Site Selection Magazine awarded Virginia a Top 5 ranking with its annual Governor’s Cup for new and expanded facilities. Virginia’s 273 new projects and expansions showed an increase of 44 percent over 2010, allowing the Commonwealth to climb from 10th place last year to 5th place this year.

To be included in the rankings, new facilities and expansions had to meet at least one of the following criteria: a minimum investment of $1 million, creation of at least 50 jobs and the addition of at least 20,000 square feet of new floor space.

Northern Virginia’s Arlington/Alexandria area received a No. 8 ranking for Top Metros with populations over one million. For metro areas with a population less than 200,000 three Virginia regions made the top 10 list. The Blacksburg/Christiansburg/Radford region was rated No. 4 and Charlottesville and Danville were both rated No. 8.

Staunton/Waynesboro, Va., received a 13th place ranking in the Top Micropolitan category. Micropolitans are defined as rural areas with a population of less than 50,000.

Staunton has been in the press recently when Forbes.com picked up the publication “How to Radically Revitalize America: A Micropolitan Manifesto.” Written and photographed by Staunton business owners, the publication describes how entrepreneurs are choosing to locate their businesses in Staunton, Va., for the rich quality of life the area offers.

Virginia’s pro-business operating environment, highly skilled workforce, leading R&D centers, premier logistics network and strong quality of life are just some of the reasons Virginia continues to lead with top accolades from CNBC, Forbes.com, Pollina Corporate Real Estate and Site Selection Magazine.

To learn why Virginia is the best state for business and offers the right mix of resources to support your business, click here.