A Brief History of Roanoke, VA

The Roanoke Valley is made up of the City of Roanoke, Roanoke County including the Town of Vinton, and the City of Salem. The U.S. government, for statistical purposes, also includes Botetourt County in the greater Roanoke Valley area. This beautiful area is surrounded by mountains and bordered by Interstate 81 on one side and the Blue Ridge Parkway on the other.

Botetourt County was the first area in the Valley to be clearly defined and early in our history included not only this part of Virginia but also most of Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The historic Town of Fincastle has been the county seat of Botetourt County since 1770. The modern Botetourt County is steeped in history and for many years, maintained its heritage of being mostly a county of rich farmlands, fields and pastures. In the 1980's, however, the new home market discovered Botetourt County and since that time a number of lovely residential neighborhoods have sprung up all over the county and a growing number of businesses and industries are located there.

Roanoke County was carved out of Botetourt County in 1838. It contains a large number of residential communities surrounding the City of Roanoke. There are also several areas of commercial development located in Roanoke County including the northern area near Hollins College and the Route 460 corridor.

Roanoke City is the descendent, if you will, of several earlier small settlements in the area now known as Roanoke. The first in 1802 was known as New Antwerp, which was followed by Gainesborough in 1825, Old Lick in 1834 and Big Lick in 1874. With the arrival of the railroad, Big Lick became a crossroads of shipping and travel in the Valley. The city was eventually renamed Roanoke from the Indian word 'Rawrenock' and with the new name came growth and prosperity. The railroad industry continues to flourish today along with banking, healthcare and a variety of businesses and industries that call Roanoke home.

The City of Salem is a a separate city within Roanoke County which has its own local government, school system and municipal services. Salem is home to Roanoke College, the Salem-Roanoke Valley Civic Center, the regional VA Hospital and several large industries including General Electric Drive Systems. Salemites are known to have a passion for sports and that is evidenced by Salem's being the home of the local professional Class A baseball team and a beautiful municipal stadium which hosts a number of local, high school and college athletic events.

While some may find it unusual that the Roanoke Valley has so many separate areas, each with its own municipal government, school system and services, be assured that the areas do cooperate for the good of the Valley as a whole. Having different areas to choose from almost assures that there is something for everyone. No matter what area you choose to live in, you are surrounded by some of the world's most beautiful scenery in a community that offers excellent schools, attractive neighborhoods and outstanding services. No matter where you choose to live, you will be able to enjoy recreational activities, the arts, good shopping, convenient access via the airlines or the interstate and a sense of community that has caused the Roanoke Valley to be named in such lists as one of the ten best places to raise a family, one of the 20 least stressful cities in which to live and one of the 100 cities most likely to enjoy business development.

So come to visit Roanoke, the Star City of the South, Capital of the Blue Ridge, and see for yourself why we're so proud of the beautiful Roanoke Valley of Virginia.