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All About Blacksburg

The Surrounding Area

Think big . . .

The Town of Blacksburg, covering only 12,000 or so acres, is considered small by most any standard. But don’t let its size -- or location -- fool you.

With nearly 40,000  residents (and more than 25,000 Tech students), Blacksburg is Virginia’s largest town and among the East Coast’s most popular destinations.

Within the town (and campus) limits is historic Smithfield Plantation. Col. William B. Preston established the Smithfield estate--named for his wife, Susanna Smith--in 1772 after an earlier settlement known as Draper's Meadow was wiped out in an Indian massacre. The oldest part of the existing house was built in 1790. Smithfield is a state historic landmark and is open for tours April through November. Call (540) 231-3947 for more details.

The town lies in Montgomery County, which has a population of around 84,000 and includes some 19,000 acres of the Jefferson National Forest.

Montgomery County is the heart of the New River Valley, which is bordered by the Blue Ridge Parkway to the East and the Appalachian Trail to the West.

Virginia claims nearly 550 miles of the Appalachian Trail (more than any other state) and a great deal of that mileage is in Southwest Virginia, renowned for its natural beauty, distinctive history, and enduring traditions.

Montgomery County’s regional retail hub is situated in Christiansburg, including the New River Valley Mall, which is less than 10 miles on Route 460 from the Virginia Tech campus.

At the southwest corner of Montgomery County is the City of Radford, home to Radford University, around 30 minutes from the Tech campus.

Accessible to Interstate 81, which bisects Montgomery County, Blacksburg is approximately 30 minutes from Roanoke, Southwest Virginia’s largest city.

To the North:

• Less than 15 minutes to Pandapas Pond, where the fishing is excellent and the trails are incredible.
• Less than 30 minutes to Hollins University.
• Mountain Lake Resort, where “Dirty Dancing” was filmed.
• About 45 minutes to Cascades Falls, among the East Coast’s most beautiful waterfalls.
• Around two hours to Charlottesville, home to Tech’s biggest rival, the University of Virginia.
• More interested in the metropolitan areas? It’s between four and five hours to Washington, D.C.

To the South:

• Around 15 minutes to The Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech, selected by Golf Magazine as one of the country’s best new public-access courses.
• Some 30 minutes to Claytor Lake State Park, 21 miles of sparkling lake and nearly 500 acres of parkland.
• An hour or so to Fancy Gap, a dramatic exit from the mountains into North Carolina’s piedmont region.
• Less than two hours to Abingdon, home of the historic Barter Theatre, the State Theatre of Virginia.
• Around two hours to Winston-Salem, N.C., home of ACC-rival Wake Forest University.
• A little more than two hours to Bristol, home to the Birthplace of Country Music and near the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, the state’s highest peak.
• Less than three hours to Charlotte, N.C., a haven for professional sports fans.

To the East:

• Less than two hours to Lynchburg, the "City of the Seven Hills" on the James River.
• Some three hours to Richmond, Virginia’s capital city.
• Nearly five hours to Virginia Beach's 28 miles of shoreline, the longest resort beach in the world.

To the West:

• Two and a half hours to Charleston, the capital of West Virginia.
• Around three hours to Breaks Interstate Park, often called the “Grand Canyon of the South.”
• Around three hours to Big Stone Gap, home of the Southwest Virginia Museum.
• Less than four hours to Knoxville, Tenn.

Want to learn more about Southwest Virginia?

• The Southwest Virginia Heritage Guide lists sites and resources for exploring the regional heritage of the Virginia highlands. Access the guide online.
• Joe Tennis’s Southwest Virginia Crossroads: An Almanac of Place Names and Places to See is a wonderful overview of the area, including a history of its people and places, as well as county maps and detailed directions to its best attractions -- including waterfalls, lakes, charming towns, and historical sites -- and some of its best-kept secrets.