Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
41% of residents live below the poverty line in Elliston, above both the Virginia town median (7.7%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Madison Farm Historic and Archeological District and Big Spring Baptist Church. Elliston has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Elliston beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 3 maps from 1950 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Elliston. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi Park & preserveAppalachian Trail3.0M visitors a year
8 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
11 mi Stadium & arenaLane Stadium
20 mi LakeMountain Lake
39 mi LandmarkProject Greek Island
40 mi LakeSmith Mountain LakeAppalachian Trail: Paulba. Original uploader was Paulbalegend at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Lane Stadium: User:B, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mountain Lake: Rolfmueller, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Project Greek Island: Z22, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Smith Mountain Lake: Jay White, Public domain
Elliston is unincorporated, so Montgomery 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Elliston.
Its two schools are below. Public schools: the Montgomery County Public Schools. 2 public schools serve Elliston, with 630 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Montgomery ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 376 | D |
| Eastern Montgomery HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 254 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts
Elliston’s typical rent is $920 a month. Home values are up 3% over the year to September 2026. Among households locally, 53% own their home.
| Elliston | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $920 a month | $1,762 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Households in Elliston have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. FEMA puts 90% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 83% of U.S. communities.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For Elliston, the typical journey to work is 21 minutes. Commuting out is the norm here: 1% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Christiansburg (18%), Roanoke (15%) and Blacksburg (12%). Half of commuters travel less than 13 miles.
| Elliston | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.6% | 4.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The range runs from 26° on a January night to 86° on a July afternoon, with about 18 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Elliston, 18% of adults smoke cigarettes, and 19% report frequent mental distress. The share of adults 18 to 64 in Elliston who have no health insurance: 13%.
| Elliston | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Elliston | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 12.9% | 8.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.3% | 11.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5 within 15 miles of the center of Elliston
About 7 of every 100 Elliston residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Where Elliston’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Elliston on the National Register of Historic Places.
CDP in Virginia, United States
Elliston is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. It lies between the city of Roanoke and the town of Christiansburg in the southwestern part of the state. As of the 2020 census, Elliston had a population of 855. It is home to a small fire department, an elementary school, two gas stations, a train stop, and several churches. Most of its residents commute to larger towns. A set of railroad tracks separates the northwestern part of the town from the rest. US highway 11-460 further divides the town into two distinct neighborhoods, "Oldtown," which formed along the Valley Road in the 1850s, and "The Brake," a predominantly African-American area that dev…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Elliston has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
