There are numerous museums and art galleries near Virginia Tech, and the University of Virginia College of Arts and Sciences and Virginia State University are both nearby. Blacksburg is located at various points on the Appalachian Trail, including the famous McAfee Knob, and offers numerous routes for outdoor adventure. Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, just a short drive from the Virginia-North Carolina border, this is a popular tourist destination with a variety of restaurants, bars, shops and restaurants. The Virginia Blue Mountains are a playground for avid hikers, with numerous hiking trails, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails.

The International Street Fair, which takes place in downtown Blacksburg and on the Virginia Tech campus, is scheduled for spring. The Sustainability Week runs from mid-September through to September and is one of the largest environmental events in Virginia with over 1,000 exhibitors from around the world.

The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center is home to several companies of varying sizes, including the National Weather Service, which is headquartered in southwest Virginia. The National Weather Service's Blacksburg office serves as the headquarters of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), as well as other federal agencies and private companies in Virginia and around the world. The National Weather Service's offices are located in Blacksburg and serve as offices in Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

MSA has an estimated population of 159,587 and is currently one of the fastest growing MSA in Virginia. M SAA, has an estimated population of 181,863 (7.5%) and is currently one of the fastest growing MSAs, the largest and most populous region in Virginia.

Blacksburg is also located on the eastern continental divide and is located in the eastern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia, north of Richmond, Virginia. The Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which includes the cities of Blacksburg, Roanoke, Fairfax and Prince William County, Pennsylvania, has an estimated population of 181,863 (7.5%) and is currently one of the fastest growing MSAs in Virginia and the second largest metropolitan area in Northern Virginia (after Richmond). The Metropolitan Statistical Area, an M SA including the city of Blackstone, VA, Fairfax and Virginia Beach counties, Vt., has an estimated population of 157,614 (6.4%). M SAA, a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSAA) in Fairfax County (the largest metro area in North America), has an estimated population of 156,743 (5.8%) and is currently one of Maryland's fastest growing MSAs (3.7%, second largest).

Blacksburg is economically and demographically dominated, home to a developing high-tech industry and a variety of technology companies, including Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, Virginia State University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. The community is home to an internationally renowned higher education and research college, and growth here is inevitable. In addition to expanding its student body to more than 1,000 students and doctoral candidates from more than 100 colleges and universities across the country, Va. Tech has announced plans to expand its campus in Blacksburg, Va., with a new, $1.5 billion, four-year, state arts campus.

The Smithfield Plantation, built around 1774 by Col. William Preston, is located on the original Draper Meadow site, which is located between Duck Pond and the Virginia Tech campus. It was developed in the late 19th century as the residence of the University of Virginia, Virginia State University and Virginia Commonwealth University.

The New River Valley Mall in neighboring Christiansburg opened in 1988, and the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center has taken its first steps - and shelved plans to expand its campus by $1.5 billion. Blacksburg Virginia was officially founded on January 13, 1798, when Black petitioned the state legislature to build a city on the site and laid the foundation for the University of Virginia, Virginia State University and Virginia Commonwealth University. It grew and became known as the College of Science and Technology, informally known as Virginia Tech, and became home to the university's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and other research and education programs. In 1988, the college opened its first dormitory and dormitory and became the largest university campus in Virginia with a total of over 4,000 students.

The John Black estate covers most of Virginia Tech's central campus, and William Black's estate has become home to Virginia State University and Virginia Commonwealth University. The festival was described as the largest in the United States and the second largest in North America.

Blacksburg, Christiansburg and the City of Radford are part of the Blacksburg Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Montgomery, Pulaski and Giles counties for statistical purposes. Blacksburg-Christiansberg and Radfords are also members, as are the cities of Richmond, Roanoke, Charlottesville, Richmond-Loudoun and Richmond.

Economically and demographically, Blacksburg is dominated by Virginia Tech, better known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The city and its campus have a long history of safety and satisfaction with life before the attack on Virginia Tech, which occurred on April 16, 2007. After the rampage on the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville, Virginia, in June 2007, the city was hit by one of the worst mass shootings in US history, in which 32 people were killed and 17 injured.