Blacksburg is one of the most beautiful spots in Virginia, which is saying something because the states has some stunning landscape. It’s nestled between the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains, which means you’re surrounded with camping, hiking and leisurely strolling options. The Appalachian Trail is just 40 miles away but there’s other less famous but just as fabulous outdoor adventures available including [**Cascades National Rec Trail**](https://www.virginia.org/listing/cascades-national-recreation-trail/6927/) with a 66-foot waterfall, [**Bottom Creek Gorge Preserve**](https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/bottom-creek-gorge/), also with a series of waterfalls, New River for those craving water play, and most convenient, [**Huckleberry Trail**](https://www.blacksburg.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/88/78), the main greenway throughout Blacksburg, so you don’t even have to leave town to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful countryside.  

Oh, and the aforementioned Carol Lee Donuts, which was recently named one of the [**Top 100 Donut Shops of 2023**](https://www.yelp.com/article/yelps-top-100-us-donut-shops-2023). 



The Great Outdoors (although Carol Lee Donuts is also pretty awesome)

The Best Thing About Blacksburg?

A lot of the social energy of Blacksburg comes from the student population. In the summer, when the kiddos are back home, some locals complain the town is dead. A counterpoint to this is the view from those who are pretty damn thrilled when the Hokies hit the road and leave the restaurants/bars and trails to the grownups. We’ll leave that topic aside for a minute and just note that Virginia Tech is a big part of the population for nine months of the year and when they empty out things get very quiet. 


When Schools Out

The Worst Thing About Blacksburg?

As with many college towns, a lot of the area events and activities happen on campus. One of the great things about being a local is that you can attend all the sports, concerts and performing arts events that VTech hosts, many which are held at the renowned [**Moss Arts Center**](https://artscenter.vt.edu/). Locals can also visit the [**Hahn Horticulture Garden**](https://hahngarden.vt.edu/ ), a beautiful botanical garden on campus, ideal for those in the mood for nature but not game for hitting the trails. You also get the amazing hiking and outdoor adventures described above in the Appalachian Mountains, or Cascades National Trail, or the many many other spots in the surrounding mountains. 

Downtown Blacksburg has some fun restaurants including, [**Cellar**](https://the-cellar.com/), a casual Greek spot with tons of local and national microbrews, Benny Marzano’s, a New York-style pizza spot, and [**The Black Hen & Bar Blue**](https://www.theblackhenrestaurant.com/), a farm-to-table restaurant that features Southern-inspired dishes. Perhaps most notable for off-campus entertainment is [**Lyric Theatre**](https://www.thelyric.com/), a historic downtown venue that hosts live music, theater, and film screenings and serves as a cultural hub for the city. 


Casual Fun

Lifestyle of Blacksburg

Blacksburg is part of the [**Montgomery County Public School District**](https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/), which has an excellent reputation and receives an [**A- on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/montgomery-county-public-schools-va/) with even higher scores for the quality of the teachers. There are a number of A and A+ schools including [**Blacksburg High School**](https://www.niche.com/k12/blacksburg-high-school-blacksburg-va/?map) and [**Harding Avenue**](https://www.niche.com/k12/harding-avenue-elementary-school-blacksburg-va/?map) and [**Gilbert Linkus**](https://www.niche.com/k12/gilbert-linkous-elementary-school-blacksburg-va/?map) Elementary Schools so there are good choices for those craving strong public education. 

Getting A's

Schools in Blacksburg

College Towns are all the rage for graduates looking to extend their youth, young families looking for fun cities with excellent schools, and empty nesters/retirees who want culturally interesting cities with great walkability. That means housing prices in these little havens have spiked in recent years. Blacksburg has a median listing price of $547k and median sale price of $442k. That’s not cheap by any stretch but it beats many other college towns by a couple hundred thousand. 


Good Prices for a College Town

What You Should Move Here Now?

