Best Web Design in Blacksburg, VA (2026)

Web Design for Blacksburg, Virginia

Blacksburg is a Montgomery County college town in Virginia's Blue Ridge highlands, laid out in 1798 as a tidy grid of 16 square blocks that still forms its historic downtown. The town is inseparable from Virginia Tech, whose Hokies, maroon-and-orange spirit, and locally quarried 'Hokie Stone' buildings shape daily life; students routinely outnumber permanent residents. It is also a research hub and was an early internet pioneer through the 1990s Blacksburg Electronic Village.

AppWT works with Blacksburg, VA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Blacksburg

Also known as. Blacksburger (demonym for residents). Old Sixteen Squares (historic downtown core).

History. Samuel Black bought land in 1772 for his sons; his son William Black laid out a 16-block street grid on a roughly 38.75-acre tract. The Town of Blacksburg was founded on January 13, 1798, and named for William Black. Nearby Smithfield Plantation, associated with the Preston family, dates to about 1774. Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (later Virginia Tech) opened on October 2, 1872, chartered in 1872 under the land-grant system. The town's population surged from around 9,000 to about 30,000 during the 1970s as Virginia Tech grew and land was annexed. On April 16, 2007, a mass shooting on the Virginia Tech campus killed 32 people, the deadliest such event in the town's history.

Local economy. Virginia Tech dominates the local economy, employing more than 5,000 people. Other major employers include Moog Inc. (more than 1,000 employees) and HCA's Montgomery Regional Hospital. The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center hosts tenants such as Honeywell and a National Weather Service office.

Culture and community. Steppin' Out, a large downtown street festival, has run on the first Friday and Saturday of August since 1981. The International Street Fair each spring showcases dozens of countries and cultures. Virginia Tech football at Lane Stadium features the 'Enter Sandman' entrance (since 2000) and unison crowd jumping (since December 1, 2001). The HokieBird, a large anthropomorphic turkey created in 1981, succeeded the earlier 'Fighting Gobblers' mascot. The historic Lyric Theatre anchors downtown arts and film.

What makes Blacksburg distinct. Blacksburg launched the Blacksburg Electronic Village in 1993, one of the earliest efforts to wire an entire community to the internet. The maroon campus buildings are clad in 'Hokie Stone,' a limestone quarried locally. Blacksburg is Virginia's largest incorporated town by area. Notable people with Blacksburg or Virginia Tech ties include former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Nobel-laureate economist James M. Buchanan, and longtime football coach Frank Beamer.

Blacksburg Landmarks and Local Life

• Smithfield Plantation (circa 1774) - a preserved 18th-century estate
• The Virginia Tech campus - faced with locally quarried 'Hokie Stone' limestone
• The Original 16-Block Grid / 'Old Sixteen Squares' historic district.
• The Huckleberry Trail - a rail-trail opened in 1998
• The Lyric Theatre downtown.