Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,042. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Lexington (along with nearby Buena Vista) with Rockbridge County for statistical purposes. Lexington is about 57 miles east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777. Lexington is the location of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and Washington and Lee University (W&L).