Biohazard Cleanup Near Avendale Roanoke, VA

Roanoke is an independent city in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia - it is not part of Roanoke County - and it serves as the commercial and cultural hub of the Roanoke Valley.

Roanoke began as Big Lick, a settlement that grew around natural salt licks and was chartered as a town in 1874; it was renamed Roanoke in 1882 and incorporated as a city in 1884, taking a name from the Powhatan/Algonquian word 'Rawrenock,' referring to shell-bead currency.

The Norfolk and Western Railway made Roanoke a junction in 1882, triggering growth so rapid the city was nicknamed the 'Magic City,' and the railroad built the Hotel Roanoke that same year.

Roanoke had a population of 100,011 in the 2020 Census, and the Census Bureau estimated it at 99,111 in 2025.

Roanoke has about 43,575 households, averaging 2.22 persons per household, with about 52.4% of homes owner-occupied and a median home value of $190,500.

The Roanoke Star on Mill Mountain, erected in 1949 as a temporary Christmas decoration, stands 88.5 feet tall with 2,000 feet of neon tubing and is billed as the world's largest free-standing man-made illuminated star.

The Roanoke Star gave the city its nickname, 'Star City of the South,' and it can be seen from up to 60 miles away.

Mill Mountain Park in Roanoke covers 568 acres and offers more than 10 miles of trails.

Roanoke sits just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, close to the Appalachian Trail.