View source for Roanoke, Virginia

{{short description|Independent city in Virginia, United States}}
{{About|the Virginia city|the colonization attempt of a North Carolina island|Roanoke Colony||}}
{{good article}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Roanoke, Virginia
| named_for          = [[Roanoke River]]
| settlement_type    = [[Independent city (United States)|Independent city]]
| nicknames           = The Star City of The South, Magic City, Star City
| population_demonym = Roanoker
| motto              = 
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
 |perrow             = 1 / 2 / 2
 |align              = center
 |total_width        = 300
 |image1             = Roanoke City (Virginia) from Mill Mountain Star at Dusk.jpg
 |image2             = Roanoke star.jpg
 |image3             = Roanoke City Market, Roanoke, Virginia (49461688771).jpg
 |image4             = Hotel Roanoke Front Entrance.jpg
 |image5             = Saint Andrew's.jpg
 }}
| imagesize          = 250px
| image_caption      = Clockwise from top: [[Downtown Roanoke]], [[Roanoke City Market Historic District|City market building]], [[Basilica of St. Andrew (Roanoke, Virginia)|Basilica of St. Andrew]], [[Hotel Roanoke]], [[Roanoke Star]]
| image_blank_emblem = Roanoke Virginia City Logo Small.jpg
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| image_flag         = Flag of Roanoke, Virginia.png
| image_seal         = Seal of Roanoke, Virginia.png
| pushpin_map        = USA Virginia#USA
| pushpin_label      = Roanoke
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| mapsize            = 250x200px
| map_caption        = Location in Virginia
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2  = 
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Virginia}}
| government_type    = [[Council–manager]]
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of Roanoke, Virginia|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Joseph L. Cobb
| leader_party       = 
| leader_title1      = Vice mayor
| leader_name1       = Terry McGuire
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 42.85
| area_land_sq_mi    = 42.52
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.33
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| area_metro_km2     = 
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_rank    = [[List of United States cities by population|326th]] in the United States<br />[[List of cities in Virginia|8th]] in Virginia
| population_note    = 
| population_total   = 100011
| population_metro   = 315251 (US: [[Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas|163rd]])
| population_urban   = 217,312 (US: [[List of United States urban areas|177th]])<ref name="urban area">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural.html |title=List of 2020 Census Urban Areas |website=census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 7, 2023 |archive-date=January 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114022812/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 1,731.6
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| timezone           = Eastern (EST)
| utc_offset         = −5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = −4
| coordinates        = {{coord|37|16|14|N|79|56|33|W|type:city_region:US-VA|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m        = 297
| elevation_ft       = 974
| elevation_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names/1498439 |title=U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Roanoke Virginia |publisher=United States Geological Survey |access-date=December 20, 2023}}</ref>
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = 24001–24020, 24022–24038, 24040, 24042–24045, 24048, 24050, 24155, 24157, 24012
| area_codes          = [[Area codes 540 and 826|540, 826]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 51-77000<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/ |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709054630/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1499971<ref name="GR3">{{cite web |url=http://geonames.usgs.gov/ |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=US Board on Geographic Names |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |date=October 25, 2007 |archive-date=December 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225203902/https://geonames.usgs.gov/%20 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web |title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_51.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-date=October 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016234816/https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_51.txt |url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 110.99
| area_land_km2      = 110.13
| area_water_km2     = 0.86
| population_density_km2 = auto
| website            = {{URL|http://www.roanokeva.gov}}
}}

'''Roanoke''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|oʊ|.|ə|ˌ|n|oʊ|k}} {{respell|ROH|ə|nohk}}) is an [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]] in [[Virginia]], United States. It lies in [[Southwest Virginia]], along the [[Roanoke River]], in the [[Blue Ridge Mountains|Blue Ridge]] range of the greater [[Appalachian Mountains]]. Roanoke is about {{Convert|50|mi|km}} north of the Virginia–[[North Carolina]] border and {{Convert|250|mi|km}} southwest of [[Washington, D.C.]], along [[Interstate 81]]. At the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], Roanoke's population was 100,011, making it the most populous city in Virginia west of the state capital, [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]].<ref name="QF">{{cite web |title=QuickFacts Roanoke city, Virginia |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/roanokecityvirginia |access-date=September 7, 2021 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |archive-date=June 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622181022/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/roanokecityvirginia |url-status=live}}</ref> It is the primary population center of the [[Roanoke metropolitan area]], which had a population of 315,251 in 2020.

The [[Roanoke Valley]] was originally home to members of the [[Siouan languages|Siouan]]-speaking [[Tutelo]] tribe. In the 17th and 18th centuries, [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scotch-Irish]] and later [[German American]] farmers gradually drove those [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] out of the area as the [[American frontier]] pressed westward. In 1882, the [[Norfolk and Western Railway]] (N&W) chose the small town of Big Lick as the site of its corporate headquarters and [[Roanoke Shops|railroad shops]]. Within two years, the town had become the City of Roanoke. In the 1880s, the population grew by 22 times and the young city experienced the advantages and disadvantages of its [[boomtown]] status. During the 20th century, Roanoke's boundaries expanded through [[Municipal annexation|annexations]] of surrounding [[Roanoke County, Virginia|Roanoke County]], and it became Southwest Virginia's economic and cultural hub. The 1982 decision by N&W to move its headquarters out of the city, along with other manufacturing closures, led Roanoke to a primarily [[service economy]]. In the 21st century, a robust [[healthcare industry]] and the development and increased marketing of the city's outdoor amenities have helped reverse [[population decline]].

Roanoke is known for the [[Roanoke Star]], an {{Convert|88.5|ft||-tall|adj=mid}} illuminated star that sits atop a mountain within the city's limits and is the origin of its nickname, "'''The Star City of the South'''". Other points of interest include the [[Hotel Roanoke]], a 330-room Tudor Revival structure built by N&W in 1882, the [[Taubman Museum of Art]], designed by architect [[Randall Stout]], and the city's [[Roanoke City Market Historic District|farmer's market]], the oldest continuously operating open-air market in the state. The Roanoke Valley features {{convert|26|mi}} of greenways with bicycle and pedestrian trails, and the city's location in the Blue Ridge Mountains provides access to numerous [[outdoor recreation]] opportunities.

==History==
{{For timeline|Timeline of Roanoke, Virginia}}

=== Early history and incorporation ===
The current site of Roanoke lies near the intersection of the [[Great Wagon Road]] and the [[Carolina Road]], two branches of a network of early colonial roads that developed from Native American trails in the [[Appalachia]]n region.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rouse, Jr. |first=Parke |title=The Great Wagon Road: From Philadelphia to the South |publisher=McGraw-Hill Book Company |year=1973 |isbn=978-0-07-054101-6}}</ref> While the name ''Roanoke'' is said to have originated from a Native American word for shell beads used as [[shell money|currency]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Otto |first=Paul |date=2017 |title="This is that which...they call Wampum" Europeans Coming to Terms With Native Shell Beads |url=https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1075&context=hist_fac |journal=Faculty Publications - Department of History, Politics, and International Studies |issue=77}}</ref> that word was first used {{convert|300|mi|km}} away, where the [[Roanoke River]] empties into the Atlantic Ocean near [[Roanoke Island]].<ref name="Kagey">{{Cite book |last=Kagey |first=Deedie |title=When Past is Prologue: A History of Roanoke County |publisher=Roanoke County Sesquicentennial Committee |year=1988 |page=7}}</ref> The [[Roanoke Valley]] itself was originally home to members of the [[Tutelo]] tribe,<ref name="Kagey" /><ref name="Griffin-1942">{{Cite journal |last=Griffin |first=James B. |date=1942 |title=On the Historic Location of the Tutelo and the Mohetan in the Ohio Valley |journal=American Anthropologist |language=en |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=275–280 |doi=10.1525/aa.1942.44.2.02a00080 |issn=0002-7294 |doi-access=free}}</ref> a [[Siouan languages|Siouan]]-speaking people who were gradually pushed out of the area by advancing European settlers.<ref name="Griffin-1942" />

Many of those settlers were [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scotch-Irish]] who arrived in the region during the 18th and early 19th centuries following the [[Plantation of Ulster]].<ref name="Barnes-1968">{{Cite book |last=Barnes |first=Raymond P. |title=A History of the City of Roanoke |publisher=Commonwealth Press, Inc. |year=1968 |pages=}}</ref>{{rp|3}} They were followed by significant numbers of Germans from [[Pennsylvania]] via the Great Wagon Road.{{r|Barnes-1968|p=3}}<ref name=Kagey /> By 1838, the area was populated enough that [[Roanoke County, Virginia|Roanoke County]] was created out of parts of [[Botetourt County, Virginia|Botetourt]] and [[Montgomery County, Virginia|Montgomery]] Counties,<ref>{{Cite web |title=History {{!}} Roanoke County, VA - Official Website |url=https://www.roanokecountyva.gov/805/History |access-date=May 24, 2023 |website=www.roanokecountyva.gov |archive-date=May 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524190942/https://www.roanokecountyva.gov/805/History |url-status=live}}</ref> and the area's first railroad, the [[Virginia and Tennessee Railroad|Virginia and Tennessee]], arrived in 1852.<ref name="White-1982">{{Cite book |last=White |first=Clare |title=Roanoke 1740-1982 |publisher=Roanoke Valley Historical Society |year=1982 |pages=}}</ref>{{rp|49}}

The railroad built its new [[Train station|depot]] just south of a small town named Gainesborough, but named the depot after Big Lick, another small community located just to the east, which itself was named after the salt deposits that had drawn game to the area for years.{{r|White-1982|p=49}}{{r|Dotson|p=2}} Gainesborough increasingly became referred to as Big Lick (and later as Old Lick) once development drifted farther south towards the depot.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill Studio |date=February 2004 |title=Historic Architectural Survey of and National Register Nominations for Roanoke Downtown Historic District |url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/pdf_files/SpecialCollections/RN-086_Histoirc_AH_Survey_RoanokeDowntownHD_2004_HILL_report.pdf |access-date=May 24, 2023 |archive-date=May 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531171008/https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/pdf_files/SpecialCollections/RN-086_Histoirc_AH_Survey_RoanokeDowntownHD_2004_HILL_report.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Growth in the area was stalled by the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]; Roanoke County voted 850–0 in favor of [[secession]] and lost many of its men in the subsequent fighting.{{r|White-1982|p=53}} The burgeoning [[Tobacco industry|tobacco trade]] helped the region's recovery during [[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction]]. Within a decade of the war's end, there were no fewer than six tobacco factories near the Big Lick Depot.{{r|White-1982|p=58}}

In 1874, the community surrounding the depot applied for and received a town charter, and the Town of Big Lick was formally established.{{r|Barnes-1968|p=71}} Eight years later, efforts by town boosters succeeded in securing Big Lick as the junction of the [[Shenandoah Valley Railroad (1867–1890)|Shenandoah Valley Railroad]] and the [[Norfolk and Western Railway]] (N&W).{{r|White-1982|p=65}} The two companies also relocated their respective headquarters to the town (the two lines would officially merge in 1890).{{r|White-1982|p=70}}{{r|Barnes-1968|p=204}} Big Lick's relatively small size compared to the nearby county seat, [[Salem, Virginia|Salem]], worked in its favor as a draw for the companies. Big Lick's ample farmland and nearby water sources were well suited to the railroads' goal of building much of the town from scratch, including railroad shops, offices, a hotel, and suitable housing for their many employees.{{r|Barnes-1968|p=86}}{{r|Dotson|p=8}}
[[File:Roanoke_Hotel_1910.jpg|left|thumb|251x251px|[[Hotel Roanoke]] as it appeared in 1910. N&W ordered an expansion to the hotel before the original structure was completed.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Piedmont |first=Donlan |title=Peanut Soup and Spoonbread: An Informal History of Hotel Roanoke |publisher=Virginia Tech Real Estate Foundation, Inc. |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-9617635-1-0 |page=16}}</ref>]]
In the early 1880s, Big Lick's residents voted to rename the town "Kimball" after [[Frederick J. Kimball]], an executive for the two railroad companies who played a significant role in their new location.{{r|Dotson|p=10}} Kimball turned down the honor, saying, "On the Roanoke River in Roanoke County&nbsp;– name it Roanoke."{{r|Barnes-1968|p=90}} The town obliged, officially becoming the Town of Roanoke on February 3, 1882.{{r|White-1982|p=65}} The new charter also [[Municipal annexation|annexed]] nearly {{convert|2.5|sqmi}} of additional land, including the Town of Gainesborough (later shortened to [[Gainsboro, Roanoke, Virginia|Gainsboro]]), which by that point had already become the center of the area's African American community.<ref>{{Cite web |last=City of Roanoke Planning Building and Development |title=Gainsboro Neighborhood Plan - History |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1232/Gainsboro |access-date=May 26, 2023 |website=Roanoke Document Center |archive-date=May 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531171010/https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1232/Gainsboro |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Shareef |first=Reginald |title=The Roanoke Valley's African American Heritage: A Pictorial History |publisher=The Donning Company |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-89865-962-7}}</ref>{{rp|153}} Kimball chose a wheat field north of the railroad tracks and east of Gainsboro for the N&W's new hotel,{{r|White-1982|p=66}} and the 69-room [[Hotel Roanoke]] – designed originally in the [[Queen Anne style architecture in the United States|Queen Anne]] style before numerous rebuilds and expansions gave it its current [[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor Revival]] appearance – opened its doors in 1882.{{r|Dotson|p=12}}

With the rapid influx of railroad employees and others in associated industries, Roanoke's population soared and, by the end of 1883, had passed 5,000.{{r|White-1982|p=71}} That milestone made the town eligible for a [[Municipal charter|city charter]], and on January 31, 1884, the town became the City of Roanoke.{{r|Barnes-1968|p=135}}

With a population that ballooned from under 700 residents in 1880 to over 16,000 in 1890<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite book |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951t00383932e |title=Census of Population:1950 |series=Decennial census, Seventeenth |date=1952 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |hdl=2027/umn.31951t00383932e |access-date=August 2, 2023}}</ref> {{endash}} and earning itself the nickname "The Magic City" in the process{{r|Dotson|p=1}} {{endash}} Roanoke suffered many of the same difficulties that affected other 19th century [[boomtown]]s.<ref name=Dybdahl>{{cite news |last=Dybdahl |first=Pete |date=December 19, 2007 |title=Growing Pains |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1}}</ref> Its infrastructure was essentially nonexistent, and a lack of sewers combined with the area's [[Marsh|marshy terrain]] contributed to regular outbreaks of [[diphtheria]] and [[cholera]].{{r|Dotson|p=37}} [[Municipal bond|Bond initiatives]] designed to alleviate these and other issues highlighted racial tensions in the city, as the African American community – roughly 30 percent of Roanoke's population in 1891{{r|Dotson|p=105}} – opposed the measures because the money would only be used to improve white neighborhoods.{{r|Dotson|p=42}} Black neighborhoods in Roanoke typically received public amenities such as running water and paved roads only after their white counterparts, and Roanoke was among the first to adopt the [[Jim Crow laws]] that were becoming increasingly popular in the South.{{r|Dotson|p=108}} The local press, for its part, stoked the white population's fears and anxiety with near-constant reports of African American "savagery".{{r|Dotson|p=125}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 2, 1901 |title=Crime of the Century |work=The Roanoke Times |page=4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 13, 1896 |title=Men Worse Than Apes |work=The Roanoke Times |page=3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 1, 1894 |title=Brutal Work at Staunton |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1}}</ref>

In September 1893, tensions boiled over when a white woman was allegedly robbed and beaten by an African-American man, Thomas Smith, near the city's market.{{r|White-1982|p=78}} Smith was held in the city jail; a mob of hundreds surrounded the building and demanded "[[Lynching|lynch justice]]".{{r|Dotson|p=135}} A shootout between the mob and an undermanned militia ensued, leaving eight dead and thirty-one more injured. Included among the wounded was the city's mayor, the previously widely admired [[Henry S. Trout]],{{r|Dotson|p=134}} who had vowed protection of the prisoner.{{r|White-1982|p=79}} The rioting mob was eventually successful in gaining control of Smith. They proceeded to hang him and mutilate his body, which was eventually burned when the mob was deterred from its initial plan to bury it in Mayor Trout's front yard.{{r|Dotson|p=140}} The mayor himself was forced to flee the city out of fear for his life and only returned a week later after the national press condemned the riot and praised Trout's courage during the event.{{r|Dotson|p=145}}

=== 20th century {{Endash}} present ===
Despite these and other setbacks, the city grew through the early 20th century, both in area and population.{{r|White-1982|p=84}}<ref name="Smith-1985">{{cite thesis |last=Smith |first=Leslie F. |date=August 5, 1985 |title=The Political Geography of Annexation--Roanoke, Virginia |url=https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/45738 |journal=Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertations |access-date=June 7, 2023 |archive-date=July 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722003303/https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/45738 |url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to the land gained in its 1882 town charter, relatively unopposed annexations occurred five more times by 1926, though Roanoke County would become less agreeable to later attempts.{{r|Smith-1985}} Mill Mountain became a popular entertainment locale for early residents; an observation tower and the Rockledge Inn each opened atop the mountain in 1892.{{r|Barnes-1968|p=250}} Mountain Park, an early amusement center complete with a [[casino]] and [[roller coaster]], opened at the foot of the mountain in 1903,{{r|Barnes-1968|p=205}} and beginning in 1910 visitors could pay a quarter to ride an [[Mill Mountain Incline|incline railway]] to the top of Mill Mountain and back.{{r|Barnes-1968|p=473}}

Another mainstay at the base of the mountain was Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Completed in 1900 as Roanoke Hospital,{{r|Barnes-1968|p=341}} the building has undergone many expansions and today is the flagship of the [[Carilion Clinic]] healthcare group.<ref name=Chittum1>{{cite news |last=Chittum |first=Matt |date=December 9, 2018 |title=Research district transforms Roanoke $50 million gift bolsters health campus that was years in the making |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> The hospital joined some manufacturing operations that were established along the banks of the Roanoke River in the early 20th century, including the [[American Viscose Corporation]].<ref name=Hammack1>{{cite news |last1=Hammack |first1=Laurence |last2=Hunter |first2=Molly |date=March 26, 2023 |title=Past pollution a present concern for Riverdale plans |work=The Roanoke Times |pages=}}</ref> That company built a [[American Viscose Plant Historic District|plant]] in 1917 that by a decade later employed 5,000 and was reportedly the largest [[rayon]] producing mill in the world.{{r|White-1982|p=96}}

The city leased land for an airfield beginning in 1929.{{r|Barnes-1968|p=570}} Still, its development into the [[Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport|region's primary airport]] did not begin until its designation as a defense project provided federal funding in 1940.{{r|White-1982|p=103}} That same year, N&W donated the fairground, Maher Field, to the city to build a stadium and [[Arsenal|armory]].{{r|White-1982|p=103}} [[Victory Stadium]] {{Endash}} optimistically named upon its completion in 1942<ref name=Colorful>{{Cite news |date=November 27, 1942 |title=Colorful Crowd Attends Dedication of Stadium |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1}}</ref> {{Endash}} played host to the annual Thanksgiving Day [[American football|football]] game between [[Virginia Tech]] and [[Virginia Military Institute]] for years afterward.<ref name="Cox1">{{cite news |last=Cox |first=Ray |date=February 9, 2015 |title=Military Classic was Thanksgiving fare |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref>

By the mid-20th century, Roanoke was increasingly losing population and businesses to a Roanoke County that had become less rural and more [[Suburbanization|suburban]] in nature and consequently more resistant to annexation attempts by the city.{{r|White-1982|p=109}}{{r|Smith-1985}} The city was nevertheless successful in annexing additional land in 1943, 1949, three small acquisitions in 1965, 1967, and 1968, and once more in 1976.{{r|Smith-1985}} The county won immunity from further annexations in 1980, but by then, the city had grown from its original size of {{Convert|0.5|sqmi|km2|1}} to {{Convert|42.9|sqmi|km2|1}}.{{r|Smith-1985}}
[[File:Roanoke Star (wide view).jpg|right|thumb|The [[Roanoke Star]] is the origin of the city's nickname ''Star City of the South.''|205x205px]]In 1949, the local merchants association erected an {{Convert|88.5|ft||adj=mid|-tall}} [[Roanoke Star|illuminated star]] at the top of Mill Mountain in celebration of the upcoming Christmas shopping season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roanoke Star in Virginia's Blue Ridge |url=https://www.visitroanokeva.com/things-to-do/attractions/roanoke-star/ |access-date=June 12, 2023 |website=www.visitroanokeva.com |language=en-us |archive-date=June 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612202756/https://www.visitroanokeva.com/things-to-do/attractions/roanoke-star/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The star was an immediate hit among the city's population, leading to its illumination year-round and earning the city its nickname of "Star City of the South".<ref name=Berrier1>{{cite news |last=Berrier, Jr. |first=Ralph |date=November 23, 2014 |title=Our star turns 65 |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1E}}</ref> Despite the popularity boost for the merchants association, shopping habits in Roanoke were becoming more fractured as suburban [[shopping center]]s drew patrons away from an increasingly vacant downtown.<ref name=Valentine>{{cite news |author=The Roanoke Times Editorial Board |date=February 14, 2017 |title=A valentine for an astronaut |work=The Roanoke Times |page=5B}}</ref> Crossroads Mall, the first enclosed shopping center in Virginia,<ref name=Fabris1>{{cite news |last=Fabris |first=Casey |date=January 2, 2021 |title=Roanoke developer dies at 93 |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> and Towers Mall, at the time one of the largest shopping centers in the state,<ref name=Firms>{{Cite news |date=October 8, 1961 |title=Two Firms Will Share Managing Duties |work=The Roanoke Times |page=58}}</ref> were each completed in 1961.<ref name=Valentine /> In later years, [[Tanglewood Mall]] (1973)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cockerham |first=Amy |date=April 7, 2023 |title=Roanoke County's Tanglewood Mall under new ownership |url=https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/04/07/roanoke-countys-tanglewood-mall-under-new-ownership/ |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=WSLS |language=en |archive-date=July 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722003306/https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/04/07/roanoke-countys-tanglewood-mall-under-new-ownership/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Valley View Mall (Roanoke, Virginia)|Valley View Mall]] (1985)<ref name=Codispoti2>{{cite news |last=Codispoti |first=Amanda |date=September 8, 2013 |title=Changes under way at Valley View Mall |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1}}</ref> contributed to Roanoke's status as the region's retail hub.<ref name=Codispoti1>{{cite news |last=Codispoti |first=Amanda |date=June 9, 2013 |title=Making the Star City the right fit |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1}}</ref>

Mid-century change to the city came in the form of a massive "[[urban renewal]]" effort that saw the construction of both the Roanoke Civic Center (now [[Berglund Center]]) as well as an [[Interstate 581|interstate spur]] into [[downtown Roanoke]].<ref name="Bishop" /> Much of the land for these projects was in Northeast Roanoke, a community of primarily African American citizens who had been largely [[Redlining|redlined]] from the rest of the city.<ref name=Chittum2>{{cite news |last=Chittum |first=Matt |date=August 14, 2005 |title=When segregation ruled the streets |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> City officials gained the land through [[eminent domain]] and proceeded to clear over 1,000 buildings, often through widescale burning.<ref name="Bishop" /> Later projects in the largely black Gainsboro neighborhood removed hundreds of homes and businesses there as well, and late-20th and early-21st century revitalization efforts by the city's government have been met with distrust and varied success.<ref name="Bishop" /><ref name=Adams1>{{cite news |last=Adams |first=Mason |date=August 31, 2008 |title=Troubled legacy |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref><ref name=Campagna>{{cite news |last=Campagna |first=Mary E. |date=July 26, 2017 |title=Sale of Dumas is a stab wound to the heart |work=The Roanoke Times |page=9B}}</ref><ref name=Adams2>{{cite news |last=Adams |first=Mason |date=August 8, 2008 |title=Residents argue for renewal program |work=The Roanoke Times |page=5B}}</ref>

The second half of the 20th century ushered in a change of identity for Roanoke.<ref name="Lowe-1999">{{cite news |last=Lowe |first=Cody |date=November 7, 1999 |title=Our past 100 years |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1}}</ref> In 1982, the N&W completed a merger with the [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]] to form the [[Norfolk Southern Railway]], which then relocated their headquarters from Roanoke to [[Norfolk, Virginia]].<ref name="Lowe-1999" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Railroad company Norfolk Southern is moving its headquarters from Norfolk to Atlanta |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2018/12/12/railroad-company-norfolk-southern-is-moving-its-headquarters-from-norfolk-to-atlanta/6672445007/ |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=The Florida Times-Union |language=en-US |archive-date=December 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208044037/https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2018/12/12/railroad-company-norfolk-southern-is-moving-its-headquarters-from-norfolk-to-atlanta/6672445007/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The company closed their regional headquarters in Roanoke in 2015, and in 2020 shuttered the locomotive shops.<ref name=Era>{{cite news |date=May 18, 2020 |title=Editorial: End of an era for Roanoke |work=The Roanoke Times |page=5A}}</ref><ref name=Sturgeon1>{{cite news |last=Sturgeon |first=Jeff |date=December 21, 2018 |title=Norfolk Southern to repay grant |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> The railroad's departure and a string of manufacturing plant closures left a hole in the city's economic base.<ref name="Lowe-1999" />

In 1987, however, the merger of two of the area's largest hospitals created the forerunner of Carilion Clinic, a medical group that is the largest employer in the state west of [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]].<ref name=Rife1 /> The group's partnerships with Virginia Tech and [[Radford University]] have created two colleges and a [[Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute|research facility]] in what was formerly an industrial [[Brownfield land|brownfield]] area, but has since been termed the city's "innovation corridor".<ref name=Rife2 /><ref name=Chittum3 /> These developments, along with the city's decision to improve its parks and recreation amenities and market itself as an outdoor tourism hotspot, have helped reverse its decades-long loss of young adults,<ref name=Success>{{cite news |date=March 28, 2021 |title=Editorial: The valley's success story |work=The Roanoke Times |page=5B}}</ref><ref name=Decade>{{cite news |date=December 30, 2019 |title=A consequential decade |work=The Roanoke Times |page=50B}}</ref> and in 2020 Roanoke's population passed 100,000 for the first time since 1980.<ref name=Lessons>{{cite news |date=August 17, 2021 |title=Five lessons from the census |work=The Roanoke Times |page=7A}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Grayson Highlands is a park with beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. (28393123321).jpg|alt=A photo of the Blue Ridge Mountains taken from an overlook|left|thumb|The [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] get their distinctive color from [[isoprene]] produced by the trees.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |first2= |title=Frequently Asked Questions - Blue Ridge Parkway (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/blri/faqs.htm |access-date=August 3, 2023 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en |archive-date=August 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803182740/https://www.nps.gov/blri/faqs.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>]]
Roanoke is the largest city in Virginia west of [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]]<ref name=Williamson>{{cite news |last=Williamson III |first=John B. |date=April 22, 2004 |title=Move Roanoke forward, not backward |work=The Roanoke Times |page=9B}}</ref> and is located in the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]], a range which is part of the greater [[Appalachian Mountains]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/blri/learn/nature/mountains.htm |title=Mountains - Blue Ridge Parksway |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=January 14, 2021 |website=nps.gov |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|42.9|sqmi|1}}, of which {{convert|42.5|sqmi|1}} is land and {{convert|0.3|sqmi|1}} (0.8%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=April 23, 2011 |date=February 12, 2011 |title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990 |archive-date=August 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824085937/https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It is located in the center of the greater Roanoke Valley and is bisected by the Roanoke River, which flows west-to-east through the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roanoke River Greenway – Greenways |url=https://greenways.org/trails/roanoke-river-greenway/ |access-date=June 21, 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=June 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621232252/https://greenways.org/trails/roanoke-river-greenway/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Within the city limits is Mill Mountain, a {{Convert|1700|ft||adj=mid|-tall}} mountain and 500-acre municipal park which stands detached from the surrounding ranges.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mill Mountain Park (including Star Trail) |url=https://dwr.virginia.gov/vbwt/sites/mill-mountain-park-including-star-trail/ |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=dwr.virginia.gov |language=en |archive-date=January 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131065728/https://dwr.virginia.gov/vbwt/sites/mill-mountain-park-including-star-trail/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Roanoke's location in the Blue Ridge Mountains makes it proximate to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife.<ref name=HollandR>{{cite news |last=Holland |first=Rebecca |date=August 21, 2014 |title=Naturefest |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1E}}</ref> The area is home to at least 43 species of [[salamander]],<ref name=Chumney1>{{cite news |last=Chumney |first=Richard |date=August 27, 2018 |title=Annual NatureFest celebrates biodiversity at Peaks of Otter |work=The Roanoke Times |page=4C}}</ref> and the [[Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve]] in neighboring Roanoke County protects the world's largest collection of [[Buckleya distichophylla|piratebush]], an exceedingly rare [[parasitic plant]] endemic to the Appalachians.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve |url=https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-area-preserves/poormt |access-date=June 23, 2023 |website=www.dcr.virginia.gov |archive-date=June 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230623154527/https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-area-preserves/poormt |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Roanoke,VA from Mill Mountain Star.jpg|alt=A panorama of Roanoke from the Mill Mountain Star overlook with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background.|middle|thumb|A panorama of Roanoke from the Mill Mountain Star overlook with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background.]]

