The Blacksburg Housing Market - Truly UniquePhoto by Ivan Morozov
www.IvanMPhotography.com
By population, Blacksburg is the largest town in Virginia. With full-time resident population of about 42,000 and a college student population of about 28,000, the "big town" has a unique housing profile - perhaps more so than any other community in the state...
According to CityData.com, Blacksburg's median family income is right about
30,000/year (quite a bit less than the state median income of $59,330/year and a statistic obviously skewed by the student population), while more than 60% of the town's population over the age of 25 has at a four-year college degree. More than forty-percent of the town's full-time residents are employed in "educational services" (i.e., employed by Virginia Tech) , with the most common occupation listed as "Postsecondary teachers". The gist of all this data? There is always high demand for moderately-priced single-family homes in Blacksburg, somewhat insulating the town from dips in the housing market such as the recent Great Recession. Why? - With a vast number of Blacksburg residents employed in education roles at Virginia Tech, and a vast number of residents moving in and out of the town in waves ruled by the tides of the academic calendar, houses are always being bought and sold. - Due to public schools' nationally recognized for academic excellence (Blacksburg High School consistently making Newsweek's list of America's Best High Schools) and extracurricular excellence (multi-year state championship soccer team; renowned marching band), academicians moving to the town often place home-location-in Blacksburg-school-district on their "must have" list for home shopping criteria. - Due to the town's amenities & features (town-wide Blacksburg Transit service free to all with a Virginia Tech i.d.; many friendly walking/biking/jogging options including the Huckleberry Trail; the Blacksburg Aquatic Center; the truly charming Hand-in-Hand Playground; the very low crime rate) Blacksburg is a comfortable place to live for retirees as well, as illustrated by the town making U.S. News & World Report's list of "Best Places to Retire". |
|
|
|