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Roanoke (The Star City of the South) is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The City of Roanoke is adjacent to, but politically separate from, Roanoke County. The name Roanoke is said to have originated from a Native American word for shell "money".

The town of Big Lick was chartered in 1874. It became the town of Roanoke in 1882 and the independent city of Roanoke two years later. Its location in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, in the middle of the Roanoke Valley between Maryland and Tennessee, made it the transportation hub of western Virginia and contributed to its rapid growth. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 94,911.

The United States Census Bureau includes in Roanoke's metropolitan area the counties of Botetourt, Franklin, Craig and Roanoke, and the cities of Salem and Roanoke. The metropolitan area's population in the past three censuses has been reported to be:

  • 1980 --- 220,393
  • 1990 --- 224,477
  • 2000 --- 235,932
  • 2004 (estimate) --- 288,309

Please note that the figures through 2000 do not include Franklin County (49,669 est. 2004 population) and Craig County (5,173 est. 2004 population) which were recently added to the Roanoke MSA.

History

In the 1850s, Big Lick became a stop on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad (V&T) which linked Lynchburg with Bristol on the Virginia-Tennessee border. It was named for a large outcropping of salt which drew the wildlife to the site near the Roanoke River.

After the American Civil War (1861-1865), William Mahone, a civil engineer and hero of the Battle of the Crater, was the driving force in the linkage of 3 railroads, including the V&T, across the southern tier of Virginia to form the Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio Railroad (AM&O), a new line extending from Norfolk to Bristol, Virginia in 1870. However, the Financial Panic of 1873 wrecked the AM&O's finances. After several years of operating under receiverships, Mahone's role as a railroad builder ended in 1881 when northern financial interests took control. At the foreclosure auction, the AM&O was purchased by E.W. Clark and Co., a private banking firm in Philadelphia which controlled the Shenandoah Valley Railroad then under construction up the valley from Hagerstown, Maryland. The AM&O was renamed Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W).

Frederick J. Kimball, a civil engineer and partner in the Clark firm, headed the new line and the new Shenandoah Valley Railroad. For the junction for the Shenandoah Valley and the Norfolk and Western roads, Kimball and his board of directors selected the small Virginia village called Big Lick, on the Roanoke River. Although the grateful citizens offered to rename their town "Kimball", on his suggestion, they agreed to go with Roanoke after the river. As the N&W brought people and jobs, the Town of Roanoke quickly became an independent city in 1884. In fact, Roanoke became a city so quickly that it earned the nickname "Magic City."

Kimball, whose interest in geology was responsible for the opening of the Pocahontas coalfields in western Virginia and West Virginia, pushed N&W lines through the wilds of West Virginia, north to Columbus, Ohio and Cincinnati, Ohio, and south to Durham, North Carolina and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This gave the railroad the route structure it was to use for more than 60 years.

The Virginian Railway (VGN), an engineering marvel of its day, was conceived and built by William Nelson Page and Henry Huttleston Rogers. Following the Roanoke River, the VGN was built through the City of Roanoke early in the 20th century. It was merged with the N&W in 1959.

The opening of the coalfields made N&W prosperous and Pocahontas bituminous coal world-famous. Transported by the N&W and neighboring Virginian Railway (VGN), it fueled half the world's navies and today stokes steel mills and power plants all over the globe. The N&W was famous for manufacturing steam locomotives in-house. It was Norfolk & Western's Roanoke Shops, that made the company known industry-wide for its excellence in steam power. The Roanoke Shops, with its workforce of thousands, is where the famed classes A, J, and Y6 locomotives were designed, built, and maintained, and new steam locomotives were built there until 1953, long after diesel-electric had emerged as the motive power of choice for most North American railroads.

Around 1960, N&W was the last major railroad in the United States to convert from steam to diesel motive power. However, several of its famous steam engines, including J class # 611 and A class # 1218 are now on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. The steam age is also chronicled in photographs in the O. Winston Link Museum also in Roanoke.

Today, Roanoke is famous for its Chili Cook-Off, Strawberry Festival, and the large red, white, and blue illuminated Mill Mountain Star on Mill Mountain, which is visible from many points in the city and neighboring valley. At the top of Mill Mountain is a small zoo which features animals that require the cool mountaintop temperatures and atmosphere.

Wrestler Tony Atlas is originally from Roanoke, as are twin NFL players Ronde Barber and Tiki Barber, basketball star J.J. Redick, and singer Wayne Newton.

Government

Roanoke has a weak mayor-city manager form of government. The city manager is responsible for the day to day operation of the city's government and has the authority to hire and fire city employees. The mayor has little, if any, executive authority and essentially is the "first among equals" on the city council. The mayor, however, has a bully pulpit as Roanoke media frequently cover the mayor's appearances and statements. The current mayor of Roanoke is Nelson Harris and the current city manager is Darlene Burcham. City council has six members, not counting the mayor, all of whom are elected on an at-large basis. The terms of city council members are staggered, so there are biannual elections. The candidate who receives the most votes is designated the vice mayor for the following two years. There have been proposals that some or all council members should be elected on a ward basis to ensure that all areas of the city have representation.

The city's African-American and professional class voting blocs have made the Democrat Party dominant in recent years. However, the working class vote has trended increasingly towards the Republican Party. A slate of three Democrats, running on an independent ticket dubbed "For the City" against the nominees of the Democrat and Republican parties, won seats on Roanoke's city council in the May 2006 election. Roanoke's past two mayoral elections, in 2000 and 2004, have been competitive three way races in which independent Delvis "Mac" McCadden ran against the nominees of the major parties.

Geography

Roanoke is located in the valley and ridge province of Virginia amidst the Blue Ridge Mountains.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 111.1 km² (42.9 mi²). 111.1 km² (42.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.07%) is water.

Within the city limits is Mill Mountain, which stands detached from surrounding ranges. Its summit overlooks the Roanoke Valley and also has the Roanoke Star, Mill Mountain Zoo, and parkland.

The Roanoke River flows through the city of Roanoke. Some stretches of the river flow through parks and natural settings, while others flow through industrial areas and near railroad tracks.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 94,911 people, 42,003 households, and 24,235 families residing in the city. The population density was 854.6/km² (2,213.2/mi²). There were 45,257 housing units at an average density of 407.5/km² (1,055.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.38% White, 26.74% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.15% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population.

There were 42,003 households out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,719, and the median income for a family was $37,826. Males had a median income of $28,465 versus $21,591 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,468. About 12.9% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Two high schools in Roanoke are Patrick Henry, located in the Raleigh Court area, and William Fleming located in North Roanoke. Other public high schools include Hidden Valley High School and Cave Springs High School. Northcross and Roanoke Catholic are private schools which both go through high school. The six middle schools in Roanoke are Woodrow Wilson(PH), James Madison(PH), Lucy Addison(WF), William Ruffner(WF), James Breckenridge(WF), and Stonewall Jackson(PH).

Economy

Although Roanoke is part of the South both geographically and culturally, its economy developed around the Norfolk and Western Railroad and heavy manufacturing. Roanoke's economic history has more in common with cities in the Rust Belt than the Sun Belt. Surrounding rural areas depend on textiles and furniture manufacturing, which have lost jobs to foreign competition and technological change. Parts of southwest Virginia reliant on coal mining have lost jobs as mines employ fewer workers than in the past. Unions in many industries have made southwest Virginia less attractive to firms looking to expand or relocate than most of the South. Other negative factors often cited are limited air service, the lack of a major university in the Roanoke Valley (although Virginia Tech is located in neighboring Montgomery County), and the fractured nature of local government. Several Roanoke based firms including Dominion Bank, Norfolk and Western Railroad, and Roanoke Electric Steel have been acquired by companies headquartered elsewhere. Roanoke's rates of economic and population growth have lagged state and national averages since the 1960's. The immediate Roanoke area has a low unemployment rate, but a brain drain of workers unable to find jobs and underemployment are often cited as explanations.

Nonetheless, Roanoke's economy has some areas of strength. The city is the health care and retail hub of a large area, driving the expansion of Carilion Health System and Valley View Mall. Advance Auto Parts is headquartered in Roanoke and has expanded through the acquisition of other chains. Norfolk Southern remains a major employer. General Electric and Toshiba manufacture large drive systems for electrical generation stations and factories at their joint facility in Salem. ITT manufactures night vision goggles at its plant in Roanoke County, and some of its employees have started other firms such as Optical Cable Corporation. The proximity of automotive assembly plants in the South has attracted manufacturers including Dynax, Koyo, and Yokohama. While the city of Roanoke has lost population, suburbs in Roanoke County, southern Botetourt County, and areas of Bedford County and Franklin County near Smith Mountain Lake have grown.

In the spring of 2006, the New York Times reported that a location "near Roanoke" was one of four sites that Toyota is considering for its next automotive assembly plant in North America. However, the site may be in Augusta County, Virginia, about 80 miles north of Roanoke in the Shenandoah Valley, where local rumors of Toyota's interest have been circulating and local government officials are reported to be in negotiations with a major industrial prospect.

Media

Roanoke is the media hub for much of the western half of Virginia and parts of southern West Virginia. Roanoke and Lynchburg are grouped in the same television market, which currently ranks #68 in the United States with 440,398 households. There are affiliates for all networks as well as independent stations. Local CBS affiliate WDBJ-7, led by its 6 PM newscast has been the traditional ratings leader, regardless of the national ratings for CBS, although local NBC affiliate WSLS-10 has gained ratings in recent years. While WDBJ-7 and WSLS-10 are in Roanoke, local ABC affiliate WSET-13 is in Lynchburg and its news coverage focuses on the eastern portion of the market.

The city's daily newspaper, The Roanoke Times, has been published for 120 years and edited for many years in the 20th century by famed editor John W. Eure. Weekday circulation averages a little over 100,000 with Sunday circulation around 110,000. In 2002, it was designated the best-read daily newspaper in the country, according to the 2002 Scarborough Report. Of 162 newspapers in top U.S. metropolitan areas, The Roanoke Times ranked first in the percentage of adults who read their daily newspaper. It ranked first again in 2006. The Roanoke Times established a web site around 1996 and has developed a web portal Roanoke.com.

Economic Statistics: Roanoke MSA

The Roanoke, VA MSA is a U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in Virginia as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as of June, 2003.

Note: Since a state constitutional change in 1871, all cities in Virginia are independent cities and they are not legally located in any county. The OMB considers these independent cities to be county-equivalents for the purpose of defining MSAs in Virginia. Each MSA is listed by its counties, then cities, each in alphabetical order, and not by size.

The Roanoke, VA MSA includes:

Sister Cities

Roanoke has seven sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

Landmarks & Points of Interest

Arts, History & Culture in Roanoke

Specialty Histories about Roanoke

Cities in Virginia

Roanoke (Virginia) | Roanoke VA | Roanoke (Wirginia) | Roanoke (Virgínia)

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Roanoke, Virginia".

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