 |
|
|
|
Quickly Find In The Tabs Below:
|
Introduction to Blacksburg, Virginia
Blacksburg is a Virginia town located in the county of Montgomery. Sitting approximately 45 miles southwest of the city of Roanoke to which it is connected by Interstate 81, Blacksburg is Virginia's largest town. The town's principal asset and dominant presence is Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (better known as Virginia Tech), the state's largest university.
Incorporated as a town in 1871, Blacksburg was named for William Black, the original owner of the 38-acre tract on which the town was founded in 1798. The year 1872 saw the founding of a land-grant college named Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, which would later become Virginia Tech. As the years progressed, the development of the town of Blacksburg closely paralleled the growth and expansion of the university, which gradually evolved from an agricultural/military institution into a comprehensive research university with the largest full-time student population in Virginia. Today, Blacksburg is home to such major technological entities as the Corporate Research Center and Blacksburg Industrial Park, owing in large part to the presence of Virginia Tech within its boundaries.
Things to do in Blacksburg
Following is a list of some of the Blacksburg area's notable historic, cultural, and recreational attractions:
The Blacksburg sports scene is dominated by the Virginia Tech Hokies, participants in the NCAA's Division I-A of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in all sports. The university switched its sports affiliation from the Big East Conference to the ACC in 2004. Originally known as the "Fighting Gobblers", the university's teams are now officially known as the "Hokies" although the school mascot (the Hokie Bird) retains the appearance of a turkey-like creature. Among the notable Hokie alumni is Michael Vick, the number 1 pick in the 2001 National Football League draft and now starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.
Virginia is by far the largest state in terms of population without a major professional sports team. The nearest pro team to Blacksburg can be found in Lynchburg, about 95 miles away. The Lynchburg Hillcats of Minor League Baseball's Carolina League are a class High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Blacksburg strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Virginia):
| Category | Trophy | |
|---|---|---|
| College Educated Adults (vs. Peers) | Top 2% |  |
| Walking and Biking to Work (vs. Peers) | Top 3% | |
| Public Transportation Use (vs. State) | Top 4% | |
| Short Commute Times (vs. Peers) | Top 4% | |
| Low Property Crime (vs. Peers) | Top 8% | |
| Low Violent Crime (vs. Peers) | Top 17% | |
| Median Family Income (vs. State) | Top 19% | |
Comparing Blacksburg to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Virginia (State):
Ratings range from 
(lowest) to 
(highest).
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Male Share of the Population | | |
| Racial Diversity |  |  |
| Well-Paid Single Men | |  |
| Senior Citizens | | |
| Children Under 5 Years Old | | |
| Female Share of the Population | | |
| Age of the Population | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size |  | |
| Portion of People Married | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| College Educated Adults | | |
| Median Family Income | |  |
| People in Middle Class or Better | | |
| People Above Poverty | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Walking and Biking to Work | | |
| Short Commute Times | | |
| Public Transportation Use | | |
| Working at Home |  | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability of Property Taxes | | |
| Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals | | |
| Housing Recently Built | | |
| Affordability of Rents | | |
| Seasonal and Vacation Housing |  |  |
| People Living Alone | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Low Property Crime | | |
| Low Violent Crime | | |
 | Blacksburg Careers Blacksburg career and employment information. |
 | Blacksburg Colleges Blacksburg colleges and trade schools. |
| Blacksburg Graduate Schools Blacksburg Graduate and Business Schools |
 | Blacksburg Hotels & Travel Blacksburg hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation. |
 | Blacksburg Mortgage Blacksburg property, mortgage, and real estate. |
|
|
|
Career Stories from workers: daily activities, job tips, best/worst job aspects, training, etc.
Daily Career & Education News from our staff. We're an approved Google News provider!
Resource Center. A starting point for all CityTownInfo career and college resources.
Career Overviews of hundreds of careers: descriptions, salaries, forecasts, schools, more.
Best Careers Not Requiring Degrees: Good pay, job growth, low need for degrees.
Helpful Articles, many in "how-to" format; e.g., "How to Become a Chef".
These lists link to thousands of detailed school profiles.
Colleges by State. Nearly every college and trade school in the country.
Colleges Listed Alphabetically. About 7,000 colleges & trade schools, including online schools.
Colleges by Major City. Browse cities with multiple college options.
Online Colleges. Colleges with online degree programs.
Graduate Schools by State. Colleges offering graduate degree programs.
Graduate Schools by Major City. Find cities with multiple graduate school options.
We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.
Are you an official in the Blacksburg government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.
Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Blacksburg. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.
Copyright © QuinStreet, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
