Pleasant Grove · National Register of Historic Places
Glenvar’s story
130 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1896Glenvar is settled
GlenvarVA
A town of 829, settled in 1896.
1 bordering townMap →
Pleasant Grove · Photo: Molly Cardenas · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
829
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$264K
Census ACS
Household income
$49K
median
Median age
75.2
years
Jobs based here
2,222
A job hub
Is Glenvar a good place to live?
Glenvar’s median age is 75.2 years, above both Virginia’s towns (38.5 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Pleasant Grove and Anderson-Doosing Farm is on the National Register of Historic Places. Glenvar has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Glenvar stand out
Where Glenvar beats most towns.
Small town
829 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
SalemGlenvar
Nearby attractions
All 22 attractions →Appalachian Trail and 13 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Glenvar. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi Park & preserveAppalachian Trail3.0M visitors a year
7 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
17 mi Stadium & arenaLane Stadium
37 mi LandmarkProject Greek Island
23 mi LakeMountain Lake
36 mi LakeSmith Mountain LakeSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Appalachian 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 · Project Greek Island: Z22, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mountain Lake: Rolfmueller, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Smith Mountain Lake: Jay White, Public domain
Getting set up
Moving to Glenvar: who provides what
Glenvar is unincorporated, so Roanoke County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAppalachian Power17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWestern Virginia Water AuthorityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesRoanoke CountyRoanoke County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Virginia you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 11 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereRoanoke General RegistrarRoanoke County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code2415324153 100%Census 2020
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 Glenvar.
Schools
The schools Glenvar’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Roanoke County Public Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Lewis ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 250 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
A job hub: Glenvar has 5.6 jobs for every working resident and draws in 2,209 commuters
Most working residents leave Glenvar for work: only 3% work in town. 17% of Glenvar residents live below the poverty line, against 7.7% in Virginia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Glenvar has added 504 jobs, to 2,222 in 2023.
3%work in town
| Glenvar | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 4.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Glenvar3%
Roanoke23%
Salem18%
Hollins6%
Blacksburg4%
10 mi
median commute distance
2,222
jobs based in Glenvar
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Glenvar faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities.
19risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingStrong wind
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Glenvar has four seasons and pleasant summers
Glenvar has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 18 inches of snow falls in a winter.
18″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter28–48°
Spring43–68°
Summer63–85°
Fall45–69°
Nov 1
typical first frost
Apr 3
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Fewer of Glenvar’s adults binge drink than in the typical Virginia or U.S. town
8.7% of Glenvar adults binge drink. Among 254 Virginia towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Glenvar. 30% of Glenvar adults get no exercise outside work.
| Glenvar | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 14% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 33% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 87% | 79% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 11% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Virginia
13 better10 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Glenvar | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.8% | 10.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.8% | 7.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 17.1% | 7.7% |
Lewisgale Medical Center
5.2 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
A home in Glenvar sells for about $340K at the median
48% of households own their home in Glenvar.
$340Kmedian sale price
| Glenvar | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,036 a month | $1,762 a month | $1,185 a month |
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Glenvar
16pages on Glenvar
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Glenvar
Roanoke CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Salem4.1 mi$38,068 tuitionAmerican National UniversityUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Salem5.9 mi$10,961 tuitionVirginia Western Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Roanoke8.7 mi$5,400 in-state tuition
About 8 of every 100 Glenvar residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
A job hub
Every workday, about 2,209 people come to Glenvar for work
Where Glenvar’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
2,222jobs based in Glenvar
3%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Glenvar
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Glenvar is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Roanoke County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Glenvar had a population of 892. The center of the community lies along US 11/US 460 about one mile west of the Salem city limits. The community is home to Glenvar High School which serves most of the western sections of Roanoke County. As a result, the entire area of Roanoke County which is west of Salem and in the Roanoke Valley between Poor Mountain and Fort Lewis Mountain, including other communities such as Wabun, Fort Lewis, and Dixie Caverns, is often called Glenvar. In January 2020 the Swedish truck maker Volvo announced that they would build an assembly plant for it…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,089 ft
Questions about Glenvar
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Glenvar, VA a good place to live?
Glenvar has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.