Blacksburg named No. 2 best college football town in America

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Montgomery County, Virginia – According to a recent survey of over 50,000 USA Today readers, Blacksburg is the No. 2 "Best College Football" Town in America. Home of the Virginia Tech Hokies, Blacksburg was one of 15 college towns included in the survey, all of which were nominated by five sportswriters and broadcasters. Madison, WI. – home of the University of Wisconsin – took home the top spot with Athens, Ga. (University of Georgia), Columbia, S.C. (University of South Carolina), and South Bend, Ind. (University of Notre Dame) rounding out the top five.

Rece Davis, host of ESPN's "College Football Final" nominated Blacksburg for the USA Today reader survey with the following quote:

Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains in southwestern Virginia, Blacksburg is "a beautiful college town setting. Tailgate parties dot virtually every open space around Lane Stadium, and there's a real sense of hospitality toward visitors - at least until the game starts." The Hokies roaring onto the field to the strains of Metallica's heavy metal song Enter Sandman makes kickoff "seem almost anticlimactic. It is one of the best scenes in college football."

Lane Stadium/Worsham Field – home of Hokie football – is recognized as one of the best venues in all of college football. The stadium has been lauded as the: 

• No. 2 “Scariest Venue for Opposing Teams” – ESPN The Magazine 2007 
• No. 7 “Loudest College Football Stadium” – Beacher Report, 2011 
• No. 6 "College Football Stadium and Tailgates Fans Should Visit Before
  They Die" – Bleacher Report, 2011 
• No. 1 "Home Field Advantages in College Football” – Rivals.com, 2005

The USA Today recognition isn’t the first sports related accolade received by Blacksburg. In 2011, Sporting News ranked it the No. 57 “Best Sports City” in North America. Among cities without a professional sports team, Blacksburg ranked No. 9 on the list.

Located in Montgomery County, Virginia, Blacksburg is more than just a great college football town.  With a world-class university and research park, visionary entrepreneurs and an innovative talent pool, the community is quickly gaining a reputation as an emerging technology hot spot (Read More).  It  has been named a "best place" in the U.S. to "raise a family" (Bloomberg Businessweek, 2011), to "live and launch" a technology-based business (CNN Money, 2007) and to "retire" (U.S. News and World Report, 2010). 

To learn more about why Blacksburg/Montgomery County, Virginia is a great place to live and grow a business, visit www.YesMontgomeryVA.org. 

About Us

 Montgomery County, Virginia- home to Virginia Tech and the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg - is a progressive, technology-driven community with an abundance of outdoor amenities. The Montgomery County, Virginia Economic Development Department's mission is to improve the quality of life throughout Montgomery County by encouraging positive economic growth that 1) creates meaningful career opportunities, 2) expands the commercial tax base, and 3) protects our enviable way of life.