Roanoke, VA: how dark is the sky here?

Roanoke's sky measures suburban here. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Roanoke's sky is brighter than 58.3% of the 3,206 cities in this dataset.

This comes from a satellite measuring light radiating upward, not a person's eyes on the ground, so it isn't the same as a Bortle class, though the two track each other closely.

How far Roanoke is from a meaningfully darker sky

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Christiansburg, VA, roughly 26 miles away in a straight line, rated suburban edge. Road distance will be more.

Christiansburg, VA is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.

How Roanoke compares nationally

About 97,912 people live in Roanoke, VA, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Roanoke places 1,860 of 3,206 cities in this dataset's darkest-to-brightest order.