The Roanoke River is a river in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States, 410 mi (660 km) long. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains southeast across the Piedmont to Albemarle Sound. An important river throughout the history of the United States, it was the site of early settlement in the Virginia Colony and the Carolina Colony. Part of its upper course in Virginia between the City of Roanoke and Clarksville is also known as the Staunton River. It is impounded along much of its middle course to form a chain of reservoirs. Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... This article is the current U.S. Collaboration of the Week. ... In geography, a coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. ... A rainy day in the Great Smoky Mountains, Western North Carolina Appalachia, the central and southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States, also including the Allegany and Cumberland Plateaus The Appalachian Mountains (French: les Appalaches) are a vast system of North American mountains, partly in Canada, but mostly in the... The James River winds its way among piedmont hills in central Virginia. ... Albemarle Sound with the northern Outer Banks. ... The 1609 charter for the Virginia colony from sea to sea The Virginia Colony refers to the English colony in North America that existed during the 17th and 18th centuries before the American Revolution. ... The Carolina Colony grants Haystack of 1663 and 1665 The Province of Carolina from 1663 to 1729, was a North American British colony. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Clarksville is a town located in Virginia. ...

Description

The river has its headwaters in the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwestern Virginia at Lafayette in Montgomery County where the North Fork and South Fork of the river merge. The North Fork, approximately 30 mi (50 km) long, rises between two mountain ridges and flows initially southwest, then loops back to the northeast. The South Fork, approximately 20 mi (30 km) long, rises in several streams in the mountains on the border of Floyd, Roanoke, and Montgomery counties and flows generally north, joining the North Fork from the south. Blue Ridge Mountains, Shining Rock Wilderness Area Appalachian Mountain system The Blue Ridge is a mountain chain in the eastern United States, part of the Appalachian Mountains, forming their eastern front from Georgia to Pennsylvania. ... Elliston-Lafayette is a census-designated place located in Montgomery County, Virginia. ... Location in the state of Virginia Formed 1772 Seat Christiansburg Area  - Total  - Water 1,005 km² (388 mi²) 3 km² (1 mi²) 0. ... Floyd County is a county located in the state of Virginia. ... Roanoke County is a county located in the state of Virginia. ...

The combined stream flows northeast between mountain ridges, approximately 10 mi (15 km) to Salem, then east through the city of Roanoke, emerging from the Blue Ridge Mountains southeast of Roanoke and forming the boundary between Franklin and Bedford counties. The river flows generally east-southeast across the Piedmont of southern Virginia and enters northeastern North Carolina, passing north of Roanoke Rapids. The river then flows southeast in a zigzag course across the coastal plain and then briefly turns north as it enters Batchelor Bay on the western end Albemarle Sound. Salem is an independent city located in Virginia, bordered by the city of Roanoke and Roanoke County. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Franklin County is a county located in the United States state of Virginia. ... Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. ... Roanoke Rapids is a city located in Halifax County, North Carolina. ... Albemarle Sound with the northern Outer Banks. ...

The river is impounded twice in succession in the Piedmont of southwestern Virginia downstream from Roanoke to form the Smith Mountain Lake and Leesville Lake reservoirs. Farther downstream in southern Mecklenburg County along the North Carolina border, the river is impounded to form the expansive Kerr Lake. In northeastern North Carolina, 3 mi (5 km) west of Roanoke Rapids, the river is impounded to form the Lake Gaston reservoir, which stretches upstream into Virginia to the John H. Kerr Dam. Smith Mountain Lake Smith Mountain Lake is a large artificial lake southeast of Roanoke, Virginia, and southwest of Lynchburg, Virginia. ... Mecklenburg County is a county located in the U.S. state — officially, Commonwealth — of Virginia. ... Kerr Lake is an artificial lake along the border of the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

History

The Roanoke River was the homeland of various Native American tribes such as the Ocaneechi (today part of the Haliwa-Saponi). The deadly spring floods earned it the name "River of Death".[1] The river's lower course began to be settled by Virginians about the middle of the 17th century, in what was known as the Albemarle Settlements. An Aani (Atsina) named Assiniboin Boy. ... See Haliwa-saponi ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

The upper reaches of the Roanoke River were explored by fur trading parties sent by Abraham Wood in the late 17th century. Abraham Wood was an English fur trader (specifically the deerskin trade) and explorer of colonial Virginia during the 17th century. ...

See also

• List of North Carolina rivers
• List of Virginia rivers
• Bacon's Rebellion
• Roanoke Island

This is a partial list of rivers in the state of North Carolina in the United States: Allgator River Black River Board River Cane River Cape Fear River Cashie River Catawba River Cheoah River Chowan River Cullasaja River Deep River French Broad River Great Pee Dee River Haw River Linville... This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Virginia, as listed in The Hornbook of Virginia History (1994 edition). ... Bacons Rebellion or the Virginia Rebellion was an uprising in 1676 in the Virginia Colony, led by Nathaniel Bacon. ... A map of the Roanoke area, by John White Roanoke Island is an island near the coast of North Carolina, United States. ...

External links

• RoanokeRiver.com
• Roanoke River Basin Association
• Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge