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1933 Map of Roanoke

Name: 1933 Topographic Map of Roanoke
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1933
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1933

About this map

Roanoke serves as the industrial and rail hub of this 1933 landscape, where the Norfolk and Western railway lines converge along the Roanoke River. The map captures a moment when the city was expanding toward Vinton and Riverdale, while the surrounding Botetourt and Bedford counties remained largely agricultural, dotted with dozens of neighborhood schools like Gravel Hill Sch and Pleasantdale Sch. To the north, Hollins College stands as a prominent landmark near the community of Hollins, illustrating the established educational presence in the valley.

The topography is dominated by the dramatic rise of Tinker Mountain and the Blue Ridge, which squeeze the developed valley. The engineering of the era is evident in the Roanoke Reservoir and the network of state roads like Lee Highway and State Highway No 10. These routes connect historic settlements such as Fincastle and Troutville, providing a clear view of the transition from dense urban street grids to the dispersed farmsteads and rural churches like Mill Creek Ch that defined the early twentieth-century Virginia interior.