City (pop., 2000: 94,911), western Virginia, U.S. It is located on the Roanoke River at the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley .
Settled in 1740, it developed after 1882 when it became a rail junction and outlet for Virginia and West Virginia coal. Chartered in 1874 as the town of Big Lick, it was renamed Roanoke (1882) after either the Indian term for shell money or a nearby salt marsh. Manufactures now include metal and steel products, clothing, chemicals, and furniture.