Virginia Living

What Virginia Living does

Virginia Living is a privately held regional lifestyle magazine publisher headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, operated by Cape Fear Publishing Co. Inc. The core product is a bimonthly print magazine (six issues per year) covering Virginia's people, food, travel, towns, culture, and outdoors, supplemented by a digital edition and a content website at virginialiving.com. The company has built an annual franchise around the "Best of Virginia" awards (running each year since 2016), additional awards programs (Made in Virginia, Photography Awards, Cutest Pet Photo Contest), and recurring editorial "Top" directories spanning healthcare, real estate, mortgage, retirement, education, and wedding vendors.

The business generates revenue through four streams: tiered consumer subscriptions ($36 for one year, $64 for two years, $85 for three years), single-copy newsstand sales priced at $18.95-$22.95 per issue, advertising partnerships with Virginia-based businesses, tourism entities, restaurants, and hotels, and merchandise sales through the Virginia Living Store e-commerce storefront. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and content-driven: direct subscriptions via mail and online, retail distribution across Virginia, and award programs and resource directories that anchor advertising demand. Distribution combines direct mail, retail newsstand, self-serve digital, and the owned e-commerce site.

The technology stack is standard digital publishing infrastructure — a content management system running the website, plus transactional infrastructure for subscription and e-commerce. No proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, patents, external funding, or institutional ownership are disclosed. Leadership is small and editorial-led: Madeline Mayhood serves as Editor-in-Chief and Hope Cartwright as Associate Editor. The company has no public listing, no subsidiaries, no disclosed headcount, and no documented M&A or fundraising activity in the source data.

Name

Virginia Living

Legal name

Virginia Living

Website

https://virginialiving.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Virginia Living is a privately held Richmond-based regional lifestyle magazine publisher serving Virginia residents and visitors through a bimonthly print edition, digital content site, weekly VL Today newsletter, annual awards programs, and resource directories, generating revenue from subscriptions, advertising, newsstand sales, and merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Lifestyle Magazine

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

Keywords

• Regional lifestyle magazine
• Editorial subscription content
• Virginia travel guide
• Bimonthly print publication
• Awards publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: The magazine generates revenue primarily through print and digital subscriptions, with tiered pricing options ranging from 1-year ($36) to 3-year ($85) subscription plans. Subscriptions include 6 bi-monthly issues plus the annual Best of Virginia issue.
2. Advertising: Revenue is generated through advertising partnerships with Virginia businesses, tourism entities, restaurants, hotels, and local attractions featured in the magazine and on the website.
3. Newsstand Sales: Single copy sales through retail distribution channels including bookstores, convenience stores, and newsstands throughout Virginia.
4. Store Products: The Virginia Living Store sells back issues, plaques, and branded merchandise directly to consumers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Virginia Living publishes a bimonthly regional lifestyle magazine (six print issues per year plus an annual Best of Virginia issue) covering Virginia's people, places, food, travel, towns, culture, outdoors, and history. The publication is sold via print and digital subscriptions (1-year $36, 2-year $64, 3-year $85), retail newsstand distribution, single-issue mail order, and supported by the weekly VL Today email newsletter and the Virginia Living Store e-commerce site selling back issues, plaques, and branded merchandise.

Product overview

Virginia Living is a regional lifestyle magazine offering a print publication (bi-monthly, 6 issues per year plus annual Best of Virginia issue) and digital content through its website. The product portfolio includes the core magazine, the VL Today weekly newsletter, and the annual Best of Virginia and Made in Virginia awards programs. The company also operates an e-commerce store for subscriptions and merchandise. The magazine covers diverse editorial categories including food, travel, towns, culture, outdoors, weddings, and health & wellness, positioning it as a comprehensive guide to Virginia living.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Virginia Living Magazine Bimonthly regional lifestyle magazine publishing six print issues per year (plus the annual Best of Virginia issue), celebrating Virginia's people, places, food, travel, towns, culture, outdoors, and history. Offered in print and digital editions, sold via subscriptions, newsstand, and single-issue mail order.
• VL Today Newsletter Weekly email newsletter distributed to subscribers featuring Virginia's top stories and the best things to eat, drink, see, and do across the state.
• Virginia Living Store E-commerce storefront at virginialivingstore.com selling current and back issues of Virginia Living magazine, plaques, banners, decals, and branded merchandise directly to consumers.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Texas Monthly: Long-running regional magazine covering Texas politics, culture, food, and travel. Closely comparable to Virginia Living as a single-state lifestyle publication with a strong editorial brand, annual rankings, and awards programs (e.g., Best of Texas BBQ).
• Garden & Gun: Bimonthly lifestyle magazine covering Southern food, travel, sport, and culture. Closely comparable to Virginia Living in publication cadence, regional lifestyle focus, print-plus-digital subscription model, and awards programs (e.g., Made in the South).
• Midwest Living: Regional lifestyle magazine from Dotdash Meredith covering food, travel, and homes across the Midwest. Comparable to Virginia Living in editorial format and regional subscription model, though at broader geographic scale.
• Yankee Magazine: Regional lifestyle magazine covering New England food, travel, and culture. Comparable to Virginia Living as a single-region subscription magazine with print + digital + e-commerce store and annual best-of awards.
• Baltimore Magazine: Regional lifestyle magazine serving the Baltimore/Mid-Atlantic area, covering dining, culture, real estate, and travel. Comparable to Virginia Living in regional focus, ranked professional resources, and mid-Atlantic advertising base.
• Southern Living: The flagship regional lifestyle magazine for the American South covering food, travel, homes, and culture. Directly comparable to Virginia Living in editorial format, subscription model, and advertising-driven regional coverage, though at a multi-state scale.
• Coastal Virginia Magazine: Regional lifestyle magazine focused on coastal Virginia, covering dining, travel, and local culture. Highly comparable to Virginia Living as a fellow Virginia-focused lifestyle publication serving overlapping readers and advertisers.
• Richmond Magazine: Monthly city/regional lifestyle magazine based in Richmond, Virginia. Directly comparable as a hyper-local Virginia lifestyle publication covering dining, culture, and people with a sales-led subscription and advertising model.

Broad incumbents

• Sunset Magazine: Long-standing Western U.S. lifestyle magazine covering travel, food, gardening, and homes. Adjacent incumbent in the regional lifestyle category with overlapping content categories but broader Western territory.

Emerging players

• Blue Ridge Country: Bimonthly regional magazine covering the Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian Virginia/North Carolina. A partial-overlap niche lifestyle title with shared geography and audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VirginiaLiving
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cape-fear-publishing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Virginia Living