The Huckleberry Trail
Heritage Park & Trail System
2000 Users Survey: Quality of Life
According to the National Park Service report, Economic Impacts
of Rivers, Trails and Greenways: Corporate Relocation & Retention (Chapter
7), quality of life is “increasingly cited as a major factor in corporate
and business location decisions:”
- The Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress reports that
a city's quality of life is more important than purely business-related factors
when it comes to attracting new businesses, particularly in the rapidly growing
high-tech and service industries (Scenic America,1987).
- One aspect of quality of life is a location with convenient
access to natural settings, recreational and cultural opportunities, and open
space.
The National Park Services Position is echoed by the Virginia Department of
Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The DCR notes that Greenways and Trails improve
the overall quality of life because they “provide a connection between
people, communities, and the countryside, provide important open space resources,
and provide close-to-home access to greater proportions of the population than
traditional parks.”
The Huckleberry Trail Users Survey asked respondents “do you feel that
the Huckleberry Trail is an import part of the quality of life in this area?”
Respondents were provided with four possible answers: 1) Very Important, 2)
Somewhat Important, 3) Neutral, and 4) Not Very Important. Of the 142 people
surveyed, not a single respondent chose either number 3 (Neutral) or number
4 (not very important). Of the remaining two choices, 128 respondents, representing
89.5% of trail users felt that the Huckleberry Trail was very important to the
quality of life in Montgomery County. The remaining 15 respondents, representing
10.5% of those surveyed, felt that the Huckleberry Trail was somewhat important
to the quality of life in Montgomery County (Figure 6.1).
Of those who felt the Trail was somewhat important, four were from outside
of Montgomery County. Of the remaining eleven respondents, nine were from Blacksburg,
one was from Radford, and one did not provide an answer to the location question.
All of the respondents from Christiansburg and Montgomery County ranked the
Huckleberry Trail as being very important to the quality of life. Consideration
of the location in terms of the quality of life ranking is important because
both Blacksburg and Radford have existing trail systems; Christiansburg and
Montgomery County do not. The results suggest that, for a few, a greater variety
of trails may well diminish the specific importance of any one trail within
the system. This, however, does not represent the vast majority of Huckleberry
Trail users.
In addition, of the nine Blacksburg residents who ranked the trail as somewhat
important , five were 18 to 22 years of age. Of the total respondents, 9 of
the 143 interviewed were 18 to 22 year olds from Blacksburg, and the remaining
8 respondents from that age group were either from other locations or were from
Christiansburg, Montgomery County, or from outside of Montgomery County. Of
those nine Blacksburg respondents, 55.6% (five) felt the trail was somewhat
important to the quality of life in Montgomery County. These results should
come as no surprise. Given the number of other recreation activities available
through Virginia Tech, the existing trail system in Blacksburg, and other trails
within the region, the Huckleberry Trail may hold less specific appeal to that
particular age group because of recreational competition.
The user’s written comments underscore the importance of the Huckleberry
Trail to the quality of life in Montgomery County, Blacksburg, and Christiansburg.
One trail user noted that “it seems like may people use the trail for all
sorts of activities; I have lived in multiple areas and never had access to
such a unique means of recreation.” Another noted that the trail provides
“a family/community gathering place.” Still another observed that
“it is nice to have a place you can go that hasn’t been too damaged
by society.”
Indeed, the range of activities possible, the sense of community and the opportunity
to meet others, and the quiet setting are all seen as contributing factors to
the success of the Huckleberry Trail and to its contribution to the quality
of life in Montgomery County. (Figure 6.2).
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Figure 6.2: Selected Comments in Response to the Quality of Life Question
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- “When I ‘use’ the trail, my [exercise] experience
is even better because of the many positive aspects (quiet, safety,
beauty, scenic variety). (Christiansburg, graduate student, female,
age 23-29)
- “For me personally it is very important, as I spend about half
my recreational exercise time on the trail. I don’t know of a
comparable place for rollerblading.” (Blacksburg, student, male,
age 30-45)
- “Its a place people can safely walk/bike/run without worrying
about cars and traffic, etc. You can even just go and sit on a bench.”
(Montgomery County, student, female, 18-22)
- “Gives people a way to stay in shape and enjoy nature”
(Blacksburg, student, male, 18-22)
- “Great--esp. as I age.” (Blacksburg, graduate student,
female, 30-45)
- “Absolutely. I know people from Roanoke who travel here just
to use the trail.” (Roanoke, works in Blacksburg, female 30-45)
- “Great way to travel without traffic / fun family activity.”
(Christiansburg, non-student, male, 30-45).
- “Great commuting trail for me to school. I live near the hospital.”
(Montgomery County, student, male, 23-29).
- “It provides a link in the community. A place where people
can interact and enjoy themselves. It is unlike a mall or park where
people typically keep to themselves.” (Montgomery County, non-student,
male, 23-29)
- “Wonderful for recreation and health related exercise.”
(Blacksburg, non-student, male, 60+)
- “It’s a means of transportation, recreation, and socialization!”
(Blacksburg, non-student, female, 46-59)
- “Its a place that allows you to ‘enjoy’ being alive.”
(Blacksburg, non-student, male, 30-45)
- “I live in Roanoke now--I wish there was a trail there.”
(Roanoke, non-student, female, 23-29)
- “Somewhere for families to spend time together and good exercise.”
(Christiansburg, non-student, female, 30-45)
- “Areas of population need quiet peaceful safe areas for relaxation.”
(Montgomery County, non-student, male, 60+)
- Every urban area should have a trail like the Huckleberry.”
(Montgomery County, non-student, male, 60+)
- “Its a great place for people to walk, bicycle, etc. without
worrying about traffic (Christiansburg, non-student, female, 60+)
- “Very important to me because my family can all go on it together.”
(Montgomery County, non-student, female)
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