Downtown is as active as it gets in Blacksburg. Everything is walking distance, including Virginia Tech, so you can’t beat it for fun and convenience. You also get the [**Historic District**](https://www.tclf.org/landscapes/blacksburg-historic-district) known as “Old Sixteen Squares” which includes some of the most beautiful homes in the city. The median list price is $657k but actual sale price is just $365k so the value is excellent. One other huge plus to Downtown is how close it is to [**Gilbert Linkous**](https://www.niche.com/k12/gilbert-linkous-elementary-school-blacksburg-va/?map) and [**Harding Avenue**](https://www.niche.com/k12/harding-avenue-elementary-school-blacksburg-va/?map) Elementary schools. Two of the best elementary schools in the area. There’s nothing like a walk or short bike ride to school for making you feel a part of a community. 


Young Professionals, Families, DINKS, Students

Downtown

Hethwood is the first master planned community in the area, developed in 1971 on 316 wooded acres. Families love the neighborhood in part due to the incredible amenities including: swimming pools in each of the subdivisions, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts and plenty of community space for cookouts and kiddo play areas. Families can rent or purchase homes throughout the neighborhood and the average sale price for homes in 2022 was $332k so it’s ideal for young families, both for pricing and community culture. One big plus to Hethwood is its close proximity to [**Blacksburg High School**](https://bhs.mcps.org/), which gets an A+ score on [**niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/blacksburg-high-school-blacksburg-va/?map). 


Families

Hethwood


If you’re looking for a more rural experience, check out Prices Fork. West of downtown (and sometimes defined as including Hethwood), the homes have great big lots and tons of room for kiddos to play outdoors. The outdoor experience also comes from Prices Fork being home to [**Heritage Park**](https://www.blacksburg.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/54/80). This is 169 acres of walking and biking trails, meadows, streams, and just stunning chances to escape and enjoy the great outdoors. It also has community spaces with picnic tables, and pergolas for gathering family and friends for celebrations and weekend play. The bigger homes in Prices Fork command a higher price tag with median listing price at $569k but an average sale price of ~$300k


Prices Fork

Mount Tabor is another historic district in Blacksburg that is a bit more family-centric than Downtown. It has a cool mix of historic homes and newer condo/apartment developments. That means the population of the neighborhood trends younger and older families and couples looking to live outside the racket of Downtown. One of the developments in Mount Tabor that is popular is [**Mount Tabor Meadows**](https://mount-tabor-meadows.org/), a small community of energy-efficient homes, all built to meet Energy Star and EarthCraft House certifications. Average listing price for homes in Mount Tabor is $369k so you can find affordable options here. The neighborhood is also just north of [**Gilbert Linkous**](https://www.niche.com/k12/gilbert-linkous-elementary-school-blacksburg-va/?map) and [**Harding Avenue**](https://www.niche.com/k12/harding-avenue-elementary-school-blacksburg-va/?map) Elementary Schools -- two of the best in the city and for many in the neighborhood, a walk from home. 


Families/DINKs

Mount Tabor 

Blacksburg

**Life in Blacksburg?**

Been living in Blacksburg since 2014 so hopefully i can still offer some insight.

Blacksburg's a very nice place overall. It's currently hard to comment on the quality of the downtown atmosphere given...current events. Some restaurants and shops have either already failed or may in the future. Before covid i can say that the downtown space was small but quite lively. VT and Blacksburg have a unique configuration where the campus and downtown are pretty seamlessly connected. Previously this helped create a great energy downtown on evenings and weekends even in the summer.

One benefit in Blacksburg is that while the town its self is on the smaller side, you still have access to all the more common shops and chain restaurants/etc because the metro area is larger when you include Christiansburg, Radford, and the rest of the NRV(New River Valley).

Housing is kind of all over the place from what i can tell. VT has chosen to grow its student body massively the last 4-6 years. The result has been that housing supply has not really kept up and rent has risen at some places. There are definitely some great rent deals out there still. Apartments right next to campus are limited and are the most expensive.

The traffic is pretty bad for a town this size IMO. Its another consequence of a growing university and a town which wasn't prepared for it.

The local bus system is pretty good all things considered and(depending on where you live) you do not have to own a car if you do not want to.

Blacksburg vicinity has a massive amount of nearby outdoor recreation which may or may not be a plus for you.

