All About Blacksburg

Why Blacksburg?

By Tysus Jackson

I came to Blacksburg from Indiana after graduate school at Indiana University. When I got my job offer, I really thought I would live in Roanoke.  I’d grown up in a small town in Indiana and I thought I wanted to experience a more urban lifestyle.  After I arrived though, I was really drawn to Blacksburg. 

When I got my job offer, I really thought I would live in Roanoke. ... After I arrived though, I was really drawn to Blacksburg.

Blacksburg truly has all the best qualities of a college town.  The people are very down-to-earth and friendly.  The students keep the community young and I love being surrounded by all of the new ideas that the students and faculty bring.  There are always new people to meet and the town is open and accepting of differences.

One of the most surprising things to me was how giving of time and talent people are in Blacksburg and I think that really flows from the kind of place Virginia Tech is.  Service to the community is an important value at Virginia Tech and you can really see that reflected in the surrounding area.  The donors I meet as the director of development for the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences certainly subscribe to that point of view as well.  The warmth and willingness to help the larger community makes Blacksburg a place where you can really make a difference to a larger group of people—something that really appeals to me.

It is a surprise to me how much I enjoy living here.  It’s a beautiful place to live, with lots of fresh air, and little traffic. I like the pace of life here.  I found after I arrived that I really enjoy hiking—and there are miles of trails and mountains to climb.  I grateful for the opportunity I have had to be a part of this wonderful place.