Blue Ridge Skyline Parkway Drive

The City of Bedford is located in southwestern part of the state of Virginia, between the cities of Roanoke, to the West, and Lynchburg, to the East. It is bounded on the North by the Blue Ridge Mountains with the beautiful Peaks of Otter, and on the South by Smith Mountain Lake, and on the East by the James River.

Nearby attractions include Main Street Bedford (with it's many antique shops), The New National D-day Memorial, The Blue Ridge Parkway, Peaks of Otter wilderness area, Appalachian Trail, The Booker T. Washington National Monument, Elk's National Home, Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest, and Smith Mountain Lake.

30 communities vie for nation’s most prestigious civic award

Bedford VA- May 1, 2002, The City of Bedford has been selected as one of the 30 Finalist communities for this year’s All America City Award, the nation’s longest running and most prestigious civic recognition program.

A program of the National Civic League, the All-America City Award encourages and recognizes civic excellence, honoring communities (neighborhoods, towns, cities, counties and regions) in which citizens, government, businesses and non-profit organizations demonstrate successful resolution of critical community issues. Since 1949, more than 4,000 communities have competed and nearly 500 have been named "All-America Cities."

In announcing Bedford’s selection, Mayor G. Michael Shelton said "Congratulations are in order for the citizens of Bedford. This national recognition confirms what we all know is one of our greatest strengths – the willingness of citizens to get involved for the sake of our community." City Manager Craig Meadows also cited "the tremendous amount of public/private collaboration required for this recognition."

"These communities serve as models for the rest of the country," said Christopher T. Gates, president of the National Civic League. "They are tackling challenges that seem insurmountable and are producing positive and tangible results with ingenuity and collaboration."

The 30 Finalists will participate in a final round of the All-America City competition hosted by the greater Kansas City region in Kansas City, Missouri, June 13-15. A delegation from each Finalist community will present to a 10-member jury their innovative programs and local solutions addressing a wide range of social and community issues, Bedford Ride, the National D-Day Memorial and Bedford’s Promise. The ten 2002 All-America Cities will be named on June 15 during a special ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center.

Sponsors of the 2002 All-America City Awards include: Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

The National Civic League is a 108-year-old non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to strengthening citizen democracy by transforming democratic institutions. NCL accomplishes its mission through technical assistance, training, publishing, research, and the All-America City Award. The National Civic League is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and has an office in Washington, D.C.