Blacksburg

Situated midway between Blacksburg and Christiansburg, Merrimac offers residents immediate access to major towns and their amenities. “Merrimac is technically a part of Blacksburg, but some parts feel more like a part of Christiansburg,” says Judy Ronan, a long-time resident of Christiansburg. Although this neighborhood is considered suburban, Merrimac teeters on the edge of the New River Valley countryside, which creates a more rural and private setting for most homeowners. This area is home to a range of residential communities, including senior living complexes, townhouse developments and single-family residences. From the late 1800s to the mid-20th century, Merrimac was a prominent industrial community specializing in coal mining operations, and there have been several initiatives to preserve the local history. Bordering the neighborhood is the LewisGale Montgomery Hospital and its surrounding healthcare specialty centers. Although most of the properties here are apartments, there is still a smattering of single-family homes. Many of them sit on larger lots surrounded by mature trees and sprawling lawns; they also often feature private driveways. Ranch-style homes are the most common style here, and most cost between $150,000 and $400,000. The Highlands at Huckleberry Ridge is a townhouse complex with resident-only amenities, such as a clubhouse and pool. Senior living is available at Warm Hearth Village, a 220-acre retirement community. The village features both independent and assisted living care; independent living options include single-family homes at WoodsEdge priced between $400,000 and $700,000, single-level townhouses at Founder’s Forest, and smaller condo units across a few apartment buildings. Several mobile home parks, including the Oak Forest Mobile Home Community, are also located within Merrimac. Merrimac sits right next to the Coal Mining Heritage Park and Loop Trail, a natural park area that features several archeological sites and historic landmarks from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of these preservation efforts were first initiated decades ago by faculty and students from Virginia Tech, who collaborated with Merrimac community organizations like the Warm Hearth retirement home and Price’s Fork Elementary School administration. Today, locals can bike or walk along the Coal Mining Trail Loop, which is lined with industrial-era artifacts that feature information plaques. The park also connects to the Huckleberry Trail, a major pedestrian-only greenway that travels up to Blacksburg. One of the biggest draws of this neighborhood is its proximity to the LewisGale Montgomery Hospital and its many surrounding specialty medical offices. “LewisGale Montgomery is a 146-bed hospital with a 24/7 emergency room,” Ronan says, also adding that both Christiansburg and Blacksburg have several LewisGale-affiliated offices. Merrimac sits on the border of the sprawling medical complex – in addition to the main hospital and ER, the complex also features separate buildings that house specialty healthcare providers like Blacksburg Pediatrics, the Encore OBGYN Center of Southwest Virginia, and LewisGale Physicians cardiology and gastroenterology centers. Merrimac borders Route 460, which is the main thoroughfare that connects Blacksburg and Christiansburg. “There are two Route 460s – there’s the 460 Business route, and there’s the Route 460 Bypass, which is what drivers can take to get around congestion and get straight into Blacksburg,” Ronan says. Residents here typically use personal vehicles and car travel to get around, but Blacksburg Transit does operate service along Two Town Trolley, a bus route connecting Blacksburg and Christiansburg that stops at the LewisGale Montgomery Hospital in Merrimac. Those who need to catch a flight should expect an approximately 40-mile drive to the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport. A handful of eateries border Business Route 460, which runs along the neighborhood’s border. Along the route and directly across from the hospital is El Mariachi, a restaurant that specializes in traditional Mexican dishes. A little farther down the road is Milano’s Italian, which serves New York-style pizza and offers delivery. Several auto shops and car dealerships are situated in between the two restaurants. Less than a mile outside of Merrimac is the Franklin Street and Peppers Ferry Road intersection, which is surrounded by shopping malls, chain eateries and big-name retailers. “The Uptown Christiansburg mall has Ulta, HomeGoods, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kohl’s – there are a lot of good stores people want to go to,” Ronan says. “We also have a Target and a Walmart. Students in this neighborhood are zoned for Montgomery County Public Schools, which was named a top 20 school district by Niche in 2024 and also receives an overall Niche rating of A-minus. Young learners in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade attend Price’s Fork Elementary, while those in grades six through eight go to Blacksburg Middle School; both Price’s Fork and Blacksburg Middle receive B-plus ratings. Blacksburg High School is situated on the same campus as the middle school and is rated A-plus. In 2024, Blacksburg High was named in Niche’s top 20 “Best Public High Schools in Virginia” list.

A suburban neighborhood made up of housing communities, farmland and educational institutions, Hethwood-Prices Fork packs a lot into a small area. The largest residential community here is the Hethwood Communities complex. “Hethwood was developed in the 70s, and that area was kind of where Blacksburg development ended for a very long time,” says Karen Turner, a longtime Blacksburg resident and Realtor with Nest Realty. “If you continue down Prices Fork Road, you come across Kipps Farm community, which is all new construction that was finished during the pandemic. If you go a mile past there, there’s a new traffic circle, and right at that traffic circle is a community called Westhill.” Students here are zoned for Montgomery County Public Schools, which receives an overall A-minus rating from Niche and was named a top 20 Virginia school district by Niche in 2024. Because much of this area is made up of farmland, the William M. Etgen Large Animal Learning Center (part of Virginia Tech) is located within the neighborhood. <br><br>A large portion of Hethwood-Prices Fork is comprised of the Hethwood Communities, which is made up of the Hethwood Apartment Homes and the Foxridge Apartments. “Hethwood is an older but still very popular community,” Turner says. “It’s what’s called a Planned Unit Development – a PUD.” While the Hethwood Apartments are typically geared more toward working professionals and graduate students, the Foxridge Apartments are often rented out by undergraduate students. To rent, most of these apartments can cost anywhere between $1,200 and $2,000 per month; floor plans, amenities and unit updates all typically factor into the final price. Prospective homeowners can also find a range of townhouses in the Haymarket Square community, which tend to range in price between $250,000 and $400,000. Raised ranches, split-level properties and colonial-influenced homes make up a majority of the single-family housing styles in Hethwood-Prices Fork; most single-family homes cost between $350,000 and $850,000. <br><br>All residents of the Hethwood Communities have access to Hethwood’s recreation amenities, which include eight tennis courts, three basketball courts, two swimming pools, two volleyball courts and a walking path lined with several outdoor fitness stations. Hethwood residents also have access to The Quad Amenity Center, a community center featuring a gaming room, an indoor gym and multiple study spaces. Hethwood Pond and the community dog park are situated adjacent to each other along Heather Drive. Just outside the neighborhood is Cox’s Golf Driving Range, which also offers an 18-hole mini golf course and 10 batting cages. <br><br>Families of young children can send their little ones to Blacksburg KinderCare to kick off their educational journeys; the facility is suited for children ages six weeks to five years and is located just outside Hethwood-Prices Fork across Route 460. Kindergarten through fifth grade students living in this neighborhood can attend Kipps Elementary School, which receives a B-plus rating from Niche. The B-plus-rated Blacksburg Middle School and the A-plus-rated Blacksburg High School are conveniently situated within the neighborhood itself, less than a 1-mile walk away. In 2024, Niche named Blacksburg High School one of the top 20 best high schools for STEM in Virginia. Also located in the neighborhood is Tall Oaks Montessori, an academic institution for students in first through sixth grade.<br><br>Hethwood Square Shopping Center is located within this neighborhood and features a Food Lion grocery store and The Bike Barn, a cycling shop. Hethwood Market is a family-owned store located along Heather Drive that offers a variety of food items, including fresh produce and ready-made meals. Farther down Prices Fork Road is another small shopping area. “Old Prices Fork Elementary was redeveloped into what is now the Moon Hollow Brewing Company and some new apartments; they started the Old School development project back in 2012,” Turner says. Moon Hollow Brewing partners with next-door Feather Bone Provisions to offer food options on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The brewery also features a pet-friendly outdoor seating area and frequently hosts community events, which include everything from trivia nights and karaoke to book clubs and prom nights. <br><br>The main road running through the neighborhood is Prices Fork Road, which connects to Route 460 Bypass, a major thoroughfare that travels through Blacksburg. Route 460 also runs south into nearby Christiansburg, where it then connects with Interstate 81 towards Roanoke. Blacksburg Transit operates two bus routes through this neighborhood: Hethwood A and Hethwood B. Residents can find multiple bus stops along these routes throughout the Hethwood Communities and along Prices Fork Road.

Northside Park is less than 3 miles north of Virginia Tech’s campus and Blacksburg’s bustling Main Street, giving locals fast access to the area’s nightlife and Hokies football games. This predominantly residential area includes established mid-20th-century homes and new subdivisions being built in nearby fields. Quiet streets and spacious sidewalks let residents stroll through the neighborhood, which has several cul-de-sacs leading to slower traffic and less noise. “Most all of Blacksburg has some great neighborhoods to live in that are close to Virginia Tech, or within walking distance to downtown and all the amenities, shops, restaurants,” says Darin Greear, Realtor with Long and Foster Real Estate and lifelong resident of the New River Valley. Though there are some apartments and the Hollins Estates mobile home park located south of Givens Lane, most residents enjoy spacious, fenced lots. The area is also within easy distance of many parks and paved trails, such as the Shenandoah Bike Trail and Primrose Park. <br><br>Large new traditional homes on sizeable lots with fenced yards will often have two-car garages and sometimes private pools. These homes are found in the newer subdivisions on Northside Drive and can cost between $500,000 and $750,000. The subdivision will continue to grow as more lots are sold and built in the fields beyond. Built in the mid-20th century, homes along Craig Drive and Pine Drive are shaded by tall trees tucked into the hillside. These family homes feature mid-century and Colonial-revival designs priced slightly lower, between $400,000 and $600,000. South of Givens Lane, the Hollins Estates mobile home community includes several manufactured homes to rent or own. The Fieldstone Apartment complex next door has several units for temporary residents and students ranging from around $1,000 to $1,200 monthly. Though the area is quieter than being near downtown Blacksburg, undeveloped fields in low-lying areas may collect water during times of heavy rainfall. <br><br>Northside Park students are zoned to first attend the Gilbert Linkous Elementary School, which is graded an A and considered the No. 1 best public elementary school in Montgomery County on Niche. All area students then attend Blacksburg Middle, graded a B-plus, and then Blacksburg High School, which is rated an A-plus. Blacksburg is also home to Virginia Tech, where students and residents take advantage of the campus’ sports games, arts performances and the Newman library. School-aged children may also enjoy spending a day at the Blacksburg Area Branch Library, which has summer reading challenges and “Take and Make” craft kits for kids. <br><br>Though Northside Park is not really a park, the neighborhood has several green spaces and trails to explore. The Shenandoah Bike Trail is a paved path that winds around several residential homes south of Givens Lane. There is also a playground and soccer fields which are adjacent to the trail. Primrose Park and Playground is a large green field with a few tall, shade-giving trees for picnics on the green and a medium-sized playground for children to enjoy. The Blacksburg Municipal Park has several sports courts and a much larger playground and is right next to the Blacksburg Community Center. The Blacksburg Aquatic Center has a public indoor pool just nearby. For a day indoors, folks can head south to Virginia Tech’s campus to visit its library, recital halls or the arts center. “The Moss Arts Center was named for P. Buckley Moss. She just passed away, but she was a very well-known artist in the area,” Greear says. “She endowed the arts center, which has a lot of musicals and performances. It’s a really great opportunity to live so close to a cultural spot like that.” The Blacksburg Dog Park on Toms Creek Road not only has space for furry friends, but it also has a playground and a ballfield. <br><br>Food Lion and Goodwill are just around the corner on Main Street, sharing space with hole-in-the-wall restaurants like Roma Pizza and Chinese Kitchen. Farther down Main Street, college students and residents gather to spend the evening at local hotspots like Green’s Grill and Sushi Bar or at Benny Marzano’s, a go-to pizza counter serving huge slices on its patio outside. For a sweet treat, Sugar Magnolia has dozens of ice cream flavors to try, as well as hot chocolate, truffles and a little gift shop to browse. College students flock to spots like Champs sports bar and Hokie House Restaurant, lending some energy and nightlife atmosphere to the area. Though there is no Walmart in Blacksburg, the one in nearby Christiansburg has rows of Virginia Tech gear for students and local shoppers. <br><br>Blacksburg hosts several events throughout the year. Shoppers can check out the Vintage Market from April through November at Market Square Park, where vendors resell their vintage clothing, books or housewares. The Blacksburg Farmers Market runs from April through December, hosting several special events like food tastings, art exhibitions and festivals depending on the time of year. Shoppers can stop at The Boardwalk takeaway restaurant for funnel cake and fried Oreos. The city’s Steppin’ Out event is held on the first Friday and Saturday of August. “They close a lot of the roads downtown for it. It’s a sort of street fair and has a ton of vendors, food and crafts,” Greear says. “They always host it before the students come back for the semester. It’s been going on for many, many years, and a lot of the locals love it.” Downtown Blacksburg also hosts Halloween and Christmas parades and activities when the weather begins to cool down. <br><br>Northside Park is less than 3 miles away from Virginia Tech and the heart of Blacksburg. The North Main Givens bus line, which operates through the Blacksburg Transit service, will head up to Northside Park and stop along Givens Lane. Beyond that, most residents drive in and out of town by heading south via Main Street. While the Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport is right in Blacksburg, it is predominantly a private and educational facility. For those who need to travel south to Christiansburg, drivers can head south via Route 460 for about 11 miles.

Made up of the Wyatt Farm, Mt Tabor Village and Woodbine communities, the neighborhood of Woodbine-Wyatt is a primarily residential suburb perched on the edge of Blacksburg’s town limits. This neighborhood is situated approximately 2 miles northeast of Downtown Blacksburg and the Virginia Tech campus and borders rural Montgomery County. Because of Woodbine-Wyatt’s distance from campus and the town’s public transit, there are hardly any off-campus students in this area. “The farther from the bus route you go, the less likely you are to find students,” says Amy Hudson, broker/owner with RE/MAX 8 and longtime Blacksburg resident. Other draws of this neighborhood include low homeowners’ association fees and walkable streets. <br><br>In Woodbine-Wyatt, most single-family homes line cul-de-sacs and winding residential roads lined with well-maintained lawns and trees. A majority of homes here sit on either quarter-acre or half-acre lots, which is a higher acreage than most of the residential properties within Blacksburg. Prospective homeowners can find everything from contemporary colonials and ranch-style dwellings to split-levels and New Traditional homes in this neighborhood. Single-family homes tend to cost between $400,000 and $700,000 in this area. Hudson says that the average price of a home in Blacksburg has been running close to $500,000 in the past few years. Although Woodbine-Wyatt is almost all single-family properties, there are a handful of condo units along Tabor Village Drive. <br><br>Kindergarten through 12th grade students in Woodbine-Wyatt are zoned for Montgomery County Public Schools, which receives an overall A-minus rating from Niche. Young learners living in the Woodbine and Wyatt Farm communities attend the A-rated Gilbert Linkous Elementary, which was named the best public elementary school in the county by Niche in 2024. The younger students living in Mt Tabor Village are zoned for Harding Avenue Elementary, which is also rated A and was named the second-best public elementary school in the county on the same 2024 Niche list. Blacksburg Middle receives a B-plus rating, while the next-door Blacksburg High School is rated A-plus. “We currently employ 64 career and technical education teachers across a wide variety of career and technical education programs at our four middle schools and four high schools,” says Andrew Webb, coordinator of communications and public relations for Montgomery County Public Schools. <br><br>There are several small playground areas throughout the neighborhood for residents of the Wyatt Farm, Mt Tabor Village and Woodbine communities. Situated just outside the Woodbine-Wyatt boundary is the Hale Community Garden. This neighborhood is also located only a few miles away from numerous popular outdoor recreation areas outside the Blacksburg town limits. Hudson says that people often head to nearby Pandapas Pond – a national forest – to go hiking. “At the national forest, you can also hike to a waterfall or head about 20 minutes down the road to Mountain Lake, where the movie ‘Dirty Dancing’ was filmed,” Hudson says. She also explains that although Mountain Lake still hosts youth camps, the lake itself dried up a while ago because of the area’s unique underground system. “We have karst topography here, which means we have a lot of caves with limestone and soft soil that water often flows into – cavers love it here,” Hudson says. <br><br>Approximately 1 mile south of Woodbine-Wyatt is a small shopping and dining area at the intersection of Business Route 460 and Patrick Henry Drive. Here, residents can do their grocery shopping at Food Lion, stop by Blacksburg Pharmacy or head across the street to grab a sweet treat from Carol Lee Donut Shop. A little farther down the road is 7-Eleven. Also along Route 460 is Kibbles on Main, a local pet supply shop.<br><br>Running along the border of this neighborhood is Business Route 460, a main thoroughfare that travels south to Downtown Blacksburg and north to connect with the U.S. 460 Bypass. Residents can take the 460 Bypass all the way down to Christiansburg, where the highway merges with Interstate 81. Those living in Woodbine-Wyatt are approximately 35 miles away from the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport, which offers domestic flights through Delta, United, Allegiant and American Airlines.