City of Galax

Green-tailed Towhee, © Nathan Tea

Nestled between Grayson and Carroll Counties, some 7.5 miles north of the North Carolina border, Galax (pronounced GAY-lax) is one of Virginia’s smallest cities in more ways than one; with an area of about 8 sq. miles and a population just over 6800, Galax ranks in the bottom ten for both metrics. By Virginia standards, it is a relatively young city. Planning for the town began in late 1903, with a site selected on a plateau bisected by Chestnut Creek. The town was formally incorporated in 1906, taking its distinctive name from Galax urceolata, a native evergreen plant that locals collected and shipped to cities to be sold as an ornamental. In 1953, the town was incorporated as a city under Virginia law. By the 1960s, Galax had become a regional manufacturing hub and was home to several factories representing a variety of industries: furniture, textiles, mirrors, agricultural products, and even a Coca Cola bottling plant. Furniture in particular has long been the lynchpin of Galax’s economy, with the Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co. maintaining a large factory for manufacturing wooden bedroom furniture. Even amid late-20th century industrial decline, Galax remained a success story; the Vaughan-Bassett factory not only avoided closing like many other U.S. factories, but actually experience continued growth into the 2010s.

Apart from its history as a manufacturing center, Galax also has a rich tradition as a repository of Appalachian musical heritage. As a center of old-time music, Galax and its musicians played a significant role in the emergence of country music in the 1920s. Perhaps the most important musical figure was Ernest Stoneman, a singer, songwriter, and musician who recorded several sessions for Okeh Records with Ralph Peer in the mid-1920s. He was instrumental in helping Peer organize the 1927 recording sessions in Bristol that led to the discovery of both Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family, and which are, by some accounts, the birth of commercial country music. For his contributions to the genre, Stoneman was honored with induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Galax has also remained an important place for preserving the legacy of pre-commercial old-time music. Most famously, it hosts the Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention, an annual competition for fiddle players that has taken place since 1935 and garnered international recognition for the city. Apart from performance, Galax is also a renowned location for traditional instrument-making, even giving birth to a unique “Galax-style” dulcimer.

For birders, Galax remains largely uncharted territory. It is located far enough off I-77 and I-81 that it is not a common pit-stop, and there are no major birding destinations nearby. Even Grayson Highlands State Park, in the adjacent county, is 40 miles away! Ask those Virginia birders who have been, and you’ll probably find a common response: many of the people who have made the trek did so in 2007, when the city played host to a long-staying Green-tailed Towhee, Virginia’s first since 1953. Take this out of the mix, and Galax can rightly stake a claim as the least-birded jurisdiction in the state – the numbers bear it out, as Galax ranks bottom of the pack in both species total and number of eBird checklists. This obscurity may be due in part to the fact that birding destinations are in fairly short supply within the city limits. There are only five hotspots (not counting the towhee stakeout), and by far the best birding destination is a half-mile segment of New River Trail State Park that passes through the city alongside Chestnut Creek. This stretch of riparian buffer is the best place in the city to seek woodland birds, and on the right day it can be quite productive. The trees along the creek are a fine spot to seek migrant passerines; with some effort and luck, a respectable list of warblers, vireos, thrushes, flycatchers, and the like is possible. Breeders here include Scarlet Tanager, Northern Parula, Black-and-white Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Wood Thrush. Elsewhere in the city, municipal parks like Felts Park and Mountain View Park offer recreational green space that is low on diversity and mostly good for suburban-dwellers. The Felts Memorial Cemetery can be a good spot to seek edge species like Chipping Sparrows, Eastern Bluebirds, and Dark-eyed Juncos. For true open country species, opportunity is sorely lacking, and the Galax Municipal Golf Course may be the best bet. The golf course also has a few small ponds that offer the only thing resembling a shot at waterfowl or shorebirds within city limits; at the very least, one should be able to add Canada Goose here.

What remains to be discovered here for birding? Larger wooded tracts on the north and south sides of the city may be untapped gems, while open farm fields on the western edge may be the key to finding otherwise-challenging species. As with many of Virginia’s small cities, more birder effort may yet uncover new and exciting spots!

—Matt Anthony

Hotspots

Stakeout Hotspots

The following hotspots should only be used to input historical records pertaining to a specific staked out rarity, as indicated in the hotspots names.

Accessibility and Surroundings

Galax straddles the Grayson/Carroll County line, sitting roughly equidistant between the respective county seats of Independence and Hillsville. US 58, which traverses the entire southern border of Virginia from the Atlantic Ocean to Cumberland Gap, pass right through Galax and is the main east-west thoroughfare and connects Galax to both of the aforementioned towns. Just 10 miles to the east is I-77, which runs north-south and connects with I-81 at Wytheville. It also extends north into West Virginia, and south into North Carolina (eventually reaching Charlotte).

Amenities

Though small, Galax is not without its comforts. Along 58 in the eastern part of the city, one will find a collection of fast food and fast-casual chain restaurants, box stores, and the like. For more local flavor, one might consider visiting some of the shops along Main Street. Brier Patch Marketplace & Cafe is a charming spot for coffee, pastries, and lite lunch fare which has the added bonus of also being an antique store. Across the street, The Galax Smokehouse is a popular local BBQ joint for those in search of more substantial fare. Beer fans will want to pay a visit to the city’s only brewery, Creek Bottom Brewing Company, which serves up locally-crafted beers and eats in two locations: one downtown, and one at the city golf club. There are plenty of other options for dining, shopping, and lodging; travelers seeking more information should consult Visit Galax for the latest news.

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