ROANOKE , city, United States rōˈənōk, city (1990 pop. 96,397), independent and in no co., SW Va., on the Roanoke River; settled c.1740, inc. 1882. It is situated between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mts., at the southern end of the Shenandoah valley. A tiny village until the coming of the railroad in 1882, Roanoke has since developed into the region's commercial, transportation, and industrial center. It contains railroad shops and factories that manufacture a great variety of products, including furniture, textile goods, clothing, chemicals, electrical equipment, and metal products. Hollins College and Roanoke College are nearby. The city is headquarters of the Jefferson National Forest. Of interest are a transportation museum and Mill Mt. Park. ____________________The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved. -40648- |