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Who this area suits
Is this your part of the valley?
Buyers who want a yard and a quiet street a short drive from the hospital, golfers looking at Hunting Hills, and anyone who wants a ridge view or a few acres toward Bent Mountain.
Where it is: Southwest of the city along Route 419 (Electric Road), Starkey Road, and Route 221 (Brambleton Avenue, then Bent Mountain Road), below the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The 419 suburbs
Cave Spring is Roanoke County's established suburban core: ranch houses, two-story traditionals and cul-de-sacs off Electric Road. Hunting Hills grew around a private course that opened in 1971, and in 2018 the neighbors themselves bought the 150-acre course.
Where the county keeps its offices
Roanoke County's administrative offices are in Cave Spring, even though the courthouse is in Salem. Shopping lines Route 419, where the old Tanglewood Mall site is being rebuilt as Tanglewood Crossing.
419 traffic is real
Electric Road between US 220 and Starkey Road carries the county's highest traffic count, and VDOT has been studying the stretch past Starkey. Living close to 419 is convenient; turning left onto it at 5:15 is a different conversation.
Back Creek and Bent Mountain
Follow Route 221 southwest and the suburbs give way to Back Creek, named for its stream, then climb to Bent Mountain, a plateau above 2,600 feet with a long history of apple orchards. Expect wells, septic, bigger lots, and winter weather the valley floor doesn't get.
One thing to watch here
On the hillsides, public water and sewer can stop at the edge of a subdivision. Ask whether the house is on Western Virginia Water Authority service or a private well and septic system, and get both inspected if it's the latter.
The practical facts
- Jurisdiction
- Roanoke County
- Places
- Cave Spring, Hunting Hills, Penn Forest, Starkey, Back Creek, Bent Mountain
- Downtown Roanoke
- 15–20 min
- Carilion Roanoke Memorial
- 15 min
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- 10 min
- Salem
- 15 min
Schools
Roanoke County Public Schools. Cave Spring and Hidden Valley high schools serve the southwest county, depending on the address.
Communities in and around Cave Spring & SW County
A starting point, not a complete list — ask us about the smaller pockets.
| Neighborhood | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Cave SpringSuburban | Roanoke · Roanoke Co. | Roanoke County's established suburbs along Route 419: ranches, two-story traditionals and cul-de-sacs, with the county offices here. |
| Hunting HillsGolf | Roanoke · Roanoke Co. | Built around a private course that opened in 1971; residents bought the 150-acre course in 2018. |
| Penn ForestSuburban | Roanoke · Roanoke Co. | Neighborhoods around Penn Forest Boulevard and Penn Forest Elementary, near the South County Library. |
| StarkeySuburban · Mixed | Roanoke · Roanoke Co. | Along Starkey Road near Route 419, where Tanglewood Crossing is rebuilding the old mall site as a mixed-use center. |
| Back CreekRural · Acreage | Roanoke · Roanoke Co. | The Route 221 corridor southwest of the city, named for its stream, where the suburbs give way to larger lots. |
| Bent MountainMountain · Acreage | Bent Mountain · Roanoke Co. | A plateau above 2,600 feet on Route 221 with a history of apple orchards. Wells, septic and real winter. |
What are you looking for here?
The agent who is right for a 1915 foursquare here is not the agent who is right for a new build. Pick what fits.
Mountain-View Homes
The view is why you're here. The slope, the driveway, the well and the septic are what you're actually buying.
What to knowNew Construction
Much of the valley's new building is north of the city around Daleville, with pockets across Roanoke County. Your agent should know the builders as well as the floor plans.
What to knowAcreage & Land
From a few wooded acres off Route 221 to working farmland in Botetourt. Land is a different business from houses, and it needs a different agent.
What to knowHealthcare & Remote Moves
Carilion is the region's largest employer, and the valley is a practical base for remote work. Plan the house around the shift schedule or the home office.
What to knowOther parts of the valley
Downtown & Old Southwest
Lofts above the City Market, Victorian blocks a few streets away, and the Star on the mountain over all of it. The walkable, historic heart of the city.
Explore this areaGrandin, Raleigh Court, Wasena & South Roanoke
The older southwest neighborhoods: 1920s bungalows, a 1932 movie theater, the river greenway, and Mill Mountain at the end of the street.
Explore this areaSalem, Glenvar & Catawba
Its own city, with its own schools and its own electric company. A real Main Street, Roanoke College, and the road out to McAfee Knob.
Explore this areaThinking about Cave Spring & SW County?
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