The Old Southwest is a lively Roanoke neighborhood. A mix of single-family and multi-unit homes, businesses, houses of worship, and trendy restaurants, it’s a historic district that’s also vibrant. Roanoke annexed the Old Southwest in 1890, and it remained the city’s most fashionable section until after World War II. Urban pioneers began to restore the area in the 1970s.
On one side of the neighborhood is bustling downtown Roanoke, within easy walking distance. On the other side is a lazy bend of the Roanoke River, lending easy charm to the area. The Old Southwest community has urban flair but retains a touch of nature in its shady streets.
The ZIP code for the neighborhood is 24016. It is bordered on the south by the Norfolk and Western railroad tracks. Tenth Street is the western boundary. On the north, Day Avenue and Marshall Avenue divide the district from the downtown area. On the east, the boundary is Jefferson Street.
Visitors will see colorful playground equipment in hilly Highland Park, on the west side of the neighborhood, along with playing fields and tennis courts. There is also a popular dog park at Fifth Street Southwest and Washington Avenue.
The homes and apartment buildings of the Old Southwest have style. The neighborhood is a fabulous mixture of old and new housing and of single-family homes and apartment buildings of all sizes. Urban nightlife is nearby, and so are automobile and pedestrian bridges across the Roanoke River. The Old Southwest is a charming place to explore and a fascinating place in which to live.