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Who this area suits
Is this your part of the valley?
Buyers who want to walk to dinner, the City Market and the greenway, people who would trade a yard for a porch and tall ceilings, and Carilion and downtown commuters who want a five-minute drive.
Where it is: Inside the city core: downtown around the City Market and Jefferson Street, Old Southwest south of the tracks off Elm Avenue and I-581, Gainsboro to the north, and Williamson Road running north toward the airport.
Two kinds of downtown living
Downtown itself is mostly apartments and condos carved out of old warehouses, offices and department stores. Downtown went from fewer than 50 residents in 2000 to about 2,500 by 2019, almost entirely through those conversions. Old Southwest, a few blocks south, is the opposite: freestanding Victorian and early-1900s houses on tree-lined streets.
Old Southwest is a historic district with teeth
The neighborhood has been on the National Register since 1985, which is an honor, not a rule. What matters day to day is the city's H-2 overlay, which covers most of Old Southwest: exterior changes, new construction and demolition go to the Architectural Review Board first. In July 2026 the board turned down, as submitted, a plan to swap nine windows for vinyl.
Gainsboro, the oldest neighborhood
Gainsboro, just north of downtown, was first settled in 1834, before there was a Roanoke. It is a National Register district with the Henry Street district inside it, the Hotel Dumas from 1917, and the Tudor Revival Gainsboro Branch Library from 1942. Parts of it also fall inside the H-2 overlay.
Williamson Road is the postwar city
North of Orange Avenue, Williamson Road was county land until the city annexed it in 1949. More than 3,500 lots were developed there between 1940 and 1960, so this is where the city's mid-century houses are: simpler houses on smaller lots, a commercial strip down the middle, and the airport at the top.
One thing to watch here
Ask whether a house is inside the H-2 overlay, not just inside the historic district. They are different lines. Inside H-2, exterior changes like windows, porches and additions need approval before work starts.
The practical facts
- Jurisdiction
- City of Roanoke
- Places
- Downtown Roanoke, Old Southwest, Gainsboro, Williamson Road
- Downtown Roanoke
- 0–5 min
- Carilion Roanoke Memorial
- 5 min
- Roanoke-Blacksburg airport
- 10 min
- Blacksburg
- 45 min
Schools
Roanoke City Public Schools. The division has two high schools, Patrick Henry and William Fleming; which one depends on the address, so check the division's school locator.
Communities in and around Downtown & Old Southwest
A starting point, not a complete list — ask us about the smaller pockets.
| Neighborhood | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown RoanokeLofts · Condos | Roanoke · City of Roanoke | Apartments and condos in converted warehouses, offices and department stores around the City Market, which has operated since 1882. Downtown grew from fewer than 50 residents in 2000 to about 2,500 by 2019. |
| Old SouthwestHistoric · Victorian | Roanoke · City of Roanoke | Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and foursquare houses in the 1985 Southwest Historic District, most of it inside the city's H-2 review overlay. |
| GainsboroHistoric | Roanoke · City of Roanoke | The city's oldest neighborhood, first settled in 1834, just north of downtown. A National Register district since 2005, with the Henry Street district inside it. |
| Williamson RoadMid-Century | Roanoke · City of Roanoke | Annexed into the city in 1949; more than 3,500 lots were developed here between 1940 and 1960. Postwar houses between downtown and the airport. |
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.
Historic Homes
Victorians in Old Southwest, bungalows in Grandin and Wasena. Beautiful houses that come with rules, tax credits, and a century of maintenance.
What to knowCondos & Lofts
High ceilings and old brick downtown, townhomes in Daleville and Salem. Less maintenance, but the association documents matter as much as the unit.
What to knowOther parts of the valley
Grandin, 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 areaCave Spring & Southwest County
Established suburbs off Route 419, the Parkway along the ridge, and Back Creek and Bent Mountain where the county turns rural.
Explore this areaThinking about Downtown & Old Southwest?
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