Blue RidgeVA
Today 2,800 people live in this town, first settled in 1835.
What should you know before moving to Blue Ridge?
Plenty in its favour, and one clear drawback. Where it does best is schools — its schools rank ahead of 93% of Virginia towns. Overall, Blue Ridge earns an A−, better than 82% of U.S. towns. Its place in the ranking is 96th of 249 in Virginia. It is strong on incomes as well (A−): the median household earns $76K. The catch is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. Homes run about $316K for a typical one, 4.6 times the Roanoke metro’s $69K median household income.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow.
What makes Blue Ridge stand out
Where Blue Ridge beats most towns.
100% of working residents leave Blue Ridge for work
Where Blue Ridge’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Blue Ridge grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Blue Ridge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Blue Ridge Parkway and 15 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Blue Ridge. Close and well known come first.
in town ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
Big draw31 mi Park & preserveAppalachian Trail3.0M visitors a year
35 mi Stadium & arenaLane Stadium
39 mi LandmarkProject Greek Island
28 mi LakeSmith Mountain Lake
39 mi LakeMountain LakePhoto credits
Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Appalachian Trail: Paulba. Original uploader was Paulbalegend at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lane Stadium: User:B, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Project Greek Island: Z22, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Smith Mountain Lake: Jay White, Public domain · Mountain Lake: Rolfmueller, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to Blue Ridge: who provides what
Blue Ridge is unincorporated, so Botetourt County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Blue Ridge.
Blue Ridge pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Virginia norm and sends most of its workers to Roanoke and beyond.
Blue Ridge stands out in Virginia and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
Blue Ridge has 121 jobs for its 1,426 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Roanoke (36%), Salem (7%) and Hollins (7%). Since 2013, Blue Ridge has lost 108 jobs, to 121 in 2023. For residents in the town, the share who live below the poverty line is 2.5%. Its average commute is 23 minutes, against 27 minutes in Virginia’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
| Blue Ridge | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.5% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.3% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Blue Ridge’s grade for cost of living is a B−
Blue Ridge grades A− overall with a typical home of about $316K, below the Virginia typical value; only 8 of the 38 Virginia towns graded A− or better can say that.
In Blue Ridge, 94% of households are owner-occupiers, above both the Virginia town median (68%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). The typical home value here is about $316,000, up 5.6% in a year, 23% below the Virginia typical home. The town’s typical rent is $1,287 a month.
| Blue Ridge | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 94% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,287 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Blue Ridge’s year
Expect July afternoons of 85° and January nights of 26°, with about 11 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Blue Ridge keeps 12.8% of its land conserved
2.7 miles of trail. The density of trails in Blue Ridge is 0.4 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Blue Ridge ranks healthier than 61% of the country’s towns
14% of Blue Ridge adults report frequent physical distress. The town does better than the Virginia average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 3. Two figures for adults in the town: 39% have high blood pressure, 81% had a checkup this year.
| Blue Ridge | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 79% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 36% | 36% |
| What stands out | Blue Ridge | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.3% | 13.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.9% | 10.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Blue Ridge faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected losses in Blue Ridge break down as 80% from inland flooding and 6% from strong winds. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage here than in nearly three fifths of U.S. communities. This Virginia town has had 3 paid flood insurance claims since 1985.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Blue Ridge
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Blue Ridge
About 2 of every 100 Blue Ridge residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
About Blue Ridge
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Blue Ridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern Botetourt County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,185 at the 2020 census. The CDP is located along U.S. Route 460. It is part of the Roanoke metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,263 ft
- ZIP code
- 24064
Blue Ridge’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Blue Ridge.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge | #96 | A− | B− | — | A | B |
| Laymantown | — | — | B+ | — | A | B+ |
Laymantown has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Blue Ridge and Laymantown report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Blue Ridge with a neighbor →
Questions about Blue Ridge
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Blue Ridge, VA a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Blue Ridge grades A− overall, better than 82% of U.S. towns and #96 of 249 in Virginia. It grades B for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Blue Ridge, VA expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.