WS Business mobile app serves as your gateway to important economic development news and events in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, NC.  The WSBI mobile App allows users to:

• Get updates on economic development news and events in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County
• View available buildings and sites for your business along with maps and an overview of each site
• Get an inside look at Life in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County
• Stay connected with WSBI via Twitter and other social media platforms

Developed by Winston-Salem technology firm MobileClik, the WS Business App is available for download at the Apple AppStore.

For more information, please click here.

So good to be so low

Low cost of living leads to high ranking for Winston-Salem

A recent blurb in the Winston-Salem Journal reported that our fair city ranks as one of the least expensive places to live in the world.

The Cost of Living Survey for 2011, conducted by Mercer LLC, ranked Winston-Salem 18^th out of 214 cities after comparing cost related to things such as housing, food, clothing, transportation and entertainment. Winston-Salem made the list in 2010 at number 17 as well.

This underlines one of the factors that makes Winston-Salem, Forsyth County such an appealing place for businesses interested in expanding or relocating. What makes this ranking all the more significant is when you realize how much you can get for your money here. Winston-Salem manages to be remarkably affordable while still offering an exceptional quality of life.

Although cost of living is only one of several data points to consider when deciding on where to grow a business, the area’s combination of positive attributes (i.e. infrastructure, relatively easy access to major markets and available workforce) is what makes Winston-Salem a ideal choice.

To learn more about the survey, visit the Mercer website (a copy of the report is available for purchase).