Halifax County, Virginia, is located in the Southern Piedmont Region of Virginia, contiguous to the State of North Carolina and a little over an hour away from Raleigh-Durham International Airport and the Research Triangle Park (RTP). The community is strategically located for transportation and distribution. The Port of Virginia facilities are approximately two and a half hours to the east.

Halifax County's own Riverstone Technology Park (RTP) will be open for business in 2004. Infrastructure improvements have been completed in the first quarter of 2004; Building One (Class "A" space for small information, technical manufacturing and biomedical companies) will open in January 2005; Building Two to be occupied by the Virginia Employment Commission's Customer Service Call Center will open in October 2004.
This development (located in a Technology Zone and the Virginia Enterprise Zone) is part of a long range effort to diversify the local economy in an attempt to cultivate niches within the growing fields of biotech, pharmaceutical, and other technology based fields. This community is surrounded by the already established cluster of major medical centers, some of which have affiliations with Halifax Regional Health Systems and the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center.

Halifax County is known for its aggressiveness and support given to attracting and assisting new and expanding industry with creating jobs and investments in the community.
This was evidenced by Halifax County becoming the first community to be certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1985 as being prepared for economic development as well as the filling of the Halifax County/South Boston Industrial Park. The industrial parks and many sites are located in a Virginia Enterprise Zone offering state and local incentives to businesses expanding and locating in the zone. Riverstone is an established Technology Zone. Other local incentives encouraging job growth and investment are the Halifax Opportunity Fund and the Commercial Stimulus Program as well as the low tax rates.

Manufacturing represents 35 percent of employment in the Halifax/South Boston labor market area including textiles, wood, furniture, electronics, metalworking, plastics, and pet food. Closings and layoffs of textiles, furniture, and metalworking industries have attributed to the high unemployment rate of 8.5 percent as of Decemeber, 2003. Many of these workers are available for employment or have received further training to prepare themselves to re-enter the workforce.

The Town of South Boston is the central business area of the community with an attractive downtown area. The Industrial Development Authority of Halifax County, the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce, and the Longwood Small Business Development Center are all located in the same office building on 515 Broad Street for convenience of assistance to the community and interaction of services offered. The Prizery is a 38,000 sq. ft. tobacco warehouse built in the 1890's along the Dan River in South Boston that will include space for a welcome center, a performing arts theatre, an art gallery, classrooms, and a large space for community functions. The Southern Virginia Higher Education Center is also in South Boston in a newly renovated facility and houses the Longwood Small Business Development Center. The Higher Education Center coordinates a wide variety of classes from some of Virginia's finest colleges and universities. Programs are constantly being added to meet the growing needs of the community.

The combination of Halifax County's work ethics, cooperative local government and community willingness to assist business and industry along with Virginia's business climate in a right-to-work state creates a perfect environment for success. Imagine your tomorrow in Halifax County, Virginia.