Roanoke Essential Info
Overview
Roanoke, Virginia, called the "Star City of the South" and "Magic City," is a charming city with beautiful views. A colorfully lighted 100 ft. Star atop Mill Mountain graces the Roanoke Valley. The city is situated between Virginia Tech and Smith Mountain Lake in Southwest Virginia. The Roanoke Valley has a population of around 300,000.
Description is available from Wikitravel under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license. A list of contributors is available at the original article.
Basics
Best Time To Go
Mar-Oct
Current Time
Current Weather
69 °F
Cloudy
Fun Facts
- Roanoke was first called Big Lick which was established in 1852 and chartered in 1874. It was named for a large outcropping of salt which drew the wildlife to the site near the Roanoke River.
- Within the city limits is Mill Mountain, which stands detached from surrounding ranges. Its summit features the Roanoke Star, Mill Mountain Zoo, the Discovery Center interpretive building, and an overlook of the Roanoke Valley.
- Roanoke's status as the largest city in a mountainous area led to the nickname "Capital of the Blue Ridge".
- Astrophysicist and Nobel laureate John C. Mather, one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2009, was born in Roanoke.
- Wayne Newton, an American singer, entertainer, and one of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas, Nevada, spent his early years in Roanoke, learning the piano, guitar, and steel guitar at age six.
Popular Foods
- Jalapeno Coconut Ice Cream
- Waffle Fries