Blagoevgrad

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Blagoevgrad Благоевград (Bulgarian)
Town
Coat of arms
Blagoevgrad Location of Blagoevgrad Show map of Bulgaria Blagoevgrad Blagoevgrad (Balkans) Show map of Balkans
Coordinates: 42°00′43″N 23°05′23″E / 42.01194°N 23.08972°E / 42.01194; 23.08972
Country	Bulgaria
Province (Oblast)	Blagoevgrad
Municipality	Blagoevgrad
Government
• Mayor	Metodi Baykushev (PP-DB)
Area
• Town	28.909 km2 (11.162 sq mi)
Elevation	410 m (1,350 ft)
Population  (Census February 2021)[1]
• Town	67,810
• Density	2,300/km2 (6,100/sq mi)
• Urban	74,066
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code	2700
Area code	073
License plate	E
Climate	Cfa
Website	Official website

Blagoevgrad (Bulgarian: Благоевград [bɫɐˈɡɔɛvˌɡrat]) is а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost 70,000 inhabitants,^[2] it is the economic and cultural centre of Southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in the valley of the Struma River at the foot of the Rila Mountains, 101 kilometres (63 miles) south of Sofia, close to the border with North Macedonia.

Blagoevgrad features a pedestrian downtown, with preserved 19th-century architecture and numerous restaurants, cafés, coffee shops, and boutiques. It is home to two universities, the South-West University "Neofit Rilski" and the American University in Bulgaria. The town also hosts the "Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Humanitarian High School". The former Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki moved from Thessaloniki to Blagoevgrad (then Gorna Dzhumaya) in 1913.