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Virginia Counties

The Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into 95 counties and 39 independent cities, which are considered county-equivalents for census purposes.

Roanoke County, Virginia

Roanoke County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Roanoke
Year Organized: 1838
Square Miles: 251

Court House:

P.O. Box 29800
County Courthouse
Roanoke, VA 24018-0798

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Roanoke County: Roanoke is named for the Roanoke River, from a Native American word meaning shell money.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Roanoke County formed from Botetourt and Montgomery Counties. Montgomery County contributed small portions between 1848 and 1851. [Virginia Counties: Those Resulting from Virginia Legislation, by Morgan Poitiaux Robinson, originally published as Bulletin of the Virginia State Library, Volume 9, January, April, July 1916, reprinted 1992 by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD.]

Roanoke County was named for the Roanoke River. The name is an Indian word meaning shell money. The county was formed from Botetourt County in 1838, and part of Montgomery County was added later. Its area is 248 square miles, and the county seat is Salem.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 251 square miles (650 km²), of which, 251 square miles (650 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (0 km²) of it (0.07%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Botetourt County, Virginia - northeast
Bedford County, Virginia - east
Franklin County, Virginia - southeast
Floyd County, Virginia - south-southwest
Montgomery County, Virginia - west
Craig County, Virginia - northwest
Salem, Virginia - center (enclave)
Roanoke, Virginia - center (enclave)

Cities and Towns:

- Roanoke (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Vinton	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

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