Winters here are cold and windy compared to the rest of the south but probably a lot nicer than Indiana. In turn the summers here are cooler and far less humid when compared to other southern areas due to altitude.

One thing I feel i must mention is that i have heard second and third hand accounts of the dating and socializing scene for older students and younger faculty being really rough(hear some people feel the need to move away for better social and romantic opportunities). I don't have personal experience in this area but i have heard enough stories for it to be more than purely coincidence. Sounds like you are young enough to avoid this issue but Id say its at least something you should ask current members of the department about and maybe they can give you a clearer picture.

All in all i really like living in Blacksburg. You get a smallish town feel(and rural recreation) while having most of the amenities of a larger metro area. Hopefully these points were somewhat useful.

**moving to the blacksburg area?**

Do you have a car? Blacksburg has a great bus service, but if you have a car, you can move out to Christiansburg where it's a little cheaper.

Virginia is weird. There are cities and counties. Christiansburg and Blacksburg are towns in Montgomery County. So you may want to do a search by zip code - 24060 for Blacksburg and 24073 for Christiansburg. Everything Blacksburg and Everything Christiansburg are great FB sources. A lot of student housing gets taken pretty quickly because of the stupid amount of people VT is letting in. However some apartment complexes have professional/graduate areas. I know Foxridge is one.

As for jobs, depends on what you want to do. You can always find a job as a server somewhere. There are several local coffee shops and Starbucks if you want to stay that route. Blacksburg Transit usually is hiring. VT also has a lot of job opportunities.

I know you didn't ask, but I recommend Companion Animal Clinic for your cats. VT has a great vet school as well!

Feel free to message me. I was a student from 90-94 and have not left the area. I have lived in both Christiansburg and Blacksburg.

I lived in Blacksburg from Summer 2008 to Summer 2019, for work, school, more school, than work again. Then I moved in to a house next to the New River in Giles County with my girlfriend, and I'm never going back. I currently work in Blacksburg and it's a 20-25 minute commute each way.

I spent a lot of time while in Blacksburg hanging out with grad students and young professionals (the few of us that stuck around after school), and the only thing I truly miss about living in town is being able to bike everywhere, I think I put maybe 6000 miles on my car over 10 years, most of that long trips or visiting family. I can still bike to work, but it takes about two hours with the mountains.

What I don't miss about living in Blacksburg:

Undergrads, sorry, I've been y'all and I hope you have a great experience while at VT and in Blacksburg, I definitely did, but I don't want to live next to or near you.

Constantly rising rent prices, less space, and the continuing Virginia Tech-ification of the town. Can't start a small business when the college owns 80% of the town and surrounding area, and you have to make a deal with one of the three real estate magnates in the area for the other 20%. And they just want to keep building more Retreat mini mcmansion style complexes.

Traffic. I know, it's nothing compared to Richmond, Philly, or Boston, but it's still annoying because the traffic infrastructure isn't keeping up with the expansion of the town and University.

I would definitely recommend living or looking for places just outside of Blacksburg, you'll get a lot more for your money, but if you rely on Uber for most of your weekend travel, gonna want to start looking for a place in Blacksburg now, as others have suggested.

To actually answer some of your questions though!

3. Really depends on the industry, white collar is mostly the breweries (Eastern Divide, Moon Hollow, Rising Silo, Wine Lab), service industry/blue collar more towards the Cellar, Champs, Pub (when it re-opens). Honestly except for the very college bars, which haven't changed since you were in school, you'll find locals at most places hanging out, pre-Covid.

4. I never had luck with the local meet up groups, buy that may have changed in the past few years. I spent most of my time in Blacksburg hanging out with service industry people, as most people my age were in the process of starting families or looking to move out of town.

5. I don't have any input on LGBT issues, I've personally never seen anyone say anything because of how they identify in my entire time in bburg, and when anyone has acted shitty, there's always a majority of people telling them to shut up and leave. The further out you travel from Blacksburg you may get sideways looks occasionally, but even that has mostly disappeared in the past decade. If you have any other questions, feel free to shoot me a question.

Blacksburg, Virginia

Huckleberry Crossing

Looklyloo Score: 80

We're on it!