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MINDING YOUR
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| TWO P'S OR NOT TWO P'S? By Mike Ashley |
That's no longer the question most frequently asked about
Culpeper. Instead, people are asking: What makes Culpeper so hot? This often-misspelled
town -- nestled in Virginia's northern piedmont region -- is hot stuff, according to lots
of big city statisticians, writers and editors. |
 Artwork by Michael Goodman |
A recent USA Weekend magazine ranked Culpeper
No. 10 on its list of "The 100 Best Small Towns in America," citing a composite
of lists featured in a fall US Airways Attache magazine feature. Washingtonian magazine
devoted its March cover to Culpeper, and said the small town is living up to its motto:
"The hottest little town in Virginia." "It's been a good couple of
months for us," Town Manager Tony Hooper says modestly. "We're not surprised by
the attention, but we sure are pleased." |
| Culpeper's 8,581 residents have seen $5 million in private financing
revitalize the downtown area. New storefronts have gone up and new businesses have moved
in. And there are more improvements on the way. A $750,000 federal grant will help convert
the old train depot into a new chamber of commerce office and visitor center. A new
theater is coming to town along with more of the small, eclectic shops that make Culpeper
a tourist and retail stop. A blacksmith is opening an ironworks art store, and the old
downtown theater is reopening as office and retail space. Together with shoppers and visitors, grant money also is flowing downtown. Culpeper landed a $700,000 block grant to rehabilitate 16 more storefronts and abandoned buildings. Meanwhile, many new downtown businesses are creating residential space upstairs. "That's an important part of the downtown revitalization," says Patsy Gregory, director of Culpeper Renaissance. "You really need that mix to make it work." Culpeper Renaissance is a local group that works to promote historic preservation and downtown development. Gregory says the secret to Culpeper's success is its attitude: "Everyone's friendly, and all the merchants support one another."
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