Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Narrows vs Ridgeway

74 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (3.2× in Narrows) and street grid (2.4× in Narrows).

×
Narrows, VAHomes around $174KVirginia · 1,935 people
×
Ridgeway, VAHomes around $168KVirginia · 1,051 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

NarrowsHomes around $174K
Housing$174K typical home58% below the VA typical home All about Narrows →
RidgewayHomes around $168K
Housing$168K typical home60% below the VA typical home Health88% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Ridgeway →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker3.2×
Narrows is more of a job hub
Narrows 0.32Ridgeway 0.10
Street grid2.4×
Narrows has the more walkable street grid
Narrows 114Ridgeway 48.4
Home values+38%
Homes cost more in Ridgeway
Ridgeway $164,300Narrows $119,400
Typical home built35 yrs
Narrows’s homes are older
Ridgeway 1981Narrows 1946
Average commute6 min
Narrows has the shorter commute
Ridgeway 34 minNarrows 28 min
Property tax bill+21%
Tax bills are bigger in Narrows
Narrows $1,027Ridgeway $846
★ What stands out · Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Virginia ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
B−NarrowsBetter than 51% of districts in the state –RidgewayNot graded
Health
C+NarrowsHealthier than 38% of U.S. towns DRidgewayHealthier than 12% of U.S. towns
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Narrows$1,040/mo
Typical home $174K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.86% · or rent about $931/mo · Housing →
Ridgeway$950/mo
Typical home $168K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.51% · or rent about $727/mo · Housing →

The difference: $90 a month, about $1,000 a year, between Narrows and Ridgeway.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
NarrowsRidgeway
Snow a year23″5″
January low23°F27°F
July high83°F89°F
Growing season (days)171d201d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)37th40th
Outdoors & history
NarrowsRidgeway
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—0%
National Register places11
Archive photos121
Famous people born here—2
Community
NarrowsRidgeway
Library hours a week35 hrs35 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

74 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

NarrowsVARidgewayVA
Narrows ↔ Ridgeway74 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

NarrowsRidgeway
People
Population 1,935Highest 1,051Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.2%Highest VA: +7.9% +1.3%Lowest VA: +7.9%
Median age 36.9±6.9Lowest 5% below VA 40.1±11.9Highest about the VA average
Ridgeway and Narrows are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 31.7%±8.9Lowest VA: 21.7% 36.6%±9.2Highest VA: 21.7%
Ridgeway and Narrows are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 15.2%±5.7Highest VA: 16.7% 14.2%±1Lowest VA: 16.7%
Narrows and Ridgeway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19.8%Lowest VA: 42.2% 24.2%Highest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.1%±1.2Highest VA: 6.9% 0.8%±1.6Lowest VA: 6.9%
Narrows and Ridgeway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $62,708±$6kLowest 33% below VA $76,875±$50kHighest 17% below VA
Ridgeway and Narrows are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $119,400±$15kLowest 69% below VA $164,300±$27kHighest 57% below VA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $931±$181Highest 41% below VA $727±$168Lowest 54% below VA
Narrows and Ridgeway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,027Highest 63% below VA $846Lowest 70% below VA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 29.1%±19.5Lowest VA: 48.5% 39.7%±32.8Highest VA: 48.5%
Ridgeway and Narrows are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.1%Highest VA: 9.9% 6.2%Lowest VA: 9.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 78.2%Lowest VA: 67.3% 81.9%Highest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1946Lowest 38 yrs older than VA 1981Highest 3 yrs older than VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest about the VA average 34 minHighest 23% above VA
Work from home 6%±4.6Lowest VA: 18.3% 8.2%±6.8Highest VA: 18.3%
Ridgeway and Narrows are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.6%Highest 0.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.3 miHighest 12.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.32Highest 0.10Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Blacksburg (15%)Martinsville (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RidgewayFew work in Narrows
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 114Highest 48.4Lowest
Schools
School district Giles County Public Schools—
High school in town Narrows High—
Students per teacherat that high school 10.7 —
Virginia average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Narrows neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Narrows’s Town Square.

Ridgeway neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ridgeway’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Narrows and Ridgeway

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Narrows

+ Compare
Glade Spring2,135 people · $174K homes
+ Compare
Wise2,916 people · $145K homes
+ Compare
Rural Retreat1,644 people · $186K homes
+ Compare
Mount Jackson2,000 people · $193K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Virginia towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Post to Narrows

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in