Roanoke is the largest city along both the [[Appalachian Trail]], which runs through Roanoke County just north of the city,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hiking the Appalachian Trail |url=https://www.visitroanokeva.com/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/appalachian-trail/ |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=www.visitroanokeva.com |language=en-us |archive-date=June 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616133801/https://www.visitroanokeva.com/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/appalachian-trail/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[Blue Ridge Parkway]], which runs just south of the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roanoke Mountain Blue Ridge Parkway VA {{!}} Blue Ridge Parkway Overlooks |url=http://www.blueridgeparkwayoverlooks.com/blue-ridge-parkway-highlights-in-nc-va/blue-ridge-parkway-highlights-in-va/roanoke-mountain-blue-ridge-parkway-va/ |access-date=June 14, 2023 |language=en |archive-date=July 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722003304/http://www.blueridgeparkwayoverlooks.com/blue-ridge-parkway-highlights-in-nc-va/blue-ridge-parkway-highlights-in-va/roanoke-mountain-blue-ridge-parkway-va/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Carvins Cove Natural Reserve|Carvins Cove]], the third-largest municipal park in America at {{convert|12700|acre|km2|adj=off}}, lies in northeast Roanoke County and southwest [[Botetourt County]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 100 Largest City Parks in the US (Update for 2022) {{!}} Infoplease |url=https://www.infoplease.com/us/cities/100-largest-city-parks |access-date=June 8, 2023 |website=www.infoplease.com |language=en |archive-date=June 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603162115/https://www.infoplease.com/us/cities/100-largest-city-parks |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Smith Mountain Lake]] is several miles southeast of the city,<ref>{{Cite web |title=» Smith Mountain Lake |url=https://roanokeoutside.com/water/lakes/smith-mountain-lake/ |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=roanokeoutside.com |archive-date=June 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608223357/https://roanokeoutside.com/water/lakes/smith-mountain-lake/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[George Washington and Jefferson National Forests]] are nearby.<ref>{{Cite web |title=George Washington & Jefferson National Forests - Virginia's Blue Ridge |url=https://www.visitroanokeva.com/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/george-washington-jefferson-national-forests/ |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=www.visitroanokeva.com |language=en-us |archive-date=May 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529230726/https://www.visitroanokeva.com/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/george-washington-jefferson-national-forests/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Outdoor pursuits in the region include hiking, [[mountain biking]], cross-country running, canoeing, [[kayaking]], fly fishing, and [[disc golf]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Outdoor Adventures in Virginia's Blue Ridge |url=https://www.visitroanokeva.com/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/ |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=www.visitroanokeva.com |language=en-us |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507054301/https://www.visitroanokeva.com/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Neighborhoods===
{{Main|List of neighborhoods in Roanoke, Virginia}}
[[File:Grandin Theatre, Roanoke, Virginia.jpg|alt=A nighttime photo of the exterior of the Grandin Theatre|thumb|The Grandin Theatre located in [[Grandin Road Commercial Historic District|Grandin Village]]]]
Roanoke is divided into 49 separate neighborhoods.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roanoke City Planning |date=June 23, 2023 |title=About Our City |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2841/About-Our-City?bidId= |format=PDF |access-date=June 23, 2023 |archive-date=June 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230623202026/https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2841/About-Our-City?bidId= |url-status=live}}</ref> The city has incorporated into its comprehensive plan the goal of developing these neighborhoods into "villages", each with their own [[Town centre|village center]], and with the [[Downtown Roanoke|Downtown]] neighborhood acting as the village center for the city as a whole.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roanoke City Planning |date=June 23, 2023 |title=Roanoke, Virginia Comprehensive Plan Vision 2001-2020 |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9716/Roanoke-Vision-2001-2020-Comprehensive-Plan |format=PDF |access-date=June 23, 2023 |archive-date=June 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230623202021/https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9716/Roanoke-Vision-2001-2020-Comprehensive-Plan |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Raleigh Court, Roanoke, Virginia|Raleigh Court]] neighborhood has been cited as a model for such development, consisting of a variety of residential settings located around [[Grandin Road Commercial Historic District|Grandin Village]], an active commercial hub anchored by the Grandin Theatre, the city's only surviving historic theater.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Planning Building and Economic Development |first=Roanoke City |date=May 21, 2007 |title=Greater Raleigh Court Neighborhood Plan |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1246/Raleigh-Court |format=PDF |access-date=June 23, 2023 |archive-date=June 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230623202022/https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1246/Raleigh-Court |url-status=live}}</ref> That commercial district is one of the city's nine neighborhoods (or portions thereof) that have been listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historic Registers Archive |url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/ |access-date=June 23, 2023 |website=DHR |language=en-US |archive-date=May 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513234129/https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Climate===
Though located along the Blue Ridge Mountains at elevations exceeding {{cvt|900|ft|-1}}, Roanoke lies in the [[humid subtropical climate]] zone ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa''), with four distinct, but generally mild, seasons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 22, 2022 |title=Roanoke, Virginia |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/cities/roanoke-virginia.html |access-date=June 26, 2023 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US |archive-date=June 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626153934/https://www.worldatlas.com/cities/roanoke-virginia.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It is located in USDA [[hardiness zone]] 7b, with the suburbs falling in zone 7a.<ref>{{cite web |title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map |author=United States Department of Agriculture |publisher=[[United States National Arboretum]] |url=http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html |access-date=February 19, 2015 |author-link=United States Department of Agriculture |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303152208/http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html |archive-date=March 3, 2015}}</ref> Extremes in temperature have ranged from {{convert|105|°F}} (as recently as August 21, 1983) down to {{convert|−12|°F|0}} on December 30, 1917. However, neither {{convert|100|°F|0}} nor {{convert|0|°F|0}} are reached in most years; the most recent occurrence of each is July 20, 2020, and February 20, 2015, respectively.<ref name="NOAA">{{cite web |url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=rnk |title=NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=July 1, 2021 |archive-date=July 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722235732/http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=rnk |url-status=live}}</ref> More typically, the area records an average of 6.1 days where the temperature stays at or below freezing and 30.5 days with {{convert|90|°F|0}}+ highs annually.<ref name="NOAA" /><ref name="NCEI" /> The monthly mean temperature ranges from {{convert|37.9|°F|1}} in January to {{convert|77.8|°F|1}} in July.<ref name="NOAA" /><ref name="NCEI" />

Based on the 1991−2020 period, the city averages {{convert|14.8|in|cm|0}} of snow per winter.<ref name="NCEI" /> Roanoke experienced a mild snow drought in the 2000s, which ended in December 2009 when {{convert|17|in|cm}} of snow fell on Roanoke in a [[December 2009 North American blizzard|single storm]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Ballisty |first=Tim |url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/winter-storm-aiming-for-mid-atlantic_2009-12-17 |title=Snow Totals Adding Up from Blizzard 2009 |website=weather.com |date=January 14, 2013 |access-date=June 12, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611210750/http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/winter-storm-aiming-for-mid-atlantic_2009-12-17 |archive-date=June 11, 2013}}</ref> Winter snowfall has ranged from trace amounts in 1918–19 and 1919–20 to {{convert|62.7|in|cm|0}} in 1959–60;<ref name="NOAA" /> unofficially, the largest single storm dumped approximately three feet (0.9&nbsp;m) from December 16−18, 1890.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.roanoke.com/weather/columns_and_blogs/columns/weather_journal/snowstorm-one-of-biggest-events-in-roanoke-s-weather-history/article_afc97fd9-7dd2-55c3-8811-6378c3953087.html |title=1890 snowstorm one of biggest events in Roanoke's weather history |newspaper=www.roanoke.com |access-date=January 24, 2017 |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126054050/https://roanoke.com/weather/columns_and_blogs/columns/weather_journal/snowstorm-one-of-biggest-events-in-roanoke-s-weather-history/article_afc97fd9-7dd2-55c3-8811-6378c3953087.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Historically, flooding has been the primary weather-related hazard faced by Roanoke.<ref name=Myatt1>{{cite news |last=Myatt |first=Kevin |date=September 24, 2014 |title=Last big Roanoke flood was decade ago |work=The Roanoke Times |page=3B}}</ref> Heavy rains, most frequently from the remnants of a [[hurricane]], drain from surrounding areas to the narrow Roanoke Valley.<ref name=Myatt2>{{cite news |last=Myatt |first=Kevin |date=May 23, 2020 |title=It rained a long time, but not all that hard |work=The Roanoke Times |page=3A}}</ref> The most recent significant flood was in the fall of 2018, when the remains of [[Hurricane Michael]] dumped over five inches of rain on the area in the span of only a few hours.<ref name=Myatt3>{{cite news |last=Myatt |first=Kevin |date=October 14, 2020 |title=Wettest year to date likely won't uproot 2018 |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2B}}</ref><ref name=Myatt4>{{cite news |last=Myatt |first=Kevin |date=January 2, 2019 |title=Soggy year sets high-water mark |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> The [[1985 Election Day floods|most severe flooding]] in the city's history occurred on November 4, 1985, when heavy storms from [[Hurricane Juan (1985)|Hurricane Juan]] stalled over the area.<ref name=Myatt5>{{Cite news |last=Myatt |first=Kevin |date=August 14, 2014 |title=What was the worst hurricane to affect Southwest Virginia? |work=The Roanoke Times |page= |url=https://roanoke.com/weather/what-was-the-worst-hurricane-to-affect-southwest-virginia/article_bd8fff72-233c-11e4-9414-0017a43b2370.html |access-date=January 30, 2024}}</ref> Ten people drowned in the Roanoke Valley and others were saved by rescue personnel.<ref name=Beagle1>{{cite news |last=Beagle |first=Ben |date=November 5, 1995 |title=When the waters killed - The flood of '85 lives on in the memories of those who survived |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1G}}</ref> That incident prompted a major flood reduction effort completed in 2012 by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]], which has limited the damage caused by subsequent storms.<ref name=Chittum4>{{cite news |last=Chittum |first=Matt |date=September 13, 2018 |title=Rains to test flood reduction plan |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref>

{{Weather box
| location = [[Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport]], Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1912–present)
| single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 81
| Feb record high F = 84
| Mar record high F = 90
| Apr record high F = 95
| May record high F = 99
| Jun record high F = 104
| Jul record high F = 105
| Aug record high F = 105
| Sep record high F = 103
| Oct record high F = 99
| Nov record high F = 83
| Dec record high F = 80
| year record high F = 105
| Jan avg record high F = 67.2
| Feb avg record high F = 70.3
| Mar avg record high F = 78.5
| Apr avg record high F = 85.7
| May avg record high F = 89.5
| Jun avg record high F = 93.6
| Jul avg record high F = 95.8
| Aug avg record high F = 94.5
| Sep avg record high F = 91.2
| Oct avg record high F = 84.6
| Nov avg record high F = 76.0
| Dec avg record high F = 68.3
| year avg record high F = 96.9
| Jan high F = 47.1
| Feb high F = 50.8
| Mar high F = 59.0
| Apr high F = 69.7
| May high F = 77.2
| Jun high F = 84.4
| Jul high F = 88.1
| Aug high F = 86.5
| Sep high F = 80.0
| Oct high F = 70.1
| Nov high F = 59.0
| Dec high F = 50.0
| year high F = 68.5
| Jan mean F = 37.9
| Feb mean F = 40.8
| Mar mean F = 48.3
| Apr mean F = 58.0
| May mean F = 66.1
| Jun mean F = 73.8
| Jul mean F = 77.8
| Aug mean F = 76.2
| Sep mean F = 69.6
| Oct mean F = 58.9
| Nov mean F = 48.4
| Dec mean F = 40.9
| year mean F = 58.1
| Jan low F = 28.7
| Feb low F = 30.8
| Mar low F = 37.6
| Apr low F = 46.3
| May low F = 55.0
| Jun low F = 63.2
| Jul low F = 67.4
| Aug low F = 66.0
| Sep low F = 59.1
| Oct low F = 47.8
| Nov low F = 37.7
| Dec low F = 31.8
| year low F = 47.6
| Jan avg record low F = 11.0
| Feb avg record low F = 15.8
| Mar avg record low F = 21.3
| Apr avg record low F = 31.5
| May avg record low F = 40.3
| Jun avg record low F = 51.7
| Jul avg record low F = 57.6
| Aug avg record low F = 55.6
| Sep avg record low F = 45.1
| Oct avg record low F = 32.0
| Nov avg record low F = 23.4
| Dec avg record low F = 16.9
| year avg record low F = 9.0
| Jan record low F = −11
| Feb record low F = −1
| Mar record low F = 9
| Apr record low F = 15
| May record low F = 30
| Jun record low F = 36
| Jul record low F = 47
| Aug record low F = 42
| Sep record low F = 32
| Oct record low F = 22
| Nov record low F = 8
| Dec record low F = −12
| year record low F = -12
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 3.17
| Feb precipitation inch = 2.89
| Mar precipitation inch = 3.51
| Apr precipitation inch = 3.49
| May precipitation inch = 4.31
| Jun precipitation inch = 4.66
| Jul precipitation inch = 4.28
| Aug precipitation inch = 3.37
| Sep precipitation inch = 4.06
| Oct precipitation inch = 2.96
| Nov precipitation inch = 3.04
| Dec precipitation inch = 3.08
| year precipitation inch = 42.82
| Jan snow inch = 4.3
| Feb snow inch = 4.8
| Mar snow inch = 2.3
| Apr snow inch = 0.1
| May snow inch = 0.0
| Jun snow inch = 0.0
| Jul snow inch = 0.0
| Aug snow inch = 0.0
| Sep snow inch = 0.0
| Oct snow inch = 0.0
| Nov snow inch = 0.1
| Dec snow inch = 3.2
| year snow inch = 14.8
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 9.5
| Feb precipitation days = 9.5
| Mar precipitation days = 11.1
| Apr precipitation days = 10.7
| May precipitation days = 12.4
| Jun precipitation days = 12.2
| Jul precipitation days = 11.7
| Aug precipitation days = 9.7
| Sep precipitation days = 9.0
| Oct precipitation days = 7.7
| Nov precipitation days = 7.8
| Dec precipitation days = 9.2
| year precipitation days = 120.5
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 2.0
| Feb snow days = 2.2
| Mar snow days = 1.4
| Apr snow days = 0.1
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.0
| Nov snow days = 0.1
| Dec snow days = 1.3
| year snow days = 7.1
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name = NOAA/><ref name = NCEI>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00013741&format=pdf |title=Station: Roanoke RGNL AP, VA |work=U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=July 1, 2021 |archive-date=November 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122213802/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00013741&format=pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1880 = 669
| 1890 = 16159
| 1900 = 21495
| 1910 = 34874
| 1920 = 50842
| 1930 = 69206
| 1940 = 69287
| 1950 = 91921
| 1960 = 97110
| 1970 = 92115
| 1980 = 100220
| 1990 = 96397
| 2000 = 94911
| 2010 = 97032
| 2020 = 100011
| align-fn = center
| footnote = Sources: 1880{{endash}}1950<ref name="DecennialCensus"/><br />1960{{endash}}1980<ref>{{cite book |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015078833822&seq=19 |title=Census of Population: 1980 |date=1982 |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=August 2, 2023 |archive-date=August 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806025108/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015078833822&seq=19 |url-status=live}}</ref> <br />1990–2000<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 6, 2014 |archive-date=December 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218203824/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}

===2020 census===
At the 2020 [[census]], there were 100,011 people residing in 44,411 households in the city, 21,199 of which housed families. The population density was {{convert|2,352.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 55.94% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 27.07% [[African American (U.S. census)|African American]], 0.21% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.46% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.04% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.52% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 5.26% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 8.48% of the population.<ref name="2020CensusP2"/>

Among the city's households, 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 30.4% were married couples living together, while 37.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. In total, 42.3% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 24.0% of the population were under the age of 20, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years.<ref name="2020CensusP2"/>

According to the unofficial [[American Community Survey]], the [[median household income]] in Roanoke was $45,664, and the median family income was $55,345. The per capita income was $29,585. About 20.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.2% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.<ref>{{Cite web |title=S0601: Selected Characteristics of the Total and Native Populations of the United States - Roanoke city, Virginia |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S0601?g=160XX00US5168000 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=December 20, 2023}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Roanoke city, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Roanoke city, Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=1600000US5168000&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=February 25, 2024}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Roanoke city, Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US5168000&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=February 25, 2024}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Roanoke city, Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US5168000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=February 25, 2024}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|65,256
|60,042
|style='background: #ffffe6; |55,951
|68.75%
|61.88%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |55.94%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|25,220
|27,256
|style='background: #ffffe6; |27,077
|26.57%
|28.09%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |27.07%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|178
|198
|style='background: #ffffe6; |211
|0.19%
|0.20%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.21%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|1,088
|1,676
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,462
|1.15%
|1.73%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.46%
|-
|[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|21
|36
|style='background: #ffffe6; |42
|0.02%
|0.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|185
|199
|style='background: #ffffe6; |523
|0.19%
|0.21%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.52%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|1,558
|2,280
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,261
|1.64%
|2.35%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.26%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|1,405
|5,345
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,484
|1.48%
|5.51%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8.48%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''94,911'''
|'''97,032'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100,011'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

