Montgomery County is a county located in the Valley and Ridge area of the U.S. state of Virginia. 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 the 2020 census, the population was 99,721.[1] Its county seat is Christiansburg,[2] and Blacksburg is the largest town. Montgomery County is part of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg metropolitan area. It is dominated economically by the presence of Virginia 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]
Montgomery County was established on December 31, 1776, made from parts of Fincastle County, which was disbanded at this time and split into Montgomery, Washington, and Kentucky counties. Later, Montgomery lost land to form counties which now border it, including some counties which later formed West Virginia.[6]
The county is named for Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada.
According to the U.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 the New River watershed. Montgomery County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission,[8] and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.[9]
USBR 76 enters Montgomery County from Radford and crosses the county for 27.9 miles to Roanoke CountyAs of the 2020 United States Census, there were 99,721 people living in the county. The population density was 257.8 people per square mile (99.5 people/km2).
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 94,392 people living in the county. 87.6% were White, 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% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).
As of the 2000 United States Census,[17] there were 83,629 people, 30,997 households, and 17,203 families living in the county. The population 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 or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. 1.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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. The per capita income for the county was $17,077. About 8.80% of families and 23.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
Despite being in the Solid South, Montgomery County did not consistently back Democratic candidates in the 20th century, being consistently Republican due to Unionist 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 has since become a bellwether county, backing the national winner in every election from 1980 to 2008. The county backed the losing candidate, by very narrow margins of 103 votes in 2012 and 562 votes in 2016 (although it backed the popular vote winning candidate in 2016). It again backed the winning candidate in 2020, which was also the first time since 1980 that the county voted more Democratic than the nation.
37°10′N 80°23′W / 37.17°N 80.39°W / 37.17; -80.39
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