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Blacksburg, Virginia

Blacksburg is an incorporated town located in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 39,573 at the 2000 census. Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford are the three principal jurisdictions of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses those jurisdictions and all of Montgomery, Pulaski, and Giles counties for statistical purposes. The MSA has an estimated population of 157,614 and is currently one of the faster growing MSAs in Virginia. Blacksburg is dominated economically and demographically by the presence of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (better known as Virginia Tech), a Virginia land-grant university.

History

European discovery and the founding of a settlement (1671-1771)

When European explorers led by Abraham Wood reached the present-day location of Blacksburg, Virginia in 1671, there were no longer any Native Americans that lived in the area. They followed Stroubles Creek, through the current locations of the town and campus of Virginia Tech to what they named Wood's River. On September 17, 1671, the Wood party claimed all the lands comprising the drainage basin of the river, later renamed the New River, for King Charles II.

During the 1740s, the Wood's River Land Company, which was represented by Col. James Patton, attained a large tract of land within present-day southwest Virginia. Part of the tract became Montgomery County and Pulaski County and was sold to settlers entering the region. The Draper and Ingles families were among those that built their homes somewhere between present locations of the campus and the subdivision of Hethwood. The settlement came to be called Draper's Meadow by 1748.

Seven years later, the settlement was involved in the brutality of the French and Indian War. Sometime around July 30, 1755, the event now known as the Draper's Meadow massacre occurred, and there is a bridge located near Duck Pond that is dedicated to the massacre. By the end of the war, Draper's Meadow was deserted.

The Black family (1772-1797)

Samuel Black, whose family settled in Staunton, Virginia, bought 600 acres of land in the Draper’s Meadow area for his sons John and William in 1772. Smithfield Plantation, built in approximately 1774 by Col. William Preston, sits on the original Draper's Meadow site, which is near the Duck Pond on the Virginia Tech campus.

When Samuel Black died in 1792, the land was evenly divided into two sections by his sons. The road now known as Draper's Road is the dividing line between the sections. John Black's property covered the majority of today's central campus and William Black's property became most of central downtown area of present-day Blacksburg.

In 1797, William laid out a small grid of streets and lots—16 blocks in all—on a portion of his land. The original town was limited to the area bounded by present-day Draper Road, Jackson Street, Wharton Street, and Clay Street. The city logo contains 16 small squares that create a larger square, representing the original 16 square blocks that were a part of Black's design.

Blacksburg's establishment (1798-1870)

After Black petitioned the state legislature to establish a town at the site, the official establishment and founding of Blacksburg, Virginia was January 13, 1798 on the thirty-eight and three-quarter acre tract that he laid out. The following August 4, he signed over the deed to the town trustees. The town was named after him in his honor.

In 1801, a humble log cabin was built, one that was not distinguishable from any other at the time. It went on to be the home of the future colonel of the 28th Virginia Infantry Robert Preston and two Virginia governors. The cabin, now known as "Solitude," is the oldest building on the Virginia Tech campus.

According to records of the Post Office Department of the National Archives and Records Administration, the post office at Blacksburg, Montgomery County was established as "BLACKSBURGH" on April 8, 1827. The name was changed to the current spelling (without the "h") in 1893.

Even though the Methodists had built two cabins to worship in since the town's founding, they did not build a more permanent structure until 1830, when a brick church was constructed. The Presbyterians were the next Christian denomination to build a church within Blacksburg's limits. In 1848 they built their first brick building at 117 South Main Street. Though still standing, this building has not been used as a church for many years. It was once South Main Café, but is currently Cabo Fish Taco. It is also the oldest building on Main Street. The Baptists founded the third oldest church in the town in 1852.

In 1832, Westview Cemetery was established from a few acres of land that were deeded to trustees.

One of the first educational establishments started in Blacksburg was the Blacksburg Female Academy in 1840. The Olin and Preston Institute (re-charted as Preston and Olin Institute in 1869) was a Methodist-sponsored academy established in 1851.

The first bank in Montgomery County, Blacksburg Savings Institution, was established in 1849.

The first newspaper published in Blacksburg was the Montgomery Messenger. Its first issue was released in 1869.

Incorporation and modernization (1871-1951)

In 1871, the village that became known as Blacksburg was incorporated and Thomas W. Jones became the first mayor.

One year later, the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College opened its doors on October 2, 1872 with a faculty of three members. Through the influence of presidential policies over the next century, the college grew and became known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, which shortly afterward became informally referred to as Virginia Tech.

In an effort to increase one of the town's emergency services, a fire-fighting unit was organized within the university in 1899. The town bought its first fire truck 43 years later. The Blacksburg First Aid and Life Saving Crew was founded in 1951 as another addition to the growing amount of emergency services.

Very shortly after the beginning of the 20th century, Blacksburg began to experience a techological boost. The first automobile came through the town in 1901 and it was a spectacle for the community. Three years later another mode of transportation, the train, entered Blacksburg from Christiansburg using the Virginia Anthracite & Coal Railroad, which later became known as the "Huckleberry." Traffic in Blacksburg increased sufficiently enough that by January 1913 the town voted against allowing cows to continue to roam in town. The first filling station was opened in 1919 and at the time was the only one between Roanoke, Virginia and Bluefield, West Virginia. The town's first landing strip was built in 1929 and was 1,800 feet (548.64 m) in length. The grass landing strip was given airport status in 1931 and later became Virginia Tech Airport. The community also got an extra mode of transportation as local buses began to make their rounds for the first time in 1947.

The town's first theater was built in 1909. It was a precursor to the Lyric Theater which stands on College Avenue today.

In the spring of 1935, Main Street was strung with ten street lights from Roanoke Street northward to the top of the hill, where it now intersects the Alumni Mall. By October the town's second stoplight was installed on Main Street at Roanoke Street and was synchronized with the original one at Main and College.

The establishment of official law enforcement began in 1937 when Officer Dave "Highpockets" Sumner became the first Blacksburg police officer. The first police car was purchased nine years later.

Compulsory education and commercialization (1952-1992)

Blacksburg experienced a boost of compulsory education during the second half of the 20th century. Even though there had been a place for secondary education somewhere in town since 1906, it was not until 1952 when the first official location for Blacksburg High School was built on South Main and Eheart Streets. That same year, all high schools in Montgomery County began operating on a twelve-grade basis which is still county policy to this day. Two years later, Blacksburg High School was relocated to a building on South Main Street which eventually became the site of Blacksburg Middle School. The Margaret J. Beeks Elementary School and the Gilbert F. Linkous School were both completed in 1963 and Harding Avenue Elementary School was built in 1972. Two years later, Blacksburg High School's current spot in town on Patrick Henry Drive was opened in 1974 after 20 years of issues with overcrowding in its previous location.

Jack Goodwin was appointed the first chief of police by the Blacksburg Town Council in 1954. Jan Olinger was made the first female police officer in 1976.

1958 was the year that marked the beginning of the end for the railroad that came to be known as the "Huckleberry." Passenger service came to an end on July 25. It would not be until June 30, 1966 when the last freight train arrived at the Blacksburg depot. Within 24 hours, the depot was closed, the empty cars were picked up, and the tracks were immediately removed.

190 years after its original construction, the newly renovated Smithfield Plantation house was re-opened in 1964.

The amount of commercialization in the area began to increase in the mid-1960s. An important opening that occurred was the Corning Glass Works (now called Corning Incorporated) facility in 1964 which is located south of Blacksburg. The Blacksburg Municipal Building on South Main Street was constructed in 1969. Terrace View apartments, the first large student complex, was built in 1970. The Blacksburg Branch of the Montgomery County Library was opened the same year. Ten years later, it was moved into the facility that used to house the Blacksburg Lumber Company on Draper Road. In 1971, Blacksburg ratified a new charter and Montgomery Regional Hospital was built. The University Mall shopping center opened that year as well. During 1981, the Blacksburg Community Center opened. It cost the town $1.2 million to build. By 1988, the New River Valley Mall was opened and the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center had its first ground-breaking ceremony.

After construction of Virginia's portion of Interstate 81 began in 1957, it took about nine years until the segment that ran alongside the town was opened in November 1965. About half that amount of time passed before the U.S. Route 460 bypass opened in 1969.

In the 1970s, Blacksburg's population more than tripled as Virginia Tech was annexed into the town and other land area was also brought in. The population grew from 9,000 people to 30,000 during this decade.

Replacing the old public bus system, Blacksburg Transit began running in 1983.

Into the Information Age (1993-2005)

Blacksburg is the site of the Blacksburg Electronic Village or BEV, conceived as a computer networking project of Virginia Tech in 1991 and officially born in 1993 as a way to link the town together using the Internet. This project quickly ushered the town into what is being called the Information Age.

In 1994, Kipps Elementary School was opened. By this time, Blacksburg could boast five elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school as part of the public education of its children.

A new Blacksburg branch library was opened in 1996.

After 24 years of abandonment and six years of planning and construction, the first phase of the Huckleberry Trail opened in 1996. The second phase of construction was completed in 1998.

On July 8, 1997, ground was broken for the experimental "Smart Road" project. The second phase of construction was completed in 2002.

Recent tragedies (2006-2007)

Unfortunately, Blacksburg's recent history has been marred by tragedy. On August 20, 2006, William Morva, a 24-year-old resident who became a prisoner awaiting trial for attempted armed robbery, exacerbated his criminal record when he assaulted a deputy, fatally wounded a hospital security guard at Montgomery Regional Hospital, and killed a Montgomery County sheriff's officer on the Huckleberry Trail by the next morning. His subsequent escape and manhunt caused the Blacksburg and Virginia Tech police department to close the Virginia Tech campus and cancel classes on the first day of the fall semester. Morva was brought into custody that afternoon.

Less than a year after that, the campus would once again witness chaos. On April 16, 2007, a school shooting comprising two separate attacks about two hours apart in Ambler Johnston Hall and Norris Hall occurred. The horrible events of that day are known as the Virginia Tech massacre. The perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, a 23-year-old of South Korean descent who was an english major at Virginia Tech, killed 32 people and wounded 25 others before committing suicide, making it the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 19.4 square miles (50.2 km²) of which 19.4 square miles (50.1 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²), or 0.10%, is water. Blacksburg is 2,080 feet (634 m) above sea level. It is the 15th largest municipality and the largest town in the commonwealth of Virginia.

The Eastern Continental Divide traverses the Virginia Tech/Montgomery Airport.

The tallest building in Blacksburg is Slusher Tower, a twelve story residence hall on the Virginia Tech campus. The building with the highest elevation is actually Lee Hall, another residence hall, home to the transmitter of campus radio station WUVT.

Transportation

Blacksburg is served primarily by US-460 and I-81, both major arteries for travel in the region. The two roads, together with Route 114, US-11, and Route 8 provide the major highway infrastructure for the developing area. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute is currently working with the Virginia Department of Transportation to build the Virginia Smart Road which will connect Blacksburg directly to I-81, thus significantly decreasing the travel time between Blacksburg and its much larger neighbor, Roanoke. The road, together with the current US-460, will create a loop around Blacksburg, thus alleviating current traffic congestion and aiding further development of the area.

Weather

Normal Temperatures

(BLACKSBURG Weather station, 2.06 miles from Blacksburg)

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
Max °F	41.1	44.8	53.3	62.9	71.5	78.6	82.5	81.3	75.3	65.3	55.0	44.9	63.0
Mean °F	30.9	33.5	41.4	50.0	58.9	66.9	71.1	69.6	63.0	51.7	42.8	34.1	51.2
Min °F	20.6	22.1	29.4	37.0	46.3	55.2	59.7	57.8	50.7	38.0	30.6	23.2	39.2

Normal Precipitation

(BLACKSBURG Weather station, 2.06 miles from Blacksburg)

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
Inch	3.37	3.02	3.83	3.83	4.39	3.93	4.17	3.68	3.39	3.19	2.96	2.87	42.63

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 39,573 people, 13,162 households, and 4,777 families residing in the town, of which 23,895, or 60%, were college students. The population density was 2,044.2 people per square mile (789.2/km²). There were 13,732 housing units at an average density of 709.4/sq mi (273.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 84.39% White, 7.80% Asian, 4.39% African American, 0.11% Native American 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 2.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.32% of the population.

The Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which includes the town of Christiansburg, the independent city of Radford, and all of Montgomery, Pulaski, and Giles counties has an estimated population of 157,614 and is currently one of the faster growing MSAs in Virginia.

There were 13,162 households out of which 16.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.7% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 63.7% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the town the population was spread out with 9.7% under the age of 18, 57.4% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 9.2% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there are 127.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 129.7 males.

The median household income was $22,513 and the median income for a family was $51,810. Males had a median income of $37,129 versus $24,321 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,946. About 15.9% of families and 43.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.7% of those under the age of 18 and 6.1% of those 65 and older.

About 87% of the town's residents has in-home Internet access with 65% using a broadband connection.

Not surprisingly, there are a lot of people that live in Blacksburg with an education beyond high school. Eighty-five percent of the community has a college education.

Economy

The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center is home to several companies of varying sizes including VTLS, Honeywell, Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Mailtrust (formerly Webmail.us), and the National Weather Service which maintains its Southwestern Virginia headquarters there.

Notable natives

Bob Roop, American heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler
Brandon Stokley, NFL wide receiver for the Denver Broncos
Thomas M. Price, American architect
Henry Lee Lucas, serial killer, claimed to have killed 350+ victims

Points of interest

Armory Art Gallery
Caboose Park Recreation
Kent Square
Hahn Horticulture Garden
Lyric Theatre
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

Annual town events

The International Street Fair & Parade held in Blacksburg takes place on the first Saturday of every April. Over 110 countries are represented by the student body of Virginia Tech and individuals from the community during the festival. College Avenue is closed for food and craft booths and the stage features an eclectic mix of melodies and musical performances from around the world.

Steppin' Out, the town's first annual street festival, has taken place on the first Friday and Saturday of every August since 1976 when it was known as the Deadwood Days Summer Festival. The festival's name was changed in 1980. Steppin' Out features over 150 artists and crafts people from around the United States selling unique handcrafted items, local merchants holding final clearance sidewalk sales, local restaurants selling food through outdoor vending, multiple stages for live performances, and fun for the entire family. The area from North Main Street and Alumni Mall (sometimes even more to the north) to South Main Street and Roanoke Street and Draper Road and Lee Street is designated for the festival. The Draper Mile Run, which was started in 1982, is a one-mile road race for runners of all ages that is held annually during the first evening of the festival.