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Compare towns

Ridgeway vs Narrows

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

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Ridgeway, VAHomes around $168KVirginia · 1,051 people
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Narrows, VAHomes around $174KVirginia · 1,935 people
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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.

RidgewayHomes around $168K
Housing$168K typical home60% below the VA typical home Health88% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Ridgeway →
NarrowsHomes around $174K
Housing$174K typical home58% below the VA typical home All about Narrows →
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
–RidgewayNot graded B−NarrowsBetter than 51% of districts in the state
Health
DRidgewayHealthier than 12% of U.S. towns C+NarrowsHealthier than 38% 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.

Ridgeway$950/mo
Typical home $168K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.51% · or rent about $727/mo · Housing →
Narrows$1,040/mo
Typical home $174K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.86% · or rent about $931/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
RidgewayNarrows
Snow a year5″23″
January low27°F23°F
July high89°F83°F
Growing season (days)201d171d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)40th37th
Outdoors & history
RidgewayNarrows
Trails0 mi—
Conserved land0%—
National Register places11
Archive photos112
Famous people born here2—
Community
RidgewayNarrows
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.

RidgewayVANarrowsVA
Ridgeway ↔ Narrows74 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.

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

Ridgeway neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ridgeway’s Town Square.

Narrows neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Narrows’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Ridgeway

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Buchanan1,367 people · $188K homes
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Glade Spring2,135 people · $174K homes
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Boykins631 people · $192K 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.

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