Montgomery County, with an area of 401 square miles, was formed in 1776 from Fincastle and was named for General Richard Montgomery, who was killed at Quebec in 1775; the Virginia Polytechnic Institute is here. Roanoke County, with an area of 305 square miles, was formed in 1838 from Botetourt and Montgomery and was probably named for the Roanoke River; General Andrew Lewis lived here, and the city of Roanoke is known as the "Magic City" of the south.