1.
Shenandoah Valley AVA
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The Shenandoah Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and West Virginia. The valley is bounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east, most of the AVA is in Virginia, with a small portion in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Most of the vineyards in the AVA are located in Virginia and grow a variety of Vitis vinifera, Vitis labrusca. The hardiness zone is mainly 6b except for some 7a closer to the mouth of the Shenandoah
Shenandoah Valley AVA
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Shenandoah Valley AVA
2.
Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia (lesser)
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The Eastern Panhandle is the eastern of the two panhandles in the U. S. state of West Virginia. It is a stretch of territory in the northeast of the state, bordering Maryland. Some sources and regional associations only identify the Eastern Panhandle as being composed of Morgan, Berkeley, West Virginia is unusual in having two panhandles, the Eastern Panhandle and the Northern Panhandle. Berkeley, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, and Morgan counties were part of the Unionist state of West Virginia created in 1863, shortly after West Virginia gained statehood, Mineral and Grant counties were created from Hampshire and Hardy in 1866. The Eastern Panhandle includes West Virginias oldest chartered towns of Romney, the Panhandle also includes West Virginias two oldest counties, Hampshire and Berkeley. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad runs through the panhandle, and was a key link to Washington. Harpers Ferry was the site of a U. S, the strategic nature of the area influenced its inclusion in West Virginia by the Union Congress. There has been talk about certain counties in the Eastern Panhandle rejoining Virginia, due primarily to economic conditions. In 2011, West Virginia state delegate Larry Kump sponsored legislation to allow Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties to rejoin Virginia by popular vote. The Eastern Panhandle includes both West Virginias highest and lowest elevations above sea level, Spruce Knob,4,863 feet, in Pendleton and Harpers Ferry,240 feet, in Jefferson on the Potomac River. The region is separated from the remainder of the state by the Allegheny Front, the counties in the eastern panhandle are, Berkeley Grant Hampshire Hardy Jefferson Mineral Morgan Pendleton County is included in some definitions. According to the 2010 Census, the eight counties of the Eastern Panhandle had a population of 261,041. Berkeley County is the Panhandles most populous county, with an census 104,169 residents, Berkeley also includes the Panhandles largest city, Martinsburg, with a 2010 census population of 17,227. The Eastern Panhandle is West Virginias fastest-growing region in terms of population, in July 2005, the United States Census Bureau released a list of the top 100 counties according to housing growth. Berkeley County grew 3.95 percent, from 36,365 housing units in 2003 to 37,802 units in 2004 and that growth rate was 86th in the nation among the 3,143 United States counties. Jefferson County was not far behind at 88th in the nation and it grew 3.94 percent from 19,381 housing units in 2003 to 20,144 units in 2004. Building of planned communities surged in the Eastern Panhandle during 2000-2008 with thousands of homes, condominiums. Homeowner associations were deemed responsible for supporting their infrastructure, common areas
Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia (lesser)
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Eastern panhandle
3.
Blue Ridge Mountains
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The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southernmost portion in Georgia, then ending northward in Pennsylvania. To the west of the Blue Ridge, between it and the bulk of the Appalachians, lies the Great Appalachian Valley, bordered on the west by the Ridge, the Blue Ridge Mountains are noted for having a bluish color when seen from a distance. Trees put the blue in Blue Ridge, from the isoprene released into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the haze on the mountains. Within the Blue Ridge province are two national parks, the Shenandoah National Park, in the northern section, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Blue Ridge also contains the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile long scenic highway that connects the two parks and is located along the ridge crestlines with the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge extends as far north into Pennsylvania as South Mountain. The Blue Ridge contains the highest mountains in eastern North America south of Baffin Island, about 125 peaks exceed 5,000 feet in elevation. The highest peak in the Blue Ridge is Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina at 6,684 feet. There are 39 peaks in North Carolina and Tennessee higher than 6,000 feet, by comparison, Southern Sixers is a term used by peak baggers for this group of mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles along crests of the Southern Appalachians, in many places along the parkway, there are metamorphic rocks with folded bands of light-and dark-colored minerals, which sometimes look like the folds and swirls in a marble cake. Most of the rocks that form the Blue Ridge Mountains are ancient granitic charnockites, metamorphosed volcanic formations, modern studies have found that the basement geology of the Blue Ridge is made of compositionally unique gneisses and granitoids, including orthopyroxene-bearing charnockites. Analysis of zircon minerals in the completed by John Aleinikoff at the U. S. Geological Survey has provided more detailed emplacement ages. Many of the found in the Blue Ridge and documented by Tollo. The lack of an affinity and zircon ages less than 1,200 Ma suggest that the Blue Ridge is distinct from the Adirondacks, Green Mountains. The petrologic and geochronologic data suggest that the Blue Ridge basement is a composite orogenic crust that was emplaced during several episodes from a magma source. Field relationships further illustrate that rocks emplaced prior to 1, 078-1,064 Ma preserve deformational features and those emplaced post-1,064 Ma generally have a massive texture and missed the main episode of Mesoproterozoic compression. The Blue Ridge Mountains began forming during the Silurian Period over 400 million years ago, approximately 320 Mya, North America and Europe collided, pushing up the Blue Ridge
Blue Ridge Mountains
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The Blue Ridge Mountains as seen from the
Blue Ridge Parkway near
Mount Mitchell
Blue Ridge Mountains
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The Blue Ridge Mountains as seen from
Blowing Rock, North Carolina.
Blue Ridge Mountains
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Blue Ridge Mountains, viewed from the Chimney Rock Mountain Overlook in Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains
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The northernmost extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in northern Maryland
4.
Ridge and Valley Appalachians
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They form a broad arc between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau physiographic province. They are characterized by long, even ridges, with long, the ridge and valley system presents an important obstacle to east-west land travel even with todays technology. The eastern head of the Ridge and Valley region is marked by the Great Appalachian Valley, the western side of the Ridge and Valley region is marked by steep escarpments such as the Allegheny Front, the Cumberland Mountains, and Walden Ridge. These curious formations are the remnants of an ancient fold-and-thrust belt, here, strata have been folded westward, and forced over massive thrust faults, there is little metamorphism, and no igneous intrusion. The ridges represent the edges of the erosion-resistant strata, and the valleys portray the absence of the more erodible strata, smaller streams have developed their valleys following the lines of the more easily eroded strata. Then the region was uplifted slowly enough that the rivers were able to maintain their course, valleys may be synclinal valleys or anticlinal valleys. These mountains are at their highest development in central Pennsylvania, a phenomenon termed the Pennsylvania climax, geology of the Appalachians Allegheny Front Eastern Continental Divide Tennessee Valley Divide Stanley, Steven M. Earth System History. New York, W. H. Freeman and Company,1999
Ridge and Valley Appalachians
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Ridges and valleys near
Bristol, Tennessee
Ridge and Valley Appalachians
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Shaded relief map of Cumberland Plateau and Ridge and Valley Appalachians on the Virginia/West Virginia border
Ridge and Valley Appalachians
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Pennsylvania's ridge country from Clarks Knob
Ridge and Valley Appalachians
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Oblique air photo of
Massanutten Mountain, looking southwest. The south fork of the
Shenandoah River is visible to the left, as well as a part of the
Blue Ridge Mountains.
5.
Potomac River
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The Potomac River /pəˈtoʊmək/ is located along the mid-Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States and flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river is approximately 405 miles long, with an area of about 14,700 square miles. In terms of area, this makes the Potomac River the fourth largest river along the Atlantic coast of the United States, over 5 million people live within the Potomac watershed. The river forms part of the borders between Maryland and Washington, D. C. on the left descending bank and West Virginia and Virginia on the right descending bank. The majority of the lower Potomac River is part of the State of Maryland, exceptions include a small tidal portion within the District of Columbia, and the border with Virginia being delineated from point to point. Except for a portion of its headwaters in West Virginia. The South Branch Potomac River lies completely within the state of West Virginia except for its headwaters, the Potomac River runs 405 miles from the Fairfax Stone in West Virginia on the Allegheny Plateau to Point Lookout, Maryland, and drains 14,679 square miles. The length of the river from the junction of its North and South Branches to Point Lookout is 302 miles, the average flow is 10,800 ft³/s. The largest flow recorded on the Potomac at Washington, D. C. was in March 1936 when it reached 425,000 ft³/s. The lowest flow recorded at the same location was 600 ft³/s in September,1966. The source of the North Branch is at the Fairfax Stone located at the junction of Grant, Tucker, the source of the South Branch is located near Hightown in northern Highland County, Virginia. The rivers two branches converge just east of Green Spring in Hampshire County, West Virginia, to form the Potomac. Once the Potomac drops from the Piedmont to the Coastal Plain at Little Falls, tides further influence the river as it passes through Washington, D. C. salinity in the Potomac River Estuary increases thereafter with distance downstream. The estuary also widens, reaching 11 statute miles wide at its mouth, Potomac is a European spelling of Patowmeck, the Algonquian name of a Native American village, perhaps meaning something brought. Native Americans had different names for different parts of the river, calling the river above Great Falls Cohongarooton, meaning honking geese and Patawomke below the fall, meaning river of swans. The spelling of the name has many forms over the years from Patawomeke to Patawomeck, Patowmack. The rivers name was decided upon as Potomac by the Board on Geographic Names in 1931. The river itself is at least two years old, likely extending back ten to twenty million years before present when the Atlantic Ocean lowered and exposed coastal sediments along the fall line
Potomac River
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Great Falls of the Potomac River in winter
Potomac River
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The Potomac River in
Washington, D.C. with
Rosslyn, VA in the background.
Potomac River
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View of the Potomac from
Mount Vernon
Potomac River
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The Potomac River flowing through
water gaps in the
Blue Ridge Mountains near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Virginia is on the left, Maryland on the right, West Virginia in the upper right.
6.
James River
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The James River is a river in the U. S. state of Virginia. It is 348 miles long, extending to 444 miles if one includes the Jackson River, the James River drains a catchment comprising 10,432 square miles. The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million people and it is the 12th longest river in the United States that remains entirely within a single state. Tidal waters extend west to Richmond, the capital of Virginia, larger tributaries draining to the tidal portion include the Appomattox River, Chickahominy River, Warwick River, Pagan River, and the Nansemond River. At its mouth near Newport News Point, the Elizabeth River, many boats pass through this river to import and export Virginia products. The navigable portion of the river was the highway of the Colony of Virginia during its first 15 years, facilitating supply ships delivering supplies. However, for the first five years, despite many hopes of gold and riches, in 1612, businessman John Rolfe successfully cultivated a non-native strain of tobacco which proved popular in England. Soon, the became the primary means of exporting the large hogsheads of this cash crop from an ever-growing number of plantations with wharfs along its banks. This development made the efforts of the Virginia Company of London successful financially, spurring even more development, investments. The upper reaches of the river above the head of navigation at the line were explored by fur trading parties sent by Abraham Wood during the late 17th century. Although ocean-going ships were unable to navigate beyond present-day Richmond, portage of products, produce from the Piedmont and Great Valley regions traveled down the river to seaports at Richmond and Manchester through such port towns as Lynchburg, Scottsville, Columbia and Buchanan. The James River was considered as a route for transport of produce from the Ohio Valley, the James River and Kanawha Canal was built for this purpose, to provide a navigable portion of the Kanawha River, a tributary of the Ohio River. For the most mountainous section between the two points, the James River and Kanawha Turnpike was built to provide a link via wagons. However, before the canal could be completed, in the mid-19th century, railroads emerged as a more practical technology. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was completed between Richmond and the Ohio River at the new city of Huntington, West Virginia by 1873, dooming the canals economic prospects. In the 1880s, the Richmond and Alleghany Railroad was laid along the portion of the canals towpath. In modern times, this line is used primarily in transporting West Virginia coal to export coal piers at Newport News. The James River contains numerous parks and other recreational attractions, canoeing, fishing, kayaking, hiking, and swimming are some of the activities that people enjoy along the river during the summer
James River
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James River at the crossing of the
Blue Ridge Parkway
James River
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The James, hidden by trees, at Percival's Island Riverwalk in
Lynchburg,
Virginia
James River
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James River at Huntington Park Beach in Newport News
James River
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ACL Railroad crossing at the falls in Richmond.
7.
Winchester, Virginia
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Winchester is an Independent City located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,203, as of 2015, its population is an estimated 27,284. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions, the Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester with surrounding Frederick County for statistical purposes. Winchester is home to Shenandoah University and the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, indigenous peoples lived along the waterways of present-day Virginia for thousands of years before European contact. Archeological, linguistic and anthropological studies have provided insights into their cultures, the Algonquian-speaking Shawnee began to challenge the Iroquoians for the hunting grounds later in that century. The explorers Batts and Fallam in 1671 reported the Shawnee were contesting with the Iroquoians for control of the valley and were losing, during the later Beaver Wars, the powerful Iroquois Confederacy from New York subjugated all tribes in the frontier region west of the Fall Line. By the time European settlers arrived in the Shenandoah Valley around 1729, the Iroquois Six Nations finally ceded their nominal claim to the Shenandoah Valley at the Treaty of Lancaster. The treaty also established the right of colonists to use the Indian Road, the father of the historical Shawnee chief Cornstalk had his court at Shawnee Springs until 1754. The Shawnee settled for years in the Ohio Country before being forced by the US government under Indian Removal in the 1830s to remove to Indian Territory. Winchester had a role as a frontier city in those early times. French Jesuit expeditions may have first entered the valley as early as 1606, the first confirmed exploration of the northern valley was by the explorer John Lederer, who viewed the it from the current Fauquier and Warren County line on August 26,1670. In 1705 the Swiss explorer Louise Michel and in 1716 Governor Alexander Spotswood did more extensive mapping and surveying, in the late 1720s, Governor William Gooch promoted settlement by issuing large land grants. Robert King Carter, manager of the Lord Fairfax proprietorship, acquired 200,000 acres, the Scots-Irish comprised the most numerous group of immigrants from the British Isles before the American Revolutionary War. The settlement of Winchester began as early as 1729, when Quakers such as Abraham Hollingsworth migrated up the Great Valley along the long-traveled Indian Path from Pennsylvania and he and others began to homestead on old Shawnee campgrounds. Tradition holds that the Quakers purchased several tracts on Apple-pie Ridge from the natives, the first German settler appears to have been Jost Hite in 1732, who brought ten other families, including some Scots-Irish. Though Virginia was an Anglican colony, Governor William Gooch had a tolerant policy on religion, the availability of land grants brought in many religious families, who were often given 50-acre plots through the sponsorship of fellow-religious grant purchasers and speculators. As a result, the Winchester area became home to some of the oldest Presbyterian, Quaker, the first Lutheran worship was established by Rev. John Casper Stoever, Jr. and Alexander Ross established Hopewell Meeting for the Quakers. By 1736, Scots-Irish built the Opequon Presbyterian Church in Kernstown, a legal fight erupted in 1735 when Thomas Fairfax, Sixth Lord Fairfax came to Virginia to claim his land grant
Winchester, Virginia
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Historic Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
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Seal
Winchester, Virginia
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Colonel George Washington
Winchester, Virginia
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Colonel Daniel Morgan
8.
Harrisonburg, Virginia
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Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 