Maps showing Roanoke neighborhoods (Blacksburg, Cave Spring: 2014, renting, buying)

[Watchful]

This can be a helpful resource as you discuss the various neighborhoods of Roanoke.

This is a map noting all of the various neighborhoods of Roanoke City. There is also some descriptive material for each of the neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Plans

Here is a map that will give you some perspective for Roanoke County and the way it surrounds Salem and Roanoke Cities.

Roanoke County, VA - Official Website - Community Planning Areas

The gray areas in the center are (left to right) Salem City, Roanoke City, and the town of Vinton.

(Remember - in Virginia a TOWN is also part of a county, while a CITY is not.)

So I sometimes suggest that Roanoke County is shaped like a doughnut, with a hole in the middle, but this map clarifies that it is an odd-shaped doughnut, with a fat side and a skinny side.

Note that the Windsor Hills and Cave Springs sections of Roanoke County are highly developed (suburban) while the other sections will be a mix of development and much more rural.

More than once, people have asked me if they should choose Salem to get away from the more urban part of Roanoke.

In actuality, I think you should probably look at the whole picture, and realize that you will have urban and suburban options in Roanoke City and Salem City. You will have suburban and rural options in Roanoke County. There are even a few rural options in Roanoke City, like Southern Hills and parts of Garden City.

Looking at the county again, remember the counties that surround Roanoke County are as follows, beginning at the north:

North past Catawba is Craig County
Northeast past Hollins in Botetourt County, including Daleville and Fincastle
East past Bonsack/Vinton is Bedford County
South past Back Creek/Clearbrook/Mount Pleasant is Franklin County
South past Bent Mountain is Floyd County
West past Glenvar is Montgomery County, including Christiansburg and Blacksburg
(There are little lines that show you where these outlying counties extend.

Also notice the lines for I-81 and I-581. The southern tip of I-581 marks the downtown area of Roanoke. See how far to the east this is on the Roanoke County map. This is a good reminder that if you are thinking of proximity to the center of Roanoke, you definitely will want to consider the counties on the eastern perimeter of Roanoke County.

And here is a map of all the counties in Virginia:
http://www.virginiaplaces.org/vacoun...tiescities.png

I hope I explained this all in a way that makes sense! It would have helped me 5 years ago!

[Gardner222]

Thanks for the info. Most people outside of VA cannot understand Va's odd city/county jurisdictions within such a small
land area. Whenever someone seeks more info on Roanoke the reader gets data just on Roanoke City. Like most cities,
they see higher crime, poor education levels, bad schools, etc. In other words to the outside world, Roanoke County
does not exist, as the data on the County is seperate. No wonder economic development is such a challenge here as
Noone is on the same page. When you look at a map of Roanoke County it reminds me of a map of Germany with
East and West Berlin included after WW2. As a long time resident, I still don't get all of the complex jurisdictions
of Vinton, Salem, etc.

[cam4vt]

Wonderful post watchful. Maybe this should be a sticky so that anyone ask about roanoke can place where the locals speak of. I try to be clear with my answer but sometimes a map just helps. Just a reminder if we say sw or NE roanoke city/county we mean from downtown. I guess growing up in the valley you get used to mailing addresses and thus call the general area by the ending of the address. (SW, SE, NW, NE etc)

[Picaflora]

This is super helpful! We've lived here about 6 months or so, and are just starting to look at buying instead of renting. This will help us narrow down where to search. Thanks!

[Lucky_Town]

Team Lime Green.

Preston Park.

She has changed a lot from the early 90s.

When I was a kid it was damn near all 60+ year old, and 95% white.

The demographics are maybe now around mid 40s thanks to all of the kids. Whites are easily 50-65%

[Anita Lebeck]

Wow Watchful, this post is great! Your posts are so helpful, as I know that I am one of the ones that have asked about the Salem area to get out of the "city" of Roanoke. I have booked reservations to visit in June and will be using this post for reference for sure!

BTW, I also recommend the sticky for easy reference!!!

[Watchful]

Here is a replacement link (original broken) for the map of the Roanoke City neighborhoods:

http://packedsuitcase.com/wp-content...ghborhoods.jpg