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Explore This!: Roanoke, Virginia
After just finishing A Night of Southern Comfort by Robin Covington, I must admit my geographical confusion was at its peak. Why? you might ask. Well, throughout the story, the male lead, Jackson, kept talking about his desire to return to the FBI in Washington. But the way things were discussed, it sounded not all that far off from Virginia. Then it hits me that he’s talking about Washington D.C., not Washington state. I always mix those up!
Anyway, we’re here to talk about Roanoke, Virginia. It isn’t really described much in Covington’s book as the story takes place in Elliott, Virginia, which I believe is a made up small town not far from the larger city. In fact, Roanoke itself has a mere 97,000 people that call it home (as of 2010, as noted here). Seeing the images of Roanoke makes me think of a smallish city, with it’s own pulse but also close enough to the Capitol that it makes it an attractive destination for those looking for more ‘big city’ living.
A cute vista.
The Roanoke River
The Spring Hollow Reservoir
A nice place to call home.
A neat streetscape with quaint looking shops.
This sign popped up more than once. Does anyone know if they make super great coffee there?
An overview of the downtown area.
Now I want to here stories about Roanoke: Have you visited? Do you live there? Is my impression right or way off? It does look like a lovely, welcoming place to live 🙂
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You’ve confused me. When I think of Roanoke, my mind goes directly to Roanoke colony – our ghost island/doomed colony/fodder for FAR too many colonial era horror fables.
It’s been awhile, but I’ve been to both, albeit briefly. My SIL was from Roanoke (the city) and that’s where my brother’s wedding was performed. Back then, it was very country-clubby. But I don’t think it’s the epitome of southern gentility that it used to be. Nevertheless, I’ve lived in VA off and on for a good part of my life and the Commonwealth as a whole is a beautiful, culturally rich place, including Roanoke.
As for Roanoke Colony, I went on a school field trip eons ago. This was after I had read a “biography” of Virginia Dare and was mesmerized with stories of the Lost Colony and its lurid (in my imagination) fate. Well, TBH, I still am. There’s still much debate about what happened and there’s an ongoing DNA project to try to determine if the English settlers ended up intermingling with one of more of the local tribes. I doubt we’ll ever know what truly happened, but it’s a fascinating tale.
Oh, yes, and I should have pointed out that the city of Roanoke (VA) and the Roanoke Colony are two different places. Although Roanoke Island (the Lost Colony) was originally part of the vast Virginia Colony, it is now located in what became NC. Not confusing at all!
Good catch! Both the colony and the city are named after the Roanoke Indians who inhabited this area of the country. Robin Covington
I live in NC, and I can drive to Roanoke, VA in about an hour. I’ve only been there once for MystiCon, a really nice scifi/fantasy convention. I didn’t see much of the town since the hotel was right off the interstate. I will be going again for MystiCon 2013 and will be staying in town for the weekend so I should get to see more of it.
Sharon – Roanoke – is also known as the “Star City”. Stop by the Hotel Roanoke when you visit. It is lovely. I’m from Danville, VA and it is aout 1.5 hours south of Roanoke. Robin Covington
Lovely pics as usual Jackie, thanks for the post!
Thanks for the nice photos. Like Draconismoi, I immediately thought of the lost colony. I appreciated Susan’s brief history lesson.
Jackie- great post! I’m from Danville, Virginia and went to college in Staunton – not far from Roanoke. Elliott is actually a mish-mash of Danville, Salem,Virginia, and Staunton , VA — all three towns I love so much. I sprinkled beloved items from my home state all through ANoSC. Kayla went to my alma mater (Mary Baldwin College) and medical school at the school of my father and sister. Jackson is a Va Tech Hokie – just like my hubby. Robin