Virginia Tech was born as a land-grant college, and appropriately, its distinctive buildings have been constructed from the product of Southwest Virginia geology. The university mines the distinguishing limestone at its own quarry on the fringes of Blacksburg. Originally called “our native stone,” the rock has become known more familiarly, and more affectionately, as Hokie Stone.
Hokie Stone is dolomite, a mineral found in the Appalachian Mountains and most prevalent in Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama. A sedimentary rock, it formed from calcium and magnesium carbonate and occurs in muted shades of pink, red, gray, brown, and black.
Hokie Nation has grown to love it over the years, making it unique to one of the best campuses in the nation.