Drawing from analysis conducted by Richmond economist Christine Chmura, Doug Koelemay has written a column, “Connecting the Crescent,” that will change the way downstate Virginians perceive Northern Virginia.

We downstaters have always recognized (and envied) the incredible economic success of NoVa. The more enlightened of us have even appreciated the disproportionate contribution that NoVa has made to the Commonwealth’s tax base. What we residents of the Rest of Virginia (RoVa) have not sufficiently understood was the growing contribution that NoVa businesses are making to growth in our downstate communities. Here are the key numbers:

For the five years ending in 1995, the [Chmura] report notes, Northern Virginia firms created 17,191 new jobs in other areas of the state. That’s an average of 3,400 jobs a year downstate. For the five years ending in 2000, Northern Virginia firms created 28,560 jobs in other areas of the state, an average of 5,700 jobs a year. And for the five years ending in 2005, Northern Virginia firms created 36,191 jobs in other parts of the state. That’s an average of 7,200 jobs a year, double the rate of the early 1990s.

Playing on its defense industry ties, Hampton Roads has been the primary beneficiary of NoVa’s dynamism, but the Richmond region has benefited as well.

Koelemay, a Northern Virginian who sallies frequently to Richmond and other downstate locations, draws the inevitable conclusion: It’s in RoVa’s self interest to ensure that NoVa’s economic prosperity continues. If that means investing more in transportation, then so be it.