==Economy==

Roanoke's economy was long closely linked to its status as the headquarters for the [[Norfolk and Western Railway]].<ref name="Dotson">{{Cite book |last=Dotson |first=Rand |title=Roanoke, Virginia, 1882-1912: Magic City of the New South |publisher=The University of Tennessee Press / Knoxville |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-57233-592-9 |pages=}}</ref> As time progressed, manufacturing and mining businesses contributed to the region's growth.<ref name=Sturgeon5>{{cite news |last=Sturgeon |first=Jeff |date=March 29, 2020 |title=Roanoke region will see sharp but short economic decline, economist predicts |work=The Roanoke Times |page=E}}</ref> After the N&W's merger with the [[Southern Railway (US)|Southern Railway]] created the [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] in 1982, Norfolk Southern continued to operate maintenance facilities and a rail yard in Roanoke but moved its headquarters to Norfolk, Virginia, and in 2015 moved out of its downtown Roanoke office building.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/news/norfolk-southerntocloseroanokeofficebuildingrelocateemployees.html |title=Norfolk Southern to close Roanoke office building, relocate employees |website=Norfolk Southern |access-date=June 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623193308/http://nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/news/norfolk-southerntocloseroanokeofficebuildingrelocateemployees.html |archive-date=June 23, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On May 18, 2020, after 139 years of production, Norfolk Southern shut down its locomotive shops and moved all operations to the Juniata Locomotive Shops in [[Altoona, Pennsylvania]].<ref name=Era/> With Norfolk Southern's departure, Roanoke's economy has since the mid-1990s shifted to become dominated by the healthcare industry.<ref name=Sturgeon5 /> [[File:Carilion_Roanoke_Memorial_Hospital.jpg|thumb|[[Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital]] has been expanded many times since its opening in 1900.]]
{{As of|2023}} the city's top employer {{endash}} and the largest private employer west of Richmond<ref name=Rife1>{{cite news |last=Rife |first=Luanne |date=January 30, 2020 |title=Economists say Carilion adds $3.2B to Va.'s economy |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref>{{endash}} is Carilion Clinic, which developed from the 1987 merger of two of the area's largest hospitals.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Piester |first=Rick |date=2013 |title=The History of Healthcare in the Roanoke Valley |url=https://issuu.com/ourhealthvirginia/docs/rnrv_historyiii2013 |magazine=Our Health |location=Salem, Virginia |publisher=McClintic Media, Inc. |access-date=December 20, 2023}}</ref> The non-profit group employs over 13,000 people. It operates nine hospitals in Western Virginia, along with public-private partnerships with Virginia Tech (Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute)<ref>{{Cite web |title=The First Ten Years |url=https://medicine.vtc.vt.edu/content/medicine_vtc_vt_edu/en/about/history.html |access-date=May 8, 2023 |website=medicine.vtc.vt.edu |language=en |archive-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508192708/https://medicine.vtc.vt.edu/content/medicine_vtc_vt_edu/en/about/history.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and Radford University (Radford University Carilion).<ref name=Rife2>{{cite news |last=Rife |first=Luanne |date=May 3, 2019 |title=Graduation marks college's evoltion: Jefferson College hosts final graduation before merger with Radford |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref><ref name=":16" /> The clinic's expansions have spurred considerable development in the former brownfields located south of Roanoke's downtown,<ref name=Rife3>{{cite news |last=Rife |first=Luanne |date=October 22, 2017 |title=The catalyst for innovation |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> turning the once-abandoned industrial sites into an area called the "innovation corridor" by the city.<ref name=Chittum3>{{cite news |last=Chittum |first=Matt |date=August 30, 2019 |title=Mayor praises city's ethic of 'hard work' |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1D}}</ref>

Another driving factor in the region's economy has been a push during the 21st century to market the area's [[outdoor recreation]] potential.<ref name=Codispoti3>{{cite news |last=Codispoti |first=Amanda |date=March 25, 2012 |title=Marketing the great outdoors |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1}}</ref> The Roanoke Regional Partnership, an [[economic development]] group representing the area's municipalities, has created a division called the Roanoke Outside Foundation that seeks to recruit businesses and talent based on the strength of the region's natural amenities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=» About |url=https://roanokeoutside.com/about/ |access-date=May 9, 2023 |website=roanokeoutside.com |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510154816/https://roanokeoutside.com/about/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The organization also puts on annual events such as the [[Blue Ridge Marathon on the Parkway|Blue Ridge Marathon]] and the GO Outside Festival.<ref name=Eshelman>{{cite news |last1=Eshelman |first1=Pete |last2=Marston |first2=Brett |date=June 12, 2021 |title=Ironman shows region's success |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2B}}</ref>

Other areas of strength in the region's economy include manufacturing and retail, each comprising over ten percent of the valley's industry.<ref name="Roanoke Regional Partnership">{{Cite web |title=Leading Employers |url=https://roanoke.org/data/workforce/leading-employers/ |access-date=May 10, 2023 |website=Roanoke Regional Partnership |language=en-US |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510205214/https://roanoke.org/data/workforce/leading-employers/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Transportation manufacturers such as [[Yokohama Rubber Company|Yokohama Tire]],<ref name=Petska1>{{cite news |last=Petska |first=Alicia |date=October 1, 2022 |title=Yokohama Tire union in Salem ratifies a new contract |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2A}}</ref> [[Volvo]],<ref name=Volvo>{{cite news |date=April 13, 2022 |title=Volvo plant builds more electric trucks |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1K}}</ref> [[Mack Trucks]],<ref name=Fabris2>{{cite news |last=Fabris |first=Casey |date=January 31, 2020 |title=Truck manufacturing plant coming to Roanoke County |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> Metalsa,<ref name=Petska2>{{cite news |last=Petska |first=Alicia |date=October 23, 2022 |title=Manufacturer now zero-waste facility |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1C}}</ref> and Altec<ref name=Adams3>{{cite news |last=Adams |first=Duncan |date=June 19, 2014 |title=Altec expansion to add 200 jobs |work=The Roanoke Times |page=8A}}</ref> contribute to the thousands of people employed in that field regionally.<ref name="Roanoke Regional Partnership" /> [[Night-vision device]] makers [[Elbit Systems]]<ref name=Wall1>{{cite news |last=Wall |first=Sam |date=April 27, 2022 |title=Roanoke County plant to play key role in night vision innovation |work=The Roanoke Times |page=3E}}</ref> and the [[Optical fiber|fiber optics]] company [[Luna Innovations]]<ref name=Petska3>{{cite news |last=Petska |first=Alicia |date=April 10, 2022 |title=Business Intel: Luna Innovations |work=The Roanoke Times |page=4C}}</ref> are among the advanced manufacturers in the area.<ref name="Roanoke Regional Partnership" />

===Top employers===
According to Roanoke's 2024 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>{{cite web |title=City of Roanoke Virginia Annual Comprehensive Financial Report |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/21756/Annual-Comprehensive-Financial-Report-Fiscal-Year-Ended-June-30-2024 |access-date=July 30, 2025 |website=roanokeva.gov |publisher=City of Roanoke }}</ref> the top employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
| 1
| [[Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital]]
| 1,000+
|-
|2
| Roanoke City Public Schools
| 1,000+
|-
|3
| Carilion Services
| 1,000+
|-
|4
| City of Roanoke
| 1,000+
|-
|5
| [[United Parcel Service]]
| 500 to 999
|-
|6
| [[Walmart]]
| 250 to 499
|-
|7
| [[United States Postal Service]]
| 250 to 499
|-
|8
| [[Virginia Transformer Corporation]]
| 250 to 499
|-
|9
| [[YMCA]]
| 250 to 499
|-
|10
| [[Elevance Health|Anthem]], member of [[Blue Cross Blue Shield Association]]
| 250 to 499
|}

==Arts and culture==
Serving as a hub for arts and culture in Southwest Virginia, Roanoke is home to several museums and cultural institutions in addition to being the host of several festivals, many centering around Elmwood Park in downtown Roanoke.<ref name=Allen1>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Mike |date=July 12, 2019 |title=Arts & Extras: Building a frame for Roanoke's arts programs |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2A}}</ref><ref name=Trinkle>{{cite news |date=February 12, 2016 |title=Trinkle supports the arts |work=The Roanoke Times |page=7B}}</ref><ref name=Morrill1>{{cite news |last=Morrill |first=Chris |date=April 8, 2012 |title=A vibrant city evolves purposefully |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1}}</ref>

===Museums===
[[File:Taubman Museum of Art.jpg|thumb|The [[Taubman Museum of Art]]|alt=An exterior photo of the underside of a museum building balcony]]
Center in the Square, an arts and culture organization located near downtown's historic market building and [[farmers' market]], was developed alongside the city's "Design '79" downtown revitalization effort and opened in 1983.<ref name=Allen2>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Mike |date=January 19, 2008 |title=Center of attention |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref> The center, located in a converted warehouse, originally housed the city's arts council and museum, history and science museums, and the [[Mill Mountain Theatre]].<ref name="Square">{{Cite web |last=Square |first=Center in the |title=Center in the Square |url=https://centerinthesquare.org/our-story |access-date=May 10, 2023 |website=Center in the Square |language=en-US |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510225608/https://centerinthesquare.org/our-story |url-status=live}}</ref> It has since expanded to five buildings, providing space to twelve institutions, including the [[Science Museum of Western Virginia]] and Hopkins [[Planetarium]], the Harrison Museum of African American Culture, and the Roanoke Pinball Museum.<ref name="Square" />

One of the original tenants of Center in the Square, the Art Museum of Western Virginia, moved to a downtown Salem Avenue facility in 2008.<ref name=Kittredge1 /> The move was made with the help of a $15.2 million donation from [[Nicholas F. Taubman|Nicholas and Jenny Taubman]], whose family had established [[Advance Auto Parts]] in Roanoke in the 1930s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Advance Auto Parts, Inc. - Our Story |url=https://corp.advanceautoparts.com/our-story/default.aspx#history |access-date=May 10, 2023 |website=corp.advanceautoparts.com |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510233257/https://corp.advanceautoparts.com/our-story/default.aspx#history |url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, the museum was renamed the [[Taubman Museum of Art]].<ref name=Kittredge2>{{cite news |last=Kittredge |first=Kevin |date=February 7, 2008 |title=New art museum to carry Taubman name |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref> The [[art museum]] features 19th and 20th century American art, contemporary and modern art, decorative arts, and works on paper.<ref name=Taubman>{{cite news |date=October 7, 2022 |title=Editorial: New art show brings choice masterworks to Southwest Virginia |work=The Roanoke Times |page=7A}}</ref> The {{convert|75000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} facility was designed by Los Angeles-based architect [[Randall Stout]], who earlier in his career worked under [[Frank Gehry]].<ref name=Kittredge1>{{cite news |last=Kittredge |first=Kevin |date=November 2, 2008 |title=Could art museum prompt a downtown transformation? |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> Though the building's [[avant-garde]] design was controversial,<ref name=Schultz1>{{cite news |last=Schultz |first=Robert |date=July 20, 2008 |title=Inside the art museum |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Podger |first1=Pamela J. |title=With Bold Museum, a Virginia City Aims for Visibility |id={{ProQuest|433734189}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/29/us/29roanoke.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 29, 2007 |access-date=May 20, 2023 |archive-date=May 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520155401/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/29/us/29roanoke.html |url-status=live}}</ref> it has since won international praise for its architecture.<ref name=Allen3>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Mike |date=October 15, 2009 |title=Architect wins award for Taubman |work=The Roanoke Times |page=8A}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Heilman |first=Christian |date=August 28, 2018 |title=Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke named best designed museum in Virginia |url=https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Taubman-Museum-of-Art-in-Roanoke-named-best-designed-museum-in-Virginia-491926781.html |access-date=May 18, 2023 |website=WDBJ7 |language=en |archive-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518152718/https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Taubman-Museum-of-Art-in-Roanoke-named-best-designed-museum-in-Virginia-491926781.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Outside the Virginia Museum of Transportation, Roanoke, Virginia (49461012956).jpg|left|thumb|[[PGM-19 Jupiter|Jupiter Rocket]] outside the [[Virginia Museum of Transportation]]|alt=An exterior photo of an upright rocket standing outside of a brick building]]
Also located downtown is the [[Virginia Museum of Transportation]], which houses many locomotives that were built in Roanoke by the Norfolk & Western Railway, including the [[Norfolk & Western 1218|1218]] and [[Norfolk and Western 611|611]] steam engines.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Kenneth |title=Norfolk and Western Class J: The Finest Steam Passenger Locomotive |publisher=Roanoke Chapter, National Railway Historical Society |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-615-11664-8}}</ref><ref name=Allen4>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Mike |date=June 14, 2019 |title=New transportation museum director trades cowboy hat for engineer's cap |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> A 2013 fundraising campaign led to the engine's refurbishment,<ref name=Allen5>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Mike |date=April 1, 2014 |title=Historic engine 611 to get its old steam back |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref> and it now does tourist excursion runs when not home at the museum.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VMT - Norfolk & Western J Class #611 |url=https://www.vmt.org/attractions/611 |access-date=May 11, 2023 |website=www.vmt.org |language=en |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610063908/https://www.vmt.org/attractions/611 |url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to its rail exhibits, the museum also displays a [[United States Army|US Army]] [[PGM-19 Jupiter|Jupiter rocket]]<ref name=Jackson1>{{cite news |last=Jackson |first=Todd |date=December 19, 1998 |title=Ex-Wasena Park rocket to land downtown |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref> and houses exhibits covering [[aviation]] as well as [[Car|automobiles]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the Virginia Museum of Transportation |url=https://www.vmt.org/about |access-date=May 11, 2023 |website=www.vmt.org |language=en |archive-date=May 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511152926/https://www.vmt.org/about |url-status=live}}</ref> The museum is located in the former Norfolk and Western [[Transport hub|freight depot]] which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name="NatRegFreight">{{cite web |author=Henry, Geoffrey B. |date=April 2012 |title=Norfolk & Western Railway Freight Station Final Nomination |url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/128-6162_Norfolk-Western_Railway_Freight_Station_2012_NRHP_FINAL.pdf |access-date=December 20, 2023 |publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources}}</ref>

The former Norfolk and Western Passenger Station hosts two museums: the [[O. Winston Link Museum]], dedicated to the late steam-era railroad photography of [[O. Winston Link]], and the History Museum of Western Virginia.<ref name=Koomen1>{{cite news |last=Koomen |first=Christina |date=March 21, 2023 |title=The Art of Place features railroad line, local artists |work=The Roanoke Times |page=8B}}</ref> Originally built in 1905, the station underwent a 1949 renovation in the [[Moderne architecture|Moderne]] style by designer [[Raymond Loewy]], and is one of four contributing structures to the [[Norfolk and Western Railway Company Historic District]] listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name="NatRegHD">{{cite web |last1=Harnesberger |first1=Douglas J. |last2=Kraus |first2=Nancy |date=July 1998 |title=Norfolk & Western Railway Company Historic District Final Nomination |url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/128-5432_N&W_Railroad_HD_1999_Final_Nomination.pdf |access-date=December 21, 2023 |publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources}}</ref>

===Arts===
The Berglund Performing Arts Theatre is a 2,150-seat venue within the larger Berglund Center complex.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://berglundcenter.live/about/about-us |access-date=May 11, 2023 |website=Berglund Center |language=en |archive-date=July 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716005708/https://berglundcenter.live/about/about-us |url-status=live}}</ref> It regularly hosts concerts,<ref name=Dickens1>{{cite news |last=Dickens |first=Tad |date=January 11, 2023 |title=Old Crow Medicine Show returns to Roanoke |work=The Roanoke Times |page=3A}}</ref><ref name=Dickens2>{{cite news |last=Dickens |first=Tad |date=May 27, 2021 |title=From the lips of the Berglund: Hinder returning to Roanoke |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2A}}</ref> touring Broadway theatre performances,<ref name=Helms-Beckner>{{cite news |last=Helms-Beckner |first=Alexis |date=April 11, 2022 |title=Out & About: 'Cats' at Berglund theater |work=The Roanoke Times |page=8B}}</ref><ref name=Allen6>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Mike |date=May 19, 2019 |title=Cornershot: Broadway in Roanoke unveils 2019-20 performance season |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1E}}</ref> stand-up comedy shows,<ref name=Dickens3>{{cite news |last=Dickens |first=Tad |date=July 7, 2022 |title=Brian Regan, Scythian, Paul thorn, 4848 Fest Top Tickets |work=The Roanoke Times |page=8B}}</ref><ref name=Comedy>{{cite news |date=July 19, 2022 |title=Comedy double-bill set for Roanoke |work=The Roanoke Times |page=8B}}</ref> and the [[Miss Virginia]] pageant.<ref name=Mouketo1>{{cite news |last=Mouketo |first=Julia |date=June 27, 2022 |title=Ashburn woman wins Miss Virginia crown |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref><ref name=MissVa>{{cite news |date=June 24, 2017 |title=Miss Virginia names more preliminary winners |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2A}}</ref> The city's first permanent artwork funded by the Percent for Art ordinance {{endash}} a law stating that the city must set aside 1% of its capital improvements budget for the purchasing of [[public art]]<ref name=Allen1/> {{endash}} stands before the theater. Dedicated in 2008 to celebrate the city's 150th anniversary,<ref>{{Cite web |title=In My Hands |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/gallery.aspx?PID=183 |access-date=May 11, 2023 |website=Roanoke, VA |language=en |archive-date=May 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511192637/https://www.roanokeva.gov/gallery.aspx?PID=183 |url-status=live}}</ref> the {{convert|30|ft|m|adj=on}} stainless steel sculpture, "In My Hands", is one of over 160 public works of art in Roanoke.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roanoke Arts Commission |url=https://roanokearts.org/ |access-date=August 8, 2023 |website=Roanoke Arts Commission |language=en |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810225227/https://roanokearts.org/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Jefferson Center in Roanoke Virginia.jpg|thumb|The Jefferson Center as it appeared in 2023. The [[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor Revival]] building opened as Jefferson High School in 1924.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jefferson Center - Roanoke's Premier Performing Arts and Cultural Center |url=https://www.jeffcenter.org/about |access-date=August 30, 2023 |website=www.jeffcenter.org |language=en |archive-date=August 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830165245/https://www.jeffcenter.org/about |url-status=live}}</ref>]]
The Jefferson Center is a former city high school that saw extensive renovation during the 1990s, turning it into a mixed-use building including office space for non-profits and city departments, event space for meetings and receptions, and the Shaftman Performance Hall, a 925-seat theatre created from the original high school's auditorium.<ref name=Kittredge3>{{cite news |last=Kittredge |first=Kevin |date=April 29, 2001 |title=Curtain up! |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jefferson Center - Roanoke's Premier Performing Arts and Cultural Center |url=https://www.jeffcenter.org/facilities |access-date=May 12, 2023 |website=www.jeffcenter.org |language=en |archive-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512150646/https://www.jeffcenter.org/facilities |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2006, the former Dumas Hotel was reopened as the Dumas Center for Artistic and Cultural Development.<ref name=Hutkin1>{{cite news |last=Hutkin |first=Erinn |date=November 5, 2006 |title=Music revives Dumas |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref> The center is located on Henry Street, which served as the commercial and cultural center of Roanoke's African-American community before a mid-20th century urban renewal project that saw much of the historic [[Gainsboro Historic District|Gainsboro]] neighborhood razed or relocated.<ref name="Bishop">{{Cite news |last=Bishop |first=Mary |date=January 29, 1995 |title=Urban Renewal's Untold Stories |at=Special Section |work=The Roanoke Times & World News |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1532/Street-by-Street-Block-by-Block |access-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512154755/https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1532/Street-by-Street-Block-by-Block |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Fullilove |first=Mindy Thompson |title=Root Shock: how tearing up city neighborhoods hurts America, and what we can do about it |publisher=One World/Ballantine Books |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-345-45422-5}}</ref> The Dumas Hotel hosted such guests as [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Ethel Waters]], [[Count Basie]], [[Duke Ellington]] and [[Nat King Cole]] when they performed in Roanoke.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Annette |date=May 1, 2017 |title=Why Sell The Dumas, A Valuable Piece Of History |url=https://tapintohope.org/2017/05/01/why-sell-the-dumas-a-valuable-piece-of-history/ |access-date=May 11, 2023 |website=TAP |language=en-US |archive-date=May 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511183733/https://tapintohope.org/2017/05/01/why-sell-the-dumas-a-valuable-piece-of-history/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The renovated Dumas Center features an auditorium with more than 200 seats,<ref name=Hutkin1 /> and the building is a contributing structure to the [[Henry Street Historic District]], listed in 2004 to the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name="NatRegHenry">{{cite web |author=Blanton, Alison |date=June 2004 |title=Henry Street Historic District Final Nomination |url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/128-5764_Henry_Street_HD_2004_Final_Nomination.pdf |access-date=December 21, 2023 |publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources}}</ref>

Since 1964, the Roanoke Valley has hosted performances by the Mill Mountain Theatre, a [[Regional theater in the United States|regional theatre]] that has been located in Center in the Square since its original home atop Mill Mountain burned down in 1976.<ref name=Kittredge4>{{cite news |last=Kittredge |first=Kevin |date=April 16, 2010 |title=Mona Black was life of Mill Mountain Theatre |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A0}}</ref> The theatre has both a main stage for mainstream performances and a smaller [[black box theatre]] called Waldron Stage, which hosts both newer and more experimental plays along with other live events.<ref name=Allen7>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Mike |date=October 17, 2018 |title=Mill Mountain Theatre announces 2019 season |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1E}}</ref>

Roanoke has been home to the Showtimers Community Theatre since 1951,<ref name=Allen8>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Mike |date=June 26, 2020 |title=Showtimers to explore new ways to reach out after canceling 70th season |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2A}}</ref> and since 2008, the Virginia Children's Theatre has presented shows aimed at a younger audience, often based on children's literature.<ref name=Allen9>P{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Mike |date=August 18, 2019 |title=Roanoke Children's Theatre opens new chapter |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1E}}</ref> Originally formed as Roanoke Children's Theatre and housed in the Taubman Museum at that building's opening, the theatre expanded into the Dumas Center in 2013, and in 2016 moved to its current home in the Jefferson Center.<ref name=Allen9 />

[[Opera Roanoke]] is Southwest Virginia's only professional opera company, established in 1976 as the Southwest Virginia Opera Society.<ref name=Opera>{{cite news |date=October 28, 2021 |title=Opera Roanoke scores a US premiere |work=The Roanoke Times |page=6A}}</ref> It has performed under its current name since 1991, and its official orchestra since 2004 has been the [[Roanoke Symphony Orchestra]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Opera Roanoke |url=https://www.virginia.org/listing/opera-roanoke/15208/ |access-date=May 12, 2023 |website=www.virginia.org |language=en-us |archive-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512190559/https://www.virginia.org/listing/opera-roanoke/15208/ |url-status=live}}</ref> That group was established in 1953.<ref name="Staplefoote-2018">{{Cite web |last=Staplefoote |first=Liz |date=September 4, 2018 |title=Roanoke Has a Lot to Celebrate |url=https://theroanoker.com/api/content/d8d1ba9c-abcc-11e8-9d62-120bd63a0354/ |access-date=May 12, 2023 |website=TheRoanoker.com |language=en-us |archive-date=December 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218213309/https://theroanoker.com/magazine/features/roanoke-has-a-lot-to-celebrate/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The orchestra performs out of the Berglund Performing Arts Theatre, Salem Civic Center, and Shaftman Performance Hall at Jefferson Center.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Venues & Locations |url=https://rso.com/venues-locations/ |access-date=May 12, 2023 |website=Roanoke Symphony Orchestra |language=en-US |archive-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512183801/https://rso.com/venues-locations/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Points of interest===
Roanoke is the largest metropolitan area on the Blue Ridge Parkway,<ref>{{Cite web |location=Asheville |publisher=Blue Ridge Parkway Association |title=Roanoke Valley Area |url=https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/communities/roanoke-valley-area/ |access-date=May 15, 2023 |website=Blue Ridge Parkway |language=en-US |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516191009/https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/communities/roanoke-valley-area/ |url-status=live}}</ref> a 469-mile-long scenic road that is the most-visited element of the [[National Park Service|National Park System]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains |url=https://www.visitroanokeva.com/things-to-do/blue-ridge-parkway/ |access-date=May 15, 2023 |website=www.visitroanokeva.com |language=en-us |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516191010/https://www.visitroanokeva.com/things-to-do/blue-ridge-parkway/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The Mill Mountain Parkway exit off of the Blue Ridge Parkway leads to the Roanoke Star, an {{Convert|88.5|ft||adj=mid|-tall}} illuminated star sitting atop a mountain inside the city's limits.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dashiell |first=Joe |date=May 10, 2023 |title=Roanoke considers restoration or replacement of Mill Mountain Star |url=https://www.wdbj7.com/2023/05/10/roanoke-considers-restoration-or-replacement-mill-mountain-star/ |access-date=May 15, 2023 |website=WDBJ7 |language=en |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516191010/https://www.wdbj7.com/2023/05/10/roanoke-considers-restoration-or-replacement-mill-mountain-star/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Also on the mountain's summit is Mill Mountain Zoo, a [[Zoological Association of America]]-accredited facility housing over 170 animals.<ref name=Berrier2>{{cite news |last=Berrier, Jr. |first=Ralph |date=March 15, 2019 |title=Mill Mountain Zoo earns accreditation from national zoo association |work=The Roanoke Times |page=3B}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mill Mountain Zoo {{!}} Roanoke, VA 24014 |url=https://www.visitroanokeva.com/listings/mill-mountain-zoo/5600/ |access-date=May 15, 2023 |website=www.visitroanokeva.com |language=en-us |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516191008/https://www.visitroanokeva.com/listings/mill-mountain-zoo/5600/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Texas Tavern in downtown Roanoke, Virginia.jpg|alt=A photo of the Texas Tavern restaurant at night|left|thumb|The [[Texas Tavern]] has changed little since its establishment in 1930.]]
The [[Basilica of St. Andrew (Roanoke, Virginia)|Basilica of St. Andrew]] rests on a hill overlooking downtown and has been called "one of Virginia's foremost examples of the High Victorian Gothic".<ref name="NatRegAndrews">{{cite web |author=Weidman, Gregory |date=May 1972 |title=St. Andrews Roman Catholic Church Final Nomination |url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/128-0030_Saint_Andrew's_Roman_Catholic_Church_1973_Final_Nomination.pdf |access-date=December 21, 2023 |publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources}}</ref> The church dates to 1900, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1973.<ref name="NatRegAndrews"/> Just below the church lies the Hotel Roanoke, a historic 330-room Tudor Revival hotel originally built by the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1882 and rebuilt and expanded many times since.<ref>{{Cite web |title=128-0025 Hotel Roanoke |url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/128-0025/ |access-date=May 15, 2023 |website=www.dhr.virginia.gov |language=en-US |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516192510/https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/128-0025/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Nicknamed the "Grand Old Lady",<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Our Southwest Virginia Hotel {{!}} Historic Downtown Hotel Roanoke |url=https://www.hotelroanoke.com/southwest_va_hotel/ |access-date=May 15, 2023 |website=www.hotelroanoke.com |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516191009/https://www.hotelroanoke.com/southwest_va_hotel/ |url-status=live}}</ref> the hotel was listed on the NRHP in 1995.<ref name="NatRegHotel">{{cite web |last1=Giles |first1=Leslie A. |last2=Kern |first2=John R. |date=September 1995 |title=Hotel Roanoke Final Nomination |url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/128-0025_Hotel_Roanoke_1996_Final_Nomination.pdf |access-date=December 21, 2023 |publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources}}</ref>

A pedestrian bridge leads from the Hotel Roanoke to the city's historic market building and farmers' market, the latter of which dates to 1882 and is the oldest continuously operating open-air market in Virginia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of the Market {{!}} Farmer's Market {{!}} Explore {{!}} Downtown Roanoke |url=https://www.downtownroanoke.org/explore/farmers-market/history-of-the-market |access-date=May 15, 2023 |website=www.downtownroanoke.org |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516191009/https://www.downtownroanoke.org/explore/farmers-market/history-of-the-market |url-status=live}}</ref> Near the terminus of the market is [[Fire Station No. 1 (Roanoke, Virginia)|Fire Station No. 1]], which for a time was the oldest continuously operating station in the state.<ref name=Struzzi1>{{cite news |last=Struzzi |first=Diane |date=June 16, 1994 |title=Things look up for firehouse |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1C}}</ref> The [[Georgian architecture|Georgian Revival]] structure was listed on the NRHP in 1973,<ref>{{Cite web |title=128-0033 Fire Station No. 1 |url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/128-0033/ |access-date=May 15, 2023 |website=www.dhr.virginia.gov |language=en-US |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516191009/https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/128-0033/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and currently houses a local furniture showroom, restaurant, and [[boutique hotel]].<ref name=Petska4>{{cite news |last=Petska |first=Alicia |date=September 24, 2022 |title=First Station No. 1, downtown Roanoke historic landmark, has new calling |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> Two blocks west on the same street is [[Texas Tavern]], an "iconic"<ref name=Berrier3>{{cite news |last=Berrier, Jr. |first=Ralph |date=November 12, 2020 |title=Texas Tavern sign auction raised $5,085 for Tudor House |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2B}}</ref><ref name=Friedenberger1>{{cite news |last=Friedenberger |first=Amy |date=October 8, 2015 |title=Roanoke Valley aids flood victims in S.C. |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref> ten-seat [[greasy spoon]] restaurant that the same family has operated since its establishment in 1930.<ref name=Nair1>{{cite news |last=Nair |first=Lindsey |date=June 4, 2008 |title=The best of Burger Nation |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1}}</ref>

===Festivals===
[[File:Roanoke_Local_Colors_Festival_with_Kenya_Represented_in_Photo.jpg|thumb|Parade of Nations at the Local Colors Festival]]
Roanoke features several annual festivals and events of various types. A parade for [[Saint Patrick's Day|St. Patrick's Day]] occurs every March,<ref name=Sampson1>{{cite news |last=Sampson |first=Anne |date=March 10, 2022 |title=Hooves o' the Irish: Budweiser Clydesdales to march in St. Patrick's Day Parade |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2T}}</ref> and Pride in the Park is an [[LGBT|LGBTQ+]] community celebration that draws thousands of visitors every April.<ref name=Sturgeon6>{{cite news |last=Sturgeon |first=Jeff |date=April 15, 2018 |title=Thousands show Pride, colors at spring festival |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1C}}</ref> Several events occur in May, including the Local Colors festival celebrating the cultures of the area's diverse ethnicities,<ref name=Weir1>{{cite news |last=Weir |first=Luke |date=May 22, 2022 |title=Flags, food downtown for Local Colors Festival |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> the city's Strawberry Festival,<ref name=Strawberry>{{cite news |date=May 3, 2018 |title=Standouts include Strawberry Festival, Great Strides fundraiser |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1D}}</ref> the Down by Downtown music festival which coincides with the Blue Ridge Marathon,<ref name=Dickens4>{{cite news |last=Dickens |first=Tad |date=April 7, 2019 |title=Down by Downtown, Blue Ridge Marathon celebrate 10 years next week |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1E}}</ref> and Memorial Day weekend's Festival in the Park, which brings music and vendors to downtown Elmwood Park.<ref name=Dickens5>{{cite news |last=Dickens |first=Tad |date=April 28, 2023 |title=For boomers about to rock: Festival in the Park goes the all-tribute route for '23 |work=The Roanoke Times |page=8B}}</ref>

Later in the year, Elmwood Park hosts the Henry Street Heritage Festival, the primary fundraiser for the Harrison Museum of African American Culture.<ref name=Mouketo2>{{cite news |last=Mouketo |first=Julia |date=September 16, 2022 |title=Henry Street Festival returns to Elmwood in full force |work=The Roanoke Times |page=8B}}</ref> The event's popularity necessitated the move from its eponymous location.<ref name=Mouketo2 /> The Go Outside Festival, also known as GO Fest, is a free three-day event every October that celebrates the region's outdoor recreation opportunities,<ref name=Wall2>{{cite news |last=Wall |first=Sam |date=September 21, 2021 |title=GO Fest ready to rock, roll at new downtown location |work=The Roanoke Times |page=8B}}</ref> and the city holds the multi-week Dickens of a Christmas each December. This [[Victorian era]]-themed event includes a Christmas tree lighting, parade, and [[Carriage|horse-drawn carriage]] rides through downtown.<ref name=Berrier4>{{cite news |last=Berrier, Jr. |first=Ralph |date=December 3, 2021 |title=Dickens of a Christmas returning to downtown |work=The Roanoke Times |page=10B}}</ref>

==Sports==
The 1971–1972 [[Virginia Squires]] of the [[American Basketball Association (1967-1976)|American Basketball Association]] were the only [[Major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada|major league]] sports team to play home games in Roanoke regularly. During that season, the Squires split home games between Richmond, [[Norfolk, VA|Norfolk]], [[Hampton Roads]] and Roanoke.<ref name=Squires>{{cite news |date=February 5, 2021 |title=Editorial: Our NBA dreams 50 years ago |work=The Roanoke Times |page=6A}}</ref> [[Julius Erving]] played his professional rookie season with the Squires that year before being sent to the [[Brooklyn Nets|New York Nets]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldaper |first=Sam |date=August 1, 1973 |title=Nets Get Erving From Squires for Carter, Cash and…Dr. J Coming Home To Do His Aerial Act |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/01/archives/nets-get-erving-from-squires-for-carter-cash-and-dr-jis-coming-home.html |access-date=May 5, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505150655/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/01/archives/nets-get-erving-from-squires-for-carter-cash-and-dr-jis-coming-home.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Salem Memorial Ballpark Blue Ridge.jpg|thumb|The [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] viewed from [[Salem Memorial Ballpark]]]]
[[Minor league baseball]] has had a long history in the Roanoke Valley.<ref name=McFarling1>{{cite news |last=McFarling |first=Aaron |date=June 19, 2017 |title=Salem salutes baseball bond |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> In the 1940s and early 1950s, Roanoke was home to a class B farm team of the [[Boston Red Sox]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Salem Baseball History |url=https://www.milb.com/salem/team/salem-baseball-history |access-date=June 28, 2023 |website=[[Minor League Baseball]] |language=en |archive-date=June 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628230552/https://www.milb.com/salem/team/salem-baseball-history |url-status=live}}</ref> Since 1955, neighboring Salem has hosted the local minor league baseball team, which {{as of|2023|lc=y}} is the [[Salem Avalanche|Salem Red Sox]] of the Low-A [[Carolina League]].<ref name=":6" /> The team had previously been affiliated with the [[Houston Astros]] and [[Colorado Rockies]] and known as the Avalanche until becoming an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, whose ownership group purchased the Avalanche after the 2007 season.<ref name=Berman1>{{cite news |last=Berman |first=Mark |date=March 2, 2022 |title=Former Salem baseball team owner Kelvin Bowles dies at 82 |work=The Roanoke Times |page=3E}}</ref>

The history of minor league hockey in the Roanoke Valley goes back to 1967.<ref name=Berman2>{{cite news |last=Berman |first=Mark |date=October 21, 2015 |title=Star City slap shot |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> The [[Roanoke Express]] of the [[ECHL]] built a loyal following in the mid-1990s,<ref name=Hockey>{{cite news |date=July 21, 2004 |title=Pro Hockey in the Roanoke Valley |work=The Roanoke Times |page=5A}}</ref> but a combination of financial turmoil due to mismanagement and declining attendance from a lack of post-season success led to the ECHL ending their franchise in 2004.<ref name=Hockey /><ref name=Waugh1>{{cite news |last=Waugh |first=Katrina |date=July 21, 2004 |title=ECHL ends Express franchise |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> An attempt at a revival in 2005–06 by the [[United Hockey League|UHL]]'s [[Roanoke Valley Vipers]] failed after one season.<ref name="Berman2" /> In 2016, professional ice hockey returned to Roanoke after ten years when the [[Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs]] of the [[SPHL]] began to play,<ref name="Berman2" /> and the team won its first-ever President's Cup title in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Sordelett |first=Damien |date=May 2, 2023 |title=Jansen's overtime winner lifts Rail Yard Dawgs to President's Cup title |url=https://roanoke.com/sports/local/jansens-overtime-winner-lifts-rail-yard-dawgs-to-presidents-cup-title/article_4bc7d0f2-e955-11ed-a66f-8735bc871180.html |access-date=May 3, 2023 |website=The Roanoke Times |language=en |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503213141/https://roanoke.com/sports/local/jansens-overtime-winner-lifts-rail-yard-dawgs-to-presidents-cup-title/article_4bc7d0f2-e955-11ed-a66f-8735bc871180.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

While the Roanoke area is not home to any [[NCAA Division I]] schools, its proximity to Virginia Tech has led it to host some collegiate athletic events. Beginning in 1977, Roanoke, along with Richmond, was one of the primary neutral sites for the annual basketball game between Virginia Tech and [[Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball|the Virginia Cavaliers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Men's Basketball History vs University of Virginia |url=https://hokiesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/opponent-history/virginia/381 |access-date=June 29, 2023 |website=Virginia Tech Athletics |language=en |archive-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421104928/https://hokiesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/opponent-history/virginia/381 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2000 the schools started holding these games in campus facilities.<ref name=Bogaczyk1>{{cite news |last=Bogaczyk |first=Jack |date=January 25, 2000 |title=Campus sites will heat up state rivalry |work=The Roanoke Times |page=6B}}</ref>

From 1913, Roanoke played host to an annual football game between Virginia Tech and [[VMI Keydets football|the Virginia Military Institute]], first at Maher Field and then in the newly constructed Victory Stadium starting in 1942.<ref name="Cox1" /> The game was moved to [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving Day]] beginning in the early 1920s and was a holiday mainstay in the city until 1971.<ref name="Cox1" /><ref name=Ayers1>{{cite news |last=Ayers |first=Glenn |date=November 26, 2009 |title=A Roanoke Thanksgiving that is no more |work=The Roanoke Times |page=25A}}</ref>

Roanoke's location among the Blue Ridge Mountains makes it a destination for other sporting events. Every year since 2010 (barring 2020, when it was held virtually due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]),<ref name=Wall3>{{cite news |last=Wall |first=Sam |date=April 17, 2022 |title=Running back into its old form: Roanoke marathon circles back to pre-pandemic form, crowds |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> the Roanoke Outside Foundation has put on the Blue Ridge Marathon, which is regarded as difficult due to its considerable elevation changes.<ref name=Wall3 /><ref name=Boone1>{{cite news |last=Boone |first=Jenny Kincaid |date=August 13, 2009 |title=New marathon rising in Roanoke |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> The [[USA Cycling]] Amateur Road National Championships were held in the city and surrounding areas in 2022 and 2023,<ref name=Wall4>{{cite news |last=Wall |first=Sam |date=June 18, 2023 |title=USA Cycling national championships close in downtown Roanoke |work=The Roanoke Times |page=3A}}</ref> and an [[Ironman 70.3]] [[triathlon]] event brought competitors to the region from 2021{{Endash}}2023.<ref name=Sturgeon7>{{cite news |last=Sturgeon |first=Jeff |date=June 5, 2023 |title=Final splash for Ironman? Ironman athletes swim, bike, and run across the Roanoke Valley |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref>

==Parks and recreation==
There are 60 parks within Roanoke's city limits, and its parks and recreation department is responsible for nearly 14,000 acres of public land.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roanoke Parks and Recreation |title=About Us |url=https://www.playroanoke.com/about-us/ |access-date=July 3, 2023 |website=Roanoke Parks And Recreation |language=en-US |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703205718/https://www.playroanoke.com/about-us/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Highland Park in the historic [[Old Southwest, Roanoke, Virginia|Old Southwest]] neighborhood is the city's oldest, having been purchased in 1902 when the former farm was still distant from the settled part of the city.{{r|Barnes-1968|p=370}} Elmwood Park in downtown Roanoke became the city's second in 1911.{{r|Barnes-1968|p=370}} It features a [[Magnolia liliiflora|Japanese magnolia]] tree that was acquired by [[Matthew C. Perry|Commodore Matthew Perry]] during an expedition to Japan and donated in 1857 to the former owner of the park.<ref name=Bradburn1>{{cite news |last=Bradburn |first=Bridget |date=March 28, 2011 |title=Magnolia in Elmwood has Japanese heritage |work=The Roanoke Times |page=5B}}</ref> {{As of|2023}} Elmwood holds the city's main library branch as well as an art walk and a 4,000-seat [[Amphitheatre|amphitheater]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roanoke Parks and Recreation |title=Elmwood Park |url=https://www.playroanoke.com/parks-facilities/elmwood-park/ |access-date=July 3, 2023 |website=Roanoke Parks And Recreation |language=en-US |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703205718/https://www.playroanoke.com/parks-facilities/elmwood-park/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Roanoke features an extensive network of paved [[Greenway (landscape)|greenways]] for walkers, runners, and cyclists.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roanoke Valley Greenways |url=https://www.visitroanokeva.com/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/greenways/ |publisher=Virginia's Blue Ridge |access-date=May 4, 2023 |website=www.visitroanokeva.com |language=en-us |archive-date=May 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505142656/https://www.visitroanokeva.com/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/greenways/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Though the idea for a publicly owned greenway system can be traced back to a 1907 [[Comprehensive planning|comprehensive plan]] for the city,<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/710/1907-Roanoke-Comprehensive-Plan |title=Remodeling Roanoke: A report to the committee on civic improvement by John Nolen, Landscape Architect |last=Nolen |first=John |year=1907 |access-date=May 5, 2023 |archive-date=May 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505142654/https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/710/1907-Roanoke-Comprehensive-Plan |url-status=live}}</ref> it was not until 1995 that an intergovernmental committee was formed to plan and develop the project.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History – Greenways |url=https://greenways.org/about-the-greenways/history/ |publisher=Pathfinders for Greenways |website=greenways.org |access-date=May 5, 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=May 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505142657/https://greenways.org/about-the-greenways/history/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Since that time, {{convert|26|mi}} of greenways have been built across the Roanoke Valley.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roanoke Valley Greenways |url=https://www.virginia.org/listing/roanoke-valley-greenways/6743/ |access-date=May 5, 2023 |website=www.virginia.org |language=en-us |archive-date=May 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505142654/https://www.virginia.org/listing/roanoke-valley-greenways/6743/ |url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2023|post=,}} the longest continuous stretch runs {{convert|12|mi}} along the Roanoke River from Salem through Roanoke City to [[Vinton, Virginia|Vinton]].<ref name=Dehr1>{{cite news |last=Dehr |first=Cooper |date=July 29, 2023 |title='Bridge the Gap' connects Roanoke greenway to Salem |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> Roanoke County is also in the planning stages of extending that same stretch westward into Montgomery County.<ref>{{Cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=October 19, 2022 |title=Roanoke County to hold meetings on extending greenway; more . . . |url=http://cardinalnews.org/2022/10/19/roanoke-county-to-hold-meetings-on-extending-greenway-more/ |access-date=May 5, 2023 |website=Cardinal News |language=en-US |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510181040/https://cardinalnews.org/2022/10/19/roanoke-county-to-hold-meetings-on-extending-greenway-more/ |url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2023|post=,}} Roanoke contained over {{convert|100|mi|km}} of trails and greenways.<ref name=Shipley>{{Cite web |last=Shipley |first=Kaylee |date=August 26, 2023 |title=Roanoke Parks & Recreation to host a celebration on National Public Lands Day |url=https://wset.com/news/local/roanoke-parks-recreation-virginia-celebrating-over-100-miles-of-trails-greenways-on-national-public-lands-day-august-2023 |access-date=December 21, 2023 |website=wset.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Government==
{{See also|List of mayors of Roanoke, Virginia}}

{{PresHead|place=Roanoke, Virginia|source=<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ |title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |website=uselectionatlas.org |access-date=November 20, 2020 |archive-date=February 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222105145/http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|1884|Democratic|568|621|0|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1888|Democratic|535|719|67|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|1,870|2,707|106|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|1,697|2,005|91|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|1,120|1,761|105|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|506|1,268|45|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|593|1,408|5|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|268|1,913|562|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|610|2,246|94|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|2,329|4,715|100|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|1,747|3,930|758|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|6,471|4,018|0|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|3,195|6,215|130|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|3,363|7,087|54|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|3,553|6,942|47|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|5,095|7,322|34|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|6,542|5,343|1,315|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|15,673|8,042|32|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|16,708|6,751|623|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|15,229|9,175|49|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|13,164|15,314|18|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|15,368|9,281|5,359|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|18,541|9,498|632|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|14,738|20,696|515|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|15,164|18,139|1,643|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|19,008|17,300|184|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|15,389|17,185|239|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|13,443|17,724|4,014|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|12,283|17,282|2,451|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|14,630|17,920|892|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|16,661|18,862|477|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|15,394|24,934|444|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|14,991|24,134|1,030|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|14,789|22,286|2,391|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|15,607|26,773|943|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|15,787|25,737|790|Virginia}}
{{PresFoot}}

Like most cities in Virginia, Roanoke has a [[Council–manager government|council-manager]] form of government.<ref name=Monuments>{{cite news |date=July 3, 2020 |title=Editorial: The monuments come down |work=The Roanoke Times |page=11A}}</ref><ref name=Cramer1>{{cite news |last=Cramer |first=John D. |date=May 16, 1999 |title=A look at the men behind the curtain |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref> The [[city manager]] maintains the day-to-day operation of the city's government and has the authority to hire and fire city employees.<ref name=Cramer1 /> The mayor has little executive authority and is essentially the "first among equals" on the [[Roanoke City Council]],<ref name=Cramer1 /> though the position wields influence through public appearances and annual [[State of the City address|State of the City]] addresses.<ref name=Chittum5>{{cite news |last=Chittum |first=Matt |date=August 19, 2018 |title=Striking the right balance |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref>

The city council has six members, not counting the mayor, all of whom are elected on an [[at-large]] basis.<ref name=":12">{{cite act |type=charter |date=2023 |article=§4 |legislature=Virginia General Assembly |title=Roanoke City Charter |url=https://library.municode.com/va/roanoke/codes/code_of_ordinances |language=English}} {{Cite web |url=https://library.municode.com/va/roanoke/codes/code_of_ordinances |title=Municode Library |access-date=July 18, 2023 |archive-date=July 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718195410/https://library.municode.com/va/roanoke/codes/code_of_ordinances |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> A proposal for a [[Ward (electoral subdivision)|ward]]-based council was rejected by Roanoke voters in 1997, but ward system advocates still contend that the at-large system results in a disproportionate number of council members coming from affluent neighborhoods and that electing some or all council members on a ward basis would result in a more equal representation of all areas of the city.<ref name="Sturgeon8">{{cite news |last=Sturgeon |first=Jeff |date=October 3, 2022 |title=Should council return to ward system? Roanoke City Council candidates on a ward system for council and an elected school board |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> The four-year terms of city council members are staggered, with three members elected every two years.<ref name=":12" /> The candidate who receives the most votes is designated the [[Deputy mayor|vice mayor]] for the following two years.<ref name=":12" />

On June 27, 2016, Sherman P. Lea Sr. took the office of mayor,<ref>{{cite news |title=Sherman Lea sworn in as Roanoke's mayor |website=Go Dan River |url=http://www.godanriver.com/news/danville/sherman-lea-sworn-in-as-roanoke-s-mayor/article_e0ea302c-3d44-11e6-9d65-fbd194d4e5cc.html |access-date=May 8, 2017 |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126054050/https://godanriver.com/news/danville/sherman-lea-sworn-in-as-roanoke-s-mayor/article_e0ea302c-3d44-11e6-9d65-fbd194d4e5cc.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and he was re-elected to the same position in 2020.<ref name=Berrier5>{{cite news |last=Berrier, Jr. |first=Ralph |date=November 4, 2020 |title=Lea wins second term as Roanoke mayor |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> The current city manager, Bob Cowell, has been in that position since 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=City Manager {{!}} Roanoke, VA |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/561/City-Manager |access-date=July 5, 2023 |website=www.roanokeva.gov |archive-date=July 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705231156/https://www.roanokeva.gov/561/City-Manager |url-status=live}}</ref> Joseph L. Cobb is serving his second term as the city's vice mayor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joseph L. Cobb {{!}} Roanoke, VA |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/1007/Joseph-L-Cobb |access-date=July 5, 2023 |website=www.roanokeva.gov |archive-date=July 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705231158/https://www.roanokeva.gov/1007/Joseph-L-Cobb |url-status=live}}</ref>

The city has adopted a budget for the 2024 fiscal year that includes revenues and expenditures totaling $355.4 million, representing a 9.4% increase over the previous year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Budget Development {{!}} Roanoke, VA |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/1837/Budget-Development |access-date=July 6, 2023 |website=www.roanokeva.gov |archive-date=July 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707162508/https://www.roanokeva.gov/1837/Budget-Development |url-status=live}}</ref> Local taxes, including real estate, personal property, and sales taxes, are the government's largest source of revenue at over 70% of its intake.<ref>{{cite report |author=City of Roanoke |date=June 20, 2023 |title=FY 2023-2024 Adopted Budget Document |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/18607/FY24-ADOPTED-BUDGET-DOCUMENT |format=PDF |page=22 |access-date=July 6, 2023 |archive-date=July 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707161954/https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/18607/FY24-ADOPTED-BUDGET-DOCUMENT |url-status=live}}</ref>

Roanoke is represented by two members of the [[Virginia House of Delegates]], [[Sam Rasoul]] (D-11th) and [[Chris Head (politician)|Chris Head]] (R-17th), and one member of the [[Virginia Senate]], [[John S. Edwards (Virginia)|John Edwards]] (D-21st).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Virginia House of Delegates Member Listings |url=https://virginiageneralassembly.gov/house/members/members.php?id=h0237 |access-date=July 5, 2023 |website=virginiageneralassembly.gov |archive-date=July 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705233418/https://virginiageneralassembly.gov/house/members/members.php?id=h0237 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Senate of Virginia |url=https://apps.senate.virginia.gov/Senator/memberpage.php?id=S45 |access-date=July 5, 2023 |website=apps.senate.virginia.gov |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709043200/https://apps.senate.virginia.gov/Senator/memberpage.php?id=S45 |url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2023, Edwards announced his intention to retire after 28 years in the state senate.<ref name=Hammack2>{{cite news |last=Hammack |first=Laurence |date=February 28, 2023 |title=John Edwards decides not to seek another term as Roanoke senator |work=The Roanoke Times |page= |url=https://roanoke.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/john-edwards-decides-not-to-seek-another-term-as-roanoke-senator/article_e5915036-b6f2-11ed-814d-27907d67cb5a.html |access-date=January 30, 2024}}</ref> The city lies within {{ushr|VA|6}}, which also includes Lynchburg and much of the [[Shenandoah Valley]]. Since 2019 the district has been represented by Republican [[Ben Cline]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 3, 2021 |title=About |url=http://cline.house.gov/about |access-date=July 5, 2023 |website=Congressman Ben Cline |publisher=US House of Representatives |language=en |archive-date=July 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721013840/https://cline.house.gov/about |url-status=live}}</ref>

Roanoke is one of the few Democratic pockets in the otherwise heavily Republican [[Southwest Virginia]].<ref name=Chittum6>{{cite news |last=Chittum |first=Matt |date=March 4, 2020 |title=Roanoke and Blacksburg voters 'make some changes' |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> It has supported the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] nominee in every election since 1988 and in all but one election since 1976.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ |access-date=July 5, 2023 |website=uselectionatlas.org |archive-date=February 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222105145/http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==
Two four-year private institutions are situated in neighboring localities – [[Roanoke College]] in the city of Salem,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.roanoke.edu/ |title=Roanoke College |website=Roanoke.edu |access-date=July 19, 2022 |archive-date=July 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719121529/https://www.roanoke.edu/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Hollins University]] in [[Roanoke County]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollins.edu/who-we-are/why-hollins/hollins-at-a-glance/ |title=Hollins University: Hollins At A Glance |website=hollins.edu |access-date=July 19, 2022 |archive-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629003929/https://hollins.edu/who-we-are/why-hollins/hollins-at-a-glance/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Virginia Tech and Radford University's main campuses are located in the nearby [[New River Valley]], and both of those schools have partnered with Carilion Clinic, the regional nonprofit health care organization based in Roanoke, to create medical colleges in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=5 |title=Virginia Tech, Carilion will create joint medical school in Roanoke |publisher=Virginia Tech |website=Vtnews.vt.edu |date=January 3, 2007 |access-date=August 27, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602030607/http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=5 |archive-date=June 2, 2010}}</ref><ref name=Rife4>{{cite news |last=Rife |first=Luanne |date=April 23, 2019 |title=Radford University will seek to double number of nursing students after merger with Jefferson College |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute was founded in 2007,<ref name=JonesS1>{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Sarah Bruyn |date=September 28, 2008 |title=Va. Tech Carilion Medical School taking shape |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A0}}</ref> and Radford University Carilion was established in 2019.<ref name=Wall5>{{cite news |last=Wall |first=Sam |date=October 12, 2019 |title=Radford University hires first health sciences provost |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref> The Roanoke Higher Education Center opened in 2000 in the former Norfolk and Western General Office Building{{Endash}}North, and provides over 150 programs ranging from [[General Educational Development|high school equivalent]] degrees to [[doctorate]]s.<ref name=Edwards1>{{cite news |last=Edwards |first=John S. |date=August 19, 2020 |title=Twenty years of the Roanoke Higher Education Center |work=The Roanoke Times |page=51B}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=About the Center |url=https://www.education.edu/about-rhec/ |access-date=August 4, 2023 |website=Roanoke Higher Education Center |language=en-US |archive-date=August 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230804155017/https://www.education.edu/about-rhec/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Virginia Western Community College]] is located in the city and provides [[associate degree]]s as well as facilitated transfers to many four-year colleges in the area.<ref name=Adkins1>{{cite news |last=Adkins |first=Andrew |date=February 21, 2019 |title=Education Notebook: Hollins University, Virginia Western announce guaranteed admission agreements |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2B}}</ref><ref name=Adkins2>{{cite news |last=Adkins |first=Andrew |date=July 20, 2018 |title=Virginia Western, Averett reach deal linking criminal justice programs |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref> [[ECPI University]], a private for-profit institution, also has a campus located in Roanoke.<ref name=Mattingly1>{{cite news |last=Mattingly |first=Justin |date=May 22, 2020 |title=ECPI University reopens campuses, will take temperatures as people enter buildings |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2B}}</ref>

The local [[Public school (government funded)|public school]] [[School division#United States|division]] is Roanoke City Public Schools.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rcps.info/ |title=Official website of Roanoke City Public Schools |website=rcps.info |access-date=July 19, 2022 |archive-date=July 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722130331/https://www.rcps.info/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The two general enrollment public high schools in the city are [[Patrick Henry High School (Roanoke, Virginia)|Patrick Henry High School]], located in the Raleigh Court area,<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 28, 2023 |title=Patrick Henry High |url=https://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/patrick-henry-high-2 |access-date=August 14, 2023 |website=Virginia School Quality Profiles |language=en-US |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814174218/https://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/patrick-henry-high-2 |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[William Fleming High School]], located in Northwest Roanoke.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 28, 2023 |title=William Fleming High |url=https://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/william-fleming-high |access-date=August 14, 2023 |website=Virginia School Quality Profiles |language=en-US |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814174220/https://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/william-fleming-high |url-status=live}}</ref>

A prominent [[parochial school]] in the city is [[Roanoke Catholic School|Roanoke Catholic]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Roanoke Catholic School – Mission Statement |url=http://www.roanokecatholic.com/main/index.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318132014/http://roanokecatholic.com/main/index.php |archive-date=March 18, 2009 |access-date=August 27, 2009 |website=Roanokecatholic.com}}</ref> which dates to 1889 and shares its campus with the Basilica of St. Andrew.<ref name=Hammack3>{{cite news |last=Hammack |first=Laurence |date=April 24, 2015 |title=School celebrates 125 years of being 'a light on the hill' |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref> Private non-parochial schools in Roanoke include Community High School of Arts and Academics. The school was first housed in the Jefferson Center before moving to its current location in downtown Roanoke in 2011.<ref name=McCallum1>{{cite news |last=McCallum |first=Annie |date=March 20, 2013 |title=Roanoke school halves its tuition fee |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref>

==Media==

The city's daily newspaper, ''[[The Roanoke Times]]'', has been published since 1886.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McClenney |first=Elizabeth G. |title=Research Guides: Virginia Newspapers: Home |url=https://libguides.roanoke.edu/c.php?g=737947&p=5275554 |access-date=July 19, 2023 |website=libguides.roanoke.edu |language=en |archive-date=July 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719231558/https://libguides.roanoke.edu/c.php?g=737947&p=5275554 |url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2023|post=,}} weekday and Sunday circulation both average around 25,000.<ref name=SEC>{{cite report |author=US Securities and Exchange Commission |date=September 25, 2022 |title=Lee Enterprises, Inc. Form 10-K |url=https://investors.lee.net/static-files/c82f89e9-ce07-41a1-b8dd-3898ff82e831 |access-date=July 19, 2023 |archive-date=April 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414022411/https://investors.lee.net/static-files/c82f89e9-ce07-41a1-b8dd-3898ff82e831 |url-status=dead }}". ''investors.lee.net''. Retrieved July 19, 2023.</ref> In 2013 the paper was sold to [[Berkshire Hathaway]], which in turn sold its BH Media holdings {{Endash}} ''The Roanoke Times'' included {{Endash}} to [[Lee Enterprises]] in 2020.<ref name=RTD>{{cite news |last=Richmond Times-Dispatch |date=March 27, 2020 |title=Lee Enterprises completes acquisition of The Roanoke Times and other newspapers |work=The Roanoke Times |page=6B}}</ref> [[Beth Macy]], author of the bestselling book ''[[Dopesick (book)|Dopesick]]'' which was adapted into a 2021 [[Hulu]] [[Dopesick (miniseries)|miniseries of the same name]], was a reporter at ''The Roanoke Times'' for 25 years.<ref name="Woods1">{{cite news |last=Woods |first=Charlotte Rene |date=October 20, 2022 |title=Virginia receives first $67 million from Johnson & Johnson opioid settlement |page=4A |work=The Roanoke Times}}</ref> ''The Roanoke Star'' and ''Cardinal News'' are independent digital newspapers that have sought to fill the local news coverage gap resulting from the purchase of ''The Roanoke Times'' by an out-of-state publisher and its subsequent reduction in staff.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About us |url=http://cardinalnews.org/about-us/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801045208/https://cardinalnews.org/about-us/ |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |access-date=July 21, 2023 |website=Cardinal News |date=September 23, 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=July 20, 2023 |title=The Roanoke Star News |url=https://theroanokestar.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521200808/https://theroanokestar.com/ |archive-date=May 21, 2020 |access-date=July 21, 2023 |website=The Roanoke Star News |language=en-US}}</ref>

The weekly ''[[Roanoke Tribune]]'' covers the city's African-American community.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History |date=January 3, 2022 |url=https://theroanoketribune.org/our-history/ |publisher=Roanoke Tribune |access-date=July 21, 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=July 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721152443/https://theroanoketribune.org/our-history/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The publication was founded in 1939 by the [[Fleming Alexander|Rev. Fleming Alexander]] and since 1971 has been owned and edited by his daughter.<ref name="Fifer1">{{cite news |last=Fifer |first=Jordan |date=February 2, 2014 |title=Black women honored for legacy to Roanoke |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref> ''The Roanoker'' is the area's bi-monthly lifestyle magazine and has been published since 1972 by Leisure Publishing, which also puts out the bi-monthly ''Blue Ridge Country'' magazine.<ref name="Boone2">{{cite news |last=Boone |first=Jenny Kincaid |date=February 9, 2008 |title=Selling Roanoke |work=The Roanoke Times |page=8C}}</ref>

Roanoke and [[Lynchburg, Virginia|Lynchburg]] are grouped in the same television market, which {{as of|2022|lc=y}} ranks #71 in the United States with 456,390 households.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nielsen DMA Rankings 2023 |url=https://ustvdb.com/seasons/2022-23/markets/ |access-date=July 20, 2023 |website=ustvdb.com |archive-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605234252/https://ustvdb.com/seasons/2022-23/markets/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The city's major network stations include [[NBC]] affiliate [[WSLS-TV]] 10,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wsls.com/ |title=WSLS 10 News |website=wsls.com |publisher=WSLS |access-date=June 22, 2022 |archive-date=June 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622024134/https://www.wsls.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[CBS]] affiliate [[WDBJ]] 7,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wdbj7.com/ |title=WDBJ: Virginia Local News, Weather, Sports |website=WDBJ7.com |publisher=WDBJ |access-date=June 22, 2022 |archive-date=June 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623235936/https://www.wdbj7.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Fox Network|Fox]] affiliate [[WFXR]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wfxrtv.com/ |title=WFXR News Homepage |website=WFXRtv.com |access-date=June 22, 2022 |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621230247/https://www.wfxrtv.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] member [[WBRA-TV]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.blueridgepbs.org/ |access-date=July 20, 2023 |website=Blue Ridge PBS |language=en |archive-date=July 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707040149/https://www.blueridgepbs.org/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[ION Television]] affiliate [[WPXR-TV]].<ref>Berrier, Jr., Ralph. "Jones Broadcasting moving to Roanoke." ''Roanoke Times, The (VA)'', July 21, 2012: A8.</ref> [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[WSET-TV]] 13 and [[The CW|CW]] affiliate [[WWCW]] are licensed to Lynchburg; [[MyNetworkTV]] affiliate [[WZBJ]] is licensed to [[Danville, Virginia|Danville]]. The Roanoke-Lynchburg radio market has a population of 451,600 and is ranked number 122 in the United States {{as of|2022|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Radio Market Survey Population, Rankings & Information |url=https://www.nielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Radio-Market-Populations-Fall-2022.pdf |access-date=July 21, 2023 |website=Nielsen |publisher=The Nielsen Company |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108164906/https://www.nielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Radio-Market-Populations-Fall-2022.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> [[iHeartMedia]] owns many stations in the area, including [[WROV-FM|WROV]], [[WJJS (FM)|WJJS]], [[WYYD]], and [[WSTV]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roanoke Stations {{!}} iHeartMedia Stations {{!}} iHeartMedia |url=https://www.iheartmedia.com/stations?market=ROANOKE-VA |access-date=July 21, 2023 |website=www.iheartmedia.com |language=en |archive-date=July 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721180238/https://www.iheartmedia.com/stations?market=ROANOKE-VA |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[reality television]] show ''[[Salvage Dawgs]]'' was based out of Roanoke. The show, which ran for 11 seasons on the [[Magnolia Network|DIY Network]], followed the owners and employees of the architectural salvage company Black Dog Salvage as they located and acquired pieces for their store.<ref name=Fabris3>{{cite news |last=Fabris |first=Casey |date=July 28, 2020 |title=Black Dog Salvage owners leave the TV limelight after 11 seasons of 'Salvage Dawgs' |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> Some of the company's projects in Roanoke itself were highlighted on the show, including their part in the renovation of Fire Station No. 1.<ref name=Fabris3/>

==Infrastructure==

===Transportation===
{{Main|Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport|Roanoke station (Virginia)}}
[[Interstate 581]], the primary north–south roadway in the city, connects Roanoke to [[Interstate 81 in Virginia|Interstate 81]] to the north. Interstate 581 is a concurrency with [[U.S. Route 220 in Virginia|U.S. Route 220]], which continues as the Roy L. Webber Expressway from downtown Roanoke, where the I-581 designation ends, south to [[State Route 419 (Virginia)|State Route 419]]. Route 220 continues south to connect Roanoke to [[Martinsville, Virginia]], and [[Greensboro, North Carolina]]; a proposed extension of [[Interstate 73 in Virginia|Interstate 73]] into Roanoke from North Carolina, running partially concurrent with and parallel to US 220, has long been stalled due to funding issues.<ref name=Sturgeon9>{{cite news |last=Sturgeon |first=Jeff |date=June 20, 2019 |title=Diverging-diamond interchange planned for Tanglewood exit in 2028 |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1B}}</ref>

The primary east–west roadway through the city is [[U.S. Route 460 in Virginia|U.S. Route 460]], named Melrose Avenue and Orange Avenue. Route 460 connects Roanoke to Lynchburg to the east and [[Christiansburg, Virginia|Christiansburg]] to the west. [[U.S. Route 11 in Virginia|U.S. Route 11]] passes through the city, primarily as Brandon Avenue and [[Williamson Road]], which was a center of automotive-based commercial development after World War II.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McDaniel |first=Brenda |date=June 30, 2016 |title=Williamson Road: Roanoke's Historic Strip |url=https://theroanoker.com/api/content/ce5e9bf8-3ef9-11e6-8ee1-120dcefc1e29/ |access-date=July 21, 2023 |website=TheRoanoker.com |language=en-us |archive-date=December 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218213420/https://theroanoker.com/magazine/departments/williamson-road-roanoke-s-historic-strip/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Other major roads include [[U.S. Route 221 in Virginia|U.S. Route 221]], [[State Route 117 (Virginia)|State Route 117]] (known as Peters Creek Road) and [[State Route 101 (Virginia)|State Route 101]] (known as Hershberger Road). The Blue Ridge Parkway also briefly runs adjacent to the city border.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/blri/vamap.htm |title=Parkway in Virginia |website=Nps.gov |access-date=August 27, 2009 |archive-date=September 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901074809/http://www.nps.gov/archive/blri/vamap.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>[[File:Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport.jpg|thumb|[[Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport]] terminal building|212x212px]]

The [[Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport]] is located in the northern part of the city. It is the primary passenger and cargo airport for Southwest Virginia.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.flyroa.com/history |title=About us – Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport |website=flyroa.com |date=May 12, 2014 |access-date=January 16, 2022 |archive-date=January 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116142228/https://www.flyroa.com/history |url-status=live}}</ref> The airport is served by [[American Airlines]], [[United Airlines]], [[Delta Air Lines|Delta]] and [[Allegiant Air]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roanoke Blacksburg Regional Airport {{!}} Roanoke Transportation |url=https://www.visitroanokeva.com/plan/transportation/air-travel/ |access-date=July 21, 2023 |website=www.visitroanokeva.com |language=en-us |archive-date=July 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721204005/https://www.visitroanokeva.com/plan/transportation/air-travel/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Due to the facility's size, location in the mountains, and proximity to [[Andrews Air Force Base]], it is often used as a pilot training destination for the Special Air Mission fleet that serves as [[Air Force One]] and [[Air Force Two|Two]] when the nation's leaders are aboard.<ref name=Kojima1>{{cite news |last=Kojima |first=Emi |date=May 5, 2002 |title=Roanoke's patriotic duty - Air Force pilots sharpen skills at Roanoke Regional Airport |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref>

While Roanoke is known for its rail history, low ridership numbers led [[Amtrak]] to discontinue passenger rail service to the city in 1979.<ref name=Sturgeon10>{{cite news |last=Sturgeon |first=Jeff |date=July 22, 2008 |title=Can passenger rail return to Roanoke? |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> Beginning in 2011, Roanoke funded a bus service, the Smart Way Connector, to connect riders to the Amtrak station in Lynchburg as well as to show Amtrak that there was once again a demand for the service in Roanoke.<ref name=Sturgeon11>{{cite news |last=Sturgeon |first=Jeff |date=October 31, 2017 |title=Amtrak is back: Amtrak returns to Roanoke |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> In August 2013, it was announced that Amtrak's ''[[Northeast Regional]]'' service would be extended from Lynchburg by 2017. On October 31, 2017, after 38 years without passenger rail service, Amtrak resumed service to Roanoke.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/roanoke/roanoke-celebrates-inaugural-amtrak-ride |title=Roanoke celebrates inaugural Amtrak ride |last=Wickline |first=Alison |website=www.wsls.com |access-date=December 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107013235/https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/roanoke/roanoke-celebrates-inaugural-amtrak-ride |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The service has been successful enough that a second daily train to Roanoke was added in 2022.<ref name=Sturgeon12>{{cite news |last=Sturgeon |first=Jeff |date=July 12, 2022 |title=Roanoke Amtrak expansion rolling: Significant ridership increase predicted |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref>
[[File:611 at Roanoke.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Norfolk and Western 611|N&W 611]] waiting at [[Roanoke station (Virginia)|Roanoke station]] in 2017]]
Despite [[Norfolk Southern Railway|Norfolk Southern]]'s relocation of its corporate headquarters out of the city, Roanoke is still a major hub in the company's [[Rail freight transport|freight rail]] system.<ref name=Sturgeon5/> The railway's Pocahontas Division, consisting of over {{convert|2,500|mi}} of track, is headquartered just outside of downtown Roanoke,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jordan |first=Greg |date=January 13, 2016 |title=Norfolk Southern consolidates Pocahontas Division moving headquarters to Roanoke, Va. |url=https://www.bdtonline.com/news/norfolk-southern-consolidates-pocahontas-division-moving-headquarters-to-roanoke-va/article_0a4e4e24-b9a8-11e5-9711-7baa62ab3f87.html |access-date=July 25, 2023 |website=Bluefield Daily Telegraph |language=en-us |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725205945/https://www.bdtonline.com/news/norfolk-southern-consolidates-pocahontas-division-moving-headquarters-to-roanoke-va/article_0a4e4e24-b9a8-11e5-9711-7baa62ab3f87.html |archive-date=July 25, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> and though the volume of coal passing through the city has declined in recent decades, 70 million tons of freight are shipped on the area's railroads annually.<ref name=Era/><ref name=Sturgeon13>{{cite news |last=Sturgeon |first=Jeff |date=February 9, 2019 |title=Impasse fueling rail advocates: Rail advocate to try again as I-81 road measures lack support |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1C}}</ref>

The [[Valley Metro (Roanoke)|Valley Metro]] provides [[Public transport bus service|bus service]] to the city of Roanoke and surrounding areas. In June 2023, the service began operating out of a new facility on Third Street in downtown Roanoke, built to replace the aging Campbell Court station.<ref name=Dehr2>{{cite news |last=Dehr |first=Cooper |date=June 15, 2023 |title=A 'great day' for transportation: Roanoke's new bus station a 'vision of where transportation is going' |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> Valley Metro also offers bus service to [[Blacksburg, Virginia|Blacksburg]], Christiansburg and Virginia Tech via its Smart Way service,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Smart Bus {{!}} Smart Way Bus |url=https://smartwaybus.com/smartway.html |access-date=July 24, 2023 |website=smartwaybus.com |archive-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724155644/https://smartwaybus.com/smartway.html |url-status=live}}</ref> as well as the Ferrum Express, a free shuttle that runs between downtown Roanoke and [[Ferrum College]] in nearby [[Rocky Mount, Virginia|Rocky Mount]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Transportation {{!}} Rocky Mount, VA |url=https://va-rockymount.civicplus.com/188/Transportation |access-date=July 24, 2023 |website=va-rockymount.civicplus.com |archive-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724140631/https://va-rockymount.civicplus.com/188/Transportation |url-status=live}}</ref>

The 21st century has seen Roanoke put considerable resources towards improving its cycling infrastructure. In addition to its extensive paved greenway network, Roanoke has added 43 miles of marked bike lanes along its major roads.<ref name=Casey1>{{cite news |last=Casey |first=Dan |date=September 22, 2022 |title=New safe-cycling group rolls out |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2A}}</ref> In recent years, the city has put millions of dollars towards pedestrian safety improvements, including lane reductions on busy roads, audible signals, and additional street lighting.<ref name=Ruhlen1>{{cite news |last=Ruhlen |first=Rachel |date=June 27, 2021 |title=Less traffic, more crashes |work=The Roanoke Times |page=6B}}</ref> Roanoke is served by RIDE Solutions, a regional [[transportation demand management]] agency that provides [[carpool]] matching, [[cycling advocacy]], transit assistance and [[remote work]] assistance to businesses and citizens in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Holland |first=Monique |date=March 12, 2023 |title=Shared transportation: RIDE Solutions connects carpoolers, van-users and more |url=https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/local/shared-transportation-ride-solutions-connects-carpoolers-van-users-and-more/article_bafd7400-bf65-11ed-a7ff-23738a4f8426.html |access-date=July 26, 2023 |website=Martinsville Bulletin |language=en-us |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312052024/https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/local/shared-transportation-ride-solutions-connects-carpoolers-van-users-and-more/article_bafd7400-bf65-11ed-a7ff-23738a4f8426.html |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Utilities ===
Roanoke is supplied electricity by the Appalachian Power Company, an [[American Electric Power]] division. Appalachian Power serves roughly 500,000 people in Western Virginia and another 500,000 in [[West Virginia]] and [[Tennessee]].<ref name=Hammack4>{{cite news |last=Hammack |first=Laurence |date=September 24, 2022 |title=APCO appoints a new president |work=The Roanoke Times |page=9B}}</ref> The area's water and [[wastewater]] operations are managed by the Western Virginia Water Authority. That organization was founded in 2004 with the consolidation of the water utilities of Roanoke City and Roanoke County, under the logic that the location of [[Drainage basin|watersheds]] should determine the management of local resources rather than government boundaries.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |title=History of the Authority {{!}} Western Virginia Water Authority |url=https://www.westernvawater.org/about-us/general-information/history-and-development |access-date=July 26, 2023 |website=www.westernvawater.org |language=en |archive-date=July 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726232500/https://www.westernvawater.org/about-us/general-information/history-and-development |url-status=live}}</ref> The Water Authority has since taken on the water-based utilities of [[Franklin County, Virginia|Franklin]] and Botetourt Counties as well as the towns of [[Boones Mill, Virginia|Boones Mill]] and Vinton.<ref name=":14" />

=== Healthcare ===
Roanoke is the primary center for healthcare in Western Virginia, serving an estimated one million people.<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |title=Health Care {{!}} Roanoke County Economic Development, VA |url=https://www.yesroanoke.com/144/Health-Care |access-date=July 31, 2023 |website=www.yesroanoke.com |archive-date=July 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731161035/https://www.yesroanoke.com/144/Health-Care |url-status=live}}</ref> Carilion Clinic, a [[Non-profit hospital|non-profit]] healthcare group, is the region's largest provider with over 750 physicians spread across eight hospitals.<ref name=":16">Carilion Clinic. "Fast Facts 2020 At a Glance". https://www.carilionclinic.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/carilion_ar_2020_factsheet_210601_0_0.pdf {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731161036/https://www.carilionclinic.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/carilion_ar_2020_factsheet_210601_0_0.pdf |date=July 31, 2023 }}. Retrieved July 31, 2023.</ref> The region is also served by the Lewis-Gale Medical Center, a 521-bed facility established in Roanoke in 1911 and now located in Salem,<ref name=":15" />{{r|Kagey|p=309}} as well as a [[Veterans Health Administration|Veterans Affairs Medical Center]] serving over 100,000 [[Veteran|military veterans]] in the region, also located in Salem.<ref name=":15" />

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Roanoke, Virginia}}

==Sister cities==
Roanoke has six [[sister cities]]:<ref>{{cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.rvsci.us/ |publisher=Roanoke Valley Sister Cities |access-date=June 30, 2020 |archive-date=October 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001233100/http://www.rvsci.us/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Florianópolis]], Brazil
* {{flagicon|KEN}} [[Kisumu]], Kenya
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Lijiang]], China
* {{flagicon|POL}} [[Opole]], Poland
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Saint-Lô]], France
* {{flagicon|KOR}} [[Wonju]], South Korea
{{div col end}}

In February 2023, it was announced that the city was officially pausing its sister city affiliation with [[Pskov]], Russia, due to the continuing [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref name=Hunter1>{{cite news |last=Hunter |first=Molly |date=February 22, 2023 |title=Sister City ties on hold: Roanoke's relationship with Russian city paused, flag to be removed |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Virginia}}
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Roanoke, Virginia]]
* [[USS Roanoke|USS ''Roanoke'']], 7 ships

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Roanoke, Virginia|voy=Roanoke}}
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* {{Official website|https://www.roanokeva.gov}}
* [https://www.visitroanokeva.com/ Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge]
* [https://downtownroanoke.org/ Downtown Roanoke]
* [https://roanoke.org/ Roanoke Regional Partnership]
* [https://roanokeoutside.com/ Roanoke Outside]

{{Roanoke neighborhoods}}
{{All-American City Award Hall of Fame}}
{{Virginia}}
{{Virginia county seats and independent cities}}

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[[Category:Roanoke, Virginia| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Virginia]]
[[Category:1852 establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1852]]
[[Category:Southwest Virginia]]
[[Category:Culture of Virginia]]
[[Category:Western Virginia]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Roanoke River]]