Roanoke

Roanoke, city, United States

Roanoke (rō`ənōk), city (1990 pop. 96,397), independent and in no co., SW Va., on the Roanoke River; settled c.1740, inc. 1882. It is situated between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mts., at the southern end of the Shenandoah valley. A tiny village until the coming of the railroad in 1882, Roanoke has since developed into the region's commercial, transportation, and industrial center. It contains railroad shops and factories that manufacture machinery; chemicals; metal, concrete, and plastic products; foods and beverages; fixtures; electronic equipment; apparel; and furniture. Hollins Univ. is there and Roanoke College is nearby. The city is headquarters for the Jefferson National Forest. Of interest are transportation, science, and art museums and a planetarium.

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Roanoke, river, United States

Roanoke, river, c.410 mi (660 km) long, rising in SW Va. and flowing generally southeast across the Blue Ridge Mts. and into Albemarle Sound, NE N.C. The lower river is navigable for small craft. A comprehensive flood-control and hydroelectric-power scheme has been initiated on the river. Among a series of constructed dams, John H. Kerr Dam impounds one of the largest reservoirs in the United States. Roanoke, Va., is the chief city on the river.

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Roanoke

City (pop., 2000: 94,911), western Virginia, U.S. It is located on the Roanoke River at the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley. Settled in 1740, it developed after 1882 when it became a rail junction and outlet for Virginia and West Virginia coal. Chartered in 1874 as the town of Big Lick, it was renamed Roanoke (1882) after either the Indian term for shell money or a nearby salt marsh. Manufactures now include metal and steel products, clothing, chemicals, and furniture.

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Roanoke

Carolina settlement that twice vanished, leaving no trace (1587). [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 430]

See : Disappearance

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Roanoke

fate of colony has never been established (1580s). [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 430]

See : Mystery