THE ROANOKE CITY LAND BRIEF
Land in the
Southern Limestone/Dolomite Valleys and Low Rolling Hills setting.
Roanoke city has 42.5 square miles of land in Virginia. 2 mapped landscape regions meet across Roanoke city: Southern Limestone/Dolomite Valleys and Low Rolling Hills, Southern Sedimentary Ridges.
Long, roughly parallel ridges and valleys follow folded and faulted rock layers. Limestone valleys, sandstone ridges and other geologic contrasts produce varied terrain and numerous regional springs and caves.
Regional context: Ridge and Valley ↗ · Regional mapping across the county footprint
Where the landscape changes
Roanoke city intersects 2 mapped regional units. The largest mapped shares are:
- Southern Limestone/Dolomite Valleys and Low Rolling Hills95.2%
- Southern Sedimentary Ridges4.8%
Blue Ridge in Roanoke city
Forested ridges, plateaus and high mountains extend through the Blue Ridge. Elevation, rainfall and sheltered coves create marked differences in forest communities across short distances.
Read the regional source ↗Finding your parcel within Roanoke city
The atlas lists 1 cities, towns, townships, and Census communities associated with Roanoke city, including Roanoke. The list includes overlapping geography types and does not divide the county into exclusive service areas.
Roanoke city by land and water
The Census records 0.33 square miles of water within Roanoke city, or 0.8% of its total area. That share is close to Roanoke city’s 0.8%. This is geographic context; waterfront status and usable land must be checked at the parcel.
The Census boundary meets Roanoke County, Salem city within Virginia. A tract near one of these lines should be matched to the county identifier on its own records.