Best PlacesSouth Roanoke, Roanoke, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Roanoke, Roanoke, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
South Roanoke, Roanoke ranks 471st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and empty homes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in South Roanoke, Roanoke
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
South Roanoke, Roanoke's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Roanoke, Roanoke ranks high
- Short commute12.8 minutes each way, better than 99% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
Where South Roanoke, Roanoke ranks low
- Low vacancyBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 66 pleasant days a year, better than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Roanoke, Roanoke
A household needs to earn about $125,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Roanoke, Roanoke home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $111,583, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses South Roanoke, Roanoke's effective rate of 0.93%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Roanoke, Roanoke
South Roanoke, Roanoke runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Roanoke, Roanoke.
Who works in South Roanoke, Roanoke, and how
Work in South Roanoke, Roanoke centers on health care & social and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in South Roanoke, Roanoke
South Roanoke, Roanoke has more restaurants and bars per resident than 71% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 91% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of South Roanoke, Roanoke and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Roanoke, Roanoke, month by month
South Roanoke, Roanoke sees roughly 66 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 38° | 28° |
| April | 74° | 59° | 46° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 68° |
| October | 74° | 61° | 49° |
Flying in and out of South Roanoke, Roanoke
The nearest airport, Roanoke/Blacksburg Regional (Woodrum Field), is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Raleigh-Durham International, about 114 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Roanoke, Roanoke
Schools across South Roanoke, Roanoke average an A, better than 95% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Crystal Spring ElementaryA+ · 78% proficient
- Highland Park ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
- Fishburn Park ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- James Madison MiddleA · 59% proficient
Top high schools
- Patrick Henry HighA− · 64% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Roanoke, Roanoke school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Roanoke, Roanoke measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare South Roanoke, Roanoke against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Roanoke, Roanoke
Is South Roanoke, Roanoke a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Roanoke, Roanoke ranks 471st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on short commutes, health care access, and civic engagement, and lowest on empty homes and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Roanoke, Roanoke expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $470,594. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $111,583 median income, cost of living beats 95% of neighborhoods.
Is South Roanoke, Roanoke safe?
Yes, South Roanoke, Roanoke is safer than 70% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $352 per resident a year.
Compare South Roanoke, Roanoke with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Roanoke, Roanoke. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Roanoke, Roanoke represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
South Roanoke, Roanoke detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Roanoke, Roanoke: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Roanoke, Roanoke: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Roanoke, Roanoke: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Roanoke, Roanoke: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Roanoke, Roanoke detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.