Montgomery County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
 Montgomery County Courthouse | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: Freedom Increases Responsibility | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
| Coordinates:37°10′N80°23′W / 37.17°N 80.39°W /37.17; -80.39 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1776 |
| Named after | Richard Montgomery |
| Seat | Christiansburg |
| Largest town | Blacksburg |
| Area | |
• Total | 389 sq mi (1,010 km2) |
| • Land | 387 sq mi (1,000 km2) |
| • Water | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2) 0.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 99,721 |
| • Density | 256/sq mi (99/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 9th |
| Website | www |
Montgomery County is acounty located in theValley and Ridge area of theU.S. state ofVirginia. As population in the area increased, Montgomery County was formed in 1777 from Fincastle County, which in turn had been taken from Botetourt County. As of the2020 United States census, the population was 99,721.[1] Itscounty seat isChristiansburg,[2] andBlacksburg is the largest town. Montgomery County is part of theBlacksburg-Christiansburg metropolitan area. It is dominated economically by the presence ofVirginia Tech, Virginia's third largest public university,[3] which is the county's largest employer.[4]
The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors sets the annual budget and tax rates, enacts legislation governing the county and its citizens, sets policies and oversees their implementation. There are seven supervisors; one is elected from each of the seven geographic districts. Terms are four years; three or four seats are up for re-election each odd year.[5]
| Supervisor | District |
|---|---|
| Sara Bohn | A |
| Derek Kitts | B |
| Steve Fijalkowski | C |
| Todd King | D |
| Anthony Grafsky | E |
| Mary Biggs | F |
| April DeMotts | G |
Montgomery County was established on December 31, 1776, made from parts ofFincastle County, which was disbanded at this time and split into Montgomery,Washington, andKentucky counties. Later, Montgomery lost land to form counties which now border it, including some counties which later formedWest Virginia.[6]
The county is named forRichard Montgomery, anAmerican Revolutionary Wargeneral killed in 1775 whileattempting to captureQuebec City,Canada.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 389 square miles (1,010 km2), of which 387 square miles (1,000 km2) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) (0.6%) is water.[7] The western part of the county is in theNew River watershed. Montgomery County is one of the 423 counties served by theAppalachian Regional Commission,[8] and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his bookAmerican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.[9]
USBR 76 enters Montgomery County fromRadford and crosses the county for 27.9 miles toRoanoke County| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 13,228 | — | |
| 1800 | 9,044 | −31.6% | |
| 1810 | 8,409 | −7.0% | |
| 1820 | 8,733 | 3.9% | |
| 1830 | 12,306 | 40.9% | |
| 1840 | 7,405 | −39.8% | |
| 1850 | 8,359 | 12.9% | |
| 1860 | 10,617 | 27.0% | |
| 1870 | 12,556 | 18.3% | |
| 1880 | 16,693 | 32.9% | |
| 1890 | 17,742 | 6.3% | |
| 1900 | 15,852 | −10.7% | |
| 1910 | 17,268 | 8.9% | |
| 1920 | 18,595 | 7.7% | |
| 1930 | 19,605 | 5.4% | |
| 1940 | 21,206 | 8.2% | |
| 1950 | 29,780 | 40.4% | |
| 1960 | 32,923 | 10.6% | |
| 1970 | 47,157 | 43.2% | |
| 1980 | 63,516 | 34.7% | |
| 1990 | 73,913 | 16.4% | |
| 2000 | 83,629 | 13.1% | |
| 2010 | 94,392 | 12.9% | |
| 2020 | 99,721 | 5.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2015[14] 2020[1] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[15] | Pop 2020[16] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 81,091 | 77,918 | 85.91% | 78.14% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,631 | 4,054 | 3.85% | 4.07% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 154 | 126 | 0.16% | 0.13% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 5,089 | 8,310 | 5.39% | 8.33% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 21 | 45 | 0.02% | 0.05% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 117 | 307 | 0.12% | 0.31% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 1,753 | 4,310 | 1.86% | 4.32% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,536 | 4,651 | 2.69% | 4.66% |
| Total | 94,392 | 99,721 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 99,721. The median age was 27.5 years. 16.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 106.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.4 males age 18 and over.[17][18]
The racial makeup of the county was 79.7% White, 4.2%Black or African American, 0.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 8.4%Asian, 0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 1.6% from some other race, and 5.9% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.7% of the population.[18]
73.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 26.1% lived in rural areas.[19]
There were 38,026 households in the county, of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[17]
There were 41,134 housing units, of which 7.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 51.6% were owner-occupied and 48.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%.[17]
As of the2010 United States census, there were 94,392 people living in the county. 87.6% wereWhite, 5.4%Asian, 3.9%Black or African American, 0.2%Native American, 0.8% of some other race and 2.1%of two or more races. 2.7% wereHispanic or Latino (of any race).
As of the2000 United States census,[20] there were 83,629 people, 30,997 households, and 17,203 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 215 people per square mile (83 people/km2). There were 32,527 housing units at an average density of 84 per square mile (32/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.00%White, 3.97%Asian, 3.65%Black orAfrican American, 0.18%Native American, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 0.63% fromother races, and 1.53% from two or more races. 1.58% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 30,997 households, out of which 25.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.80% weremarried couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.50% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 17.10% under the age of 18, 31.30% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 17.30% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.00 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 110.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,330, and the median income for a family was $47,239. Males had a median income of $33,674 versus $23,555 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,077. About 8.80% of families and 23.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
Despite being in theSolid South, Montgomery County did not consistently backDemocratic candidates in the 20th century, being consistentlyRepublican due toUnionist sentiment in the area during the Civil War, though the presence of a major university in Virginia Tech helped make the county more competitive to the Democratic Party towards the end of that streak.
It was abellwether county, backing the national winner in every election from1980 to2008. In 2012, the county backed the losing candidate by a very narrow margin of 103 votes. It voted against RepublicanDonald Trump in all three of his runs.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1880 | 601 | 31.08% | 1,323 | 68.41% | 10 | 0.52% |
| 1884 | 1,308 | 47.86% | 1,416 | 51.81% | 9 | 0.33% |
| 1888 | 1,516 | 50.55% | 1,335 | 44.51% | 148 | 4.93% |
| 1892 | 1,128 | 40.53% | 1,286 | 46.21% | 369 | 13.26% |
| 1896 | 1,594 | 53.51% | 1,317 | 44.21% | 68 | 2.28% |
| 1900 | 1,391 | 53.75% | 1,102 | 42.58% | 95 | 3.67% |
| 1904 | 725 | 51.16% | 650 | 45.87% | 42 | 2.96% |
| 1908 | 795 | 51.39% | 734 | 47.45% | 18 | 1.16% |
| 1912 | 349 | 21.87% | 684 | 42.86% | 563 | 35.28% |
| 1916 | 891 | 53.45% | 765 | 45.89% | 11 | 0.66% |
| 1920 | 1,160 | 53.78% | 969 | 44.92% | 28 | 1.30% |
| 1924 | 964 | 44.44% | 1,142 | 52.65% | 63 | 2.90% |
| 1928 | 1,861 | 65.81% | 967 | 34.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 1,522 | 44.70% | 1,805 | 53.01% | 78 | 2.29% |
| 1936 | 1,852 | 49.88% | 1,832 | 49.34% | 29 | 0.78% |
| 1940 | 1,890 | 46.38% | 2,168 | 53.20% | 17 | 0.42% |
| 1944 | 1,936 | 53.67% | 1,652 | 45.80% | 19 | 0.53% |
| 1948 | 2,070 | 59.60% | 1,126 | 32.42% | 277 | 7.98% |
| 1952 | 3,881 | 70.68% | 1,600 | 29.14% | 10 | 0.18% |
| 1956 | 4,598 | 70.10% | 1,848 | 28.18% | 113 | 1.72% |
| 1960 | 4,270 | 66.25% | 2,157 | 33.47% | 18 | 0.28% |
| 1964 | 4,604 | 54.23% | 3,872 | 45.61% | 13 | 0.15% |
| 1968 | 7,098 | 61.47% | 2,700 | 23.38% | 1,749 | 15.15% |
| 1972 | 9,348 | 70.56% | 3,692 | 27.87% | 208 | 1.57% |
| 1976 | 7,971 | 50.64% | 7,539 | 47.89% | 232 | 1.47% |
| 1980 | 8,222 | 47.41% | 7,455 | 42.98% | 1,667 | 9.61% |
| 1984 | 12,428 | 62.88% | 7,202 | 36.44% | 135 | 0.68% |
| 1988 | 12,326 | 57.48% | 8,909 | 41.55% | 209 | 0.97% |
| 1992 | 10,606 | 42.53% | 10,658 | 42.74% | 3,671 | 14.72% |
| 1996 | 10,517 | 43.28% | 10,867 | 44.72% | 2,914 | 11.99% |
| 2000 | 13,991 | 51.51% | 11,720 | 43.15% | 1,449 | 5.34% |
| 2004 | 17,070 | 54.16% | 14,128 | 44.83% | 317 | 1.01% |
| 2008 | 19,028 | 46.81% | 21,031 | 51.73% | 594 | 1.46% |
| 2012 | 20,006 | 48.78% | 19,903 | 48.53% | 1,100 | 2.68% |
| 2016 | 19,459 | 45.22% | 20,021 | 46.53% | 3,551 | 8.25% |
| 2020 | 20,629 | 45.80% | 23,218 | 51.55% | 1,190 | 2.64% |
| 2024 | 22,179 | 47.14% | 23,811 | 50.60% | 1,063 | 2.26% |
| Climate data for Blacksburg | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42 (6) | 45 (7) | 53 (12) | 63 (17) | 71 (22) | 79 (26) | 82 (28) | 81 (27) | 75 (24) | 65 (18) | 56 (13) | 44 (7) | 63 (17) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 21 (−6) | 24 (−4) | 30 (−1) | 38 (3) | 47 (8) | 56 (13) | 60 (16) | 59 (15) | 51 (11) | 39 (4) | 31 (−1) | 24 (−4) | 40 (5) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.08 (78) | 2.81 (71) | 3.64 (92) | 3.48 (88) | 4.33 (110) | 4.00 (102) | 4.26 (108) | 3.59 (91) | 3.10 (79) | 2.78 (71) | 2.87 (73) | 2.95 (75) | 40.89 (1,038) |
| Source:U.S. Climate Data[22] | |||||||||||||
Places adjacent to Montgomery County, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofMontgomery County, Virginia,United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
37°10′N80°23′W / 37.17°N 80.39°W /37.17; -80.39
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