|
Who We Are
Our Mission
The Fredericksburg Regional Alliance (FRA) is a public/private economic development marketing partnership created to provide CEOs, presidents, corporate real estate executives, and site selection consultants with a single source for comprehensive demographic, economic, and commercial real estate information on the Fredericksburg, Virginia Region — which includes the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford — while also providing a wide range of services designed to facilitate the creation of jobs and capital investment while diversifying the economy and increasing the tax base.
By working in cooperation with local economic development offices, the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), higher educational institutions, and other regional groups, the Alliance is able to offer a truly comprehensive collection of services and information vital to corporations considering expanding or relocating their operations. (For more information on FRA services please see Overview of FRA Consulting Services)
Executive Summary
The Fredericksburg Virginia Region, which includes the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford, is strategically located 35 miles south of Washington, D.C., the 4th largest market in the U.S. and 50 miles north of Richmond, VA. For the past eight years, the Fredericksburg Region has been the fastest growing region in the Commonwealth of Virginia. With the current population over 307,000 and a highly skilled labor force over 1 million within a 40-mile commute, it is easy to see why the region is a vibrant emerging employment center.
Click here for our regional eonomic profile
Location
Central
Businesses that locate within the 1,400-square-mile Fredericksburg Region have a strategic location from which to serve markets all up and down the East Coast -- in fact, more than 60% of the nation’s population lives within 750 miles of here. Situated halfway between Washington, DC, and Richmond, VA, the Region also offers easy access to the global marketplace, and has proven profitable for a wide range of both national and international businesses.
Access
Interstate 95, the East Coast’s main north-south corridor, runs right through the Region, providing connections to twelve other interstate highways. Three major international airports and two large seaports are within a 2-hour drive. And regular freight and passenger railway service is also readily available.
World-Class WorkForce
Smarter
Characterized by a diverse set of managerial, professional, and technical skills, the workforce in the Fredericksburg Region boasts educational attainment levels that surpass the national average, and that have been on a steady rise throughout the decade. This is due in part to the kind of people who move to the Region: over twice as many have bachelors degrees as the national average — they even outrank those in the Washington, DC, metro area.
More
The Fredericksburg Region is home to 155,000 workers, with 1 million more in our 40 mile commute zone. And the numbers are growing rapidly. Our 4% annual population increase is among the highest in the country. The Region also has a substantial "hidden workforce" — 50 percent of the Region’s workers commute long distances to work, due to the Region's popularity as a residential community for Northern Virginia and Richmond. However, studies show that most of these workers would work closer to home if offered comparable positions locally — many would even accept lower pay.
Download the 2007 Regional Employment Data
Download the 2007 Industry Overview
Prepared
The workforce in the Fredericksburg Region is supported by an advanced local school system with many technical training and incentive programs, including continuing education and graduate programs in engineering and business, as well as special fast-track programs for information/service sector positions and microchip fabrication facility operators and technicians.
|
