Blacksburg metro area named one of "America’s smartest cities"

Montgomery County, Virginia - According to a recent study by Lumosity, the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metropolitan statistical area is one of the smartest metro areas in the U.S. based on its brain power. Lumosity ranked the metro area No. 14 on its top 100 list of “America’s smartest cities.” The Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro area was the highest ranking community in Virginia to make the list, just edging out Charlottesville at No. 15. 

Lumosity - a San Francisco-based company that develops online brain-training exercises - ranked U.S. metro areas by their raw cognitive performance. The top 100 list of “America’s smartest cities” was compiled using data from more than 3 million people in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 75 who had played several Lumosity brain-training games. 

Nestled in the beautiful mountains of Virginia, the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro area – known locally as the New River Valley – has a population of 180,000 and includes the counties of Montgomery, Floyd, Giles and Pulaski. The region is designated a metropolitan statistical area by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget due to its high degree of economic and social integration. 

Lumosity’s list of America’s smartest cities isn’t the first time that our area has been recognized for its brain power. Other notable third-party rankings include: 

• Virginia Tech among the "Top 25 Schools for Best-Qualified Graduates" (Wall Street Journal, 2010) 
• Blacksburg No. 14 "Most Educated Small Towns in America" (Forbes, 2009) 
• Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro area ranked the No. 2 "Top Metro for Ph.Ds. Per Capita" (Expansion Management Magazine, 2005) 
• Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metro ranked the No. 14 “Best Educated Technical Workforce” (Expansion Management Magazine, 2005)

To view a full list of accolades for the metro area, visit www.YesMontgomeryVA.org/Accolades.

About Us

Montgomery County, Virginia - home of Virginia Tech and the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg - is a progressive, technology-driven community with an abundance of outdoor amenities. The Montgomery County Economic Development Department actively supports the startup, retention and expansion of companies already in Montgomery County as well as the recruitment of new businesses to the community. To learn more, visit www.YesMontgomeryVA.org.