European settlers first discovered the Roanoke Valley, nestled between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains at the southern tip of the Shenandoah Valley, over three centuries ago, but the history of the valley stretches back thousands of years, to geological events that created this vast expanse of ridges and valleys and left alternating limestone and salt deposits in an area that would later come to be known as "Big Lick." Animal herds came first, mostly bison, elk and deer, and then Native American hunters, particularly the Totera tribesmen.
The earliest written evidence of the Roanoke Valley dates from 1671, but local historians date the first settlements to 1740, when Mark Evans and Tasker Tosh claimed the best land.
The Roanoke Valley, like most of the early frontier, was not for the faint-hearted. The salt marshes that once made the valley a fertile hunting ground were also the cause of the countless deaths. Militias were a necessity against frequent Native American and British raids. General Andrew Lewis, who distinguished himself in the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774, purchased land in then-Botetourt County (later formed into Roanoke County) that eventually encompassed the present limits of the city of Salem.
Roanoke had less auspicious beginnings, although it soon became the busiest commercial center west of Richmond. Once a rough, tawdry outpost along the Wilderness and Great Roads, it was never more than a bumble collection of hamlets, including Gainesborough and Big Lick, until Frederick J. Kimball brought the railroad to town in 1881.
The 19th century was the Age of the Iron Horse. Several railroad companies, including the Virginia & Tennessee, the Atlantic, Mississippi& Ohio and the Shenandoah Valley Railroad, were established in this area around the time of the Civil War, but they soon went under. Several Philadelphia financiers, led by Kimball, realized, that with the discovery of bituminous coal in West Virginia that money was to be made in
Southwestern Virginia, and decided to establish a railroad junction between the north-south SVRR and the east-west AM&O.
When some enterprising locals got wind of the plan, it took a Paul Revere-esque midnight ride to Lexington with a satchel containing $10,000 to convince the railroad executives to establish the junction in Roanoke. The grateful locals almost renamed Big Lick after Kimball , president of the newly formed Norfolk & Western Railway, but he instead urged them to rename their city in honor of the river that runs through the valley (the name comes from a Native American word, "rawrenock," which refers to white shell beads used to trade.) Thus, Roanoke was born.
As Roanoke was gradually evolving into a bustling center for transportation and commerce, Salem was developing its own unique character. Designated the seat of Roanoke County when it was carved from Botetourt County in 1838, Salem was an important stopping point for pioneers and traders looking to make their fortune along the western frontier. Even today, Salem, which became an independent city in 1968, maintains an identity completely separate from Roanoke. When Norfolk & Western merged with Southern Railway, becoming Norfolk Southern, and moved its headquarters elsewhere, the economic future of the Roanoke Valley was left in doubt. Over the past two decades, however, the valley has rebounded, becoming a center for healthcare, banking, shopping and tourism. With true pioneer spirit, the valley flourished from nothing more than a salt marsh to be the Capital of the Blue Ridge.
The Roanoke StarIndians wandering between the parallel ridges of the Allegheny Mountains named their great valley, Shenandoah, "daughter of the stars." Here, nestled in this beautiful valley, is the progressive-spirited "Star City of the South" - ROANOKE. And, visible from just about every part of this city is the splendidly illuminated, 100 foot tall Roanoke Star. Below are some facts of interest about our most notable landmark.
Erected............................. 1949 Height of structure............. 100 ft Height of Star.................... 88.5 ft Weight of steel structure..... 60,000 lbs Weight of Star................... 10,000 lbs Weight of concrete base..... 500,000 lbws Depth of base................... 6.5 ft Visibility from air................ 60 miles Length of neon tubing........ 2,000 ft Current consumption.......... 17,500 watts Height above sea level....... 1,045 ft
The Star is illuminated every night red, white and blue.
Check out the view from the Roanoke Star with our webcam.
Roanoke came from the Indian word, "Raw-re-nock," a name for shell beads worn by the Indians and used as trade goods.
The Appalachian Trail starts in northern Georgia and continues through South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and ends in Maine at Mt. Katahdin, Baxter Peak, Baxter State Park.
Did You Know? Technically, the United States has only forty-six states. Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Massachusetts are Commonwealths.
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.
Roanoke became a city so quickly that it earned the nickname "Magic City."
The Mill Mountain Star, also known as the Roanoke Star, is the world's second largest illuminated man-made star, constructed in 1949 at the top of Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia. It was the largest star ever assembled until another was built in El Paso, Texas. However, the Mill Mountain Star still holds the claim to world's largest illuminated man-made standing star, as the one in El Paso lies flat on the ground. The Mill Mountain Star gave the city of Roanoke the title "Star City" and it has stuck ever since.
Wrestler Tony Atlas is originally from Roanoke, as are twin NFL players Ronde Barber and Tiki Barber and singer Wayne Newton and author John Payne. J. J. Redick former basketball star with Duke University is also from Roanoke.
The Roanoke Weiner Stand is a Roanoke landmark and dates back to 1926 or so. It is the oldest restaurant in Roanoke. The dogs are grilled. Most order them "all the way", with mustard, onions and a nicely spiced chili sauce.
Did you know there are seven communities named Roanoke in the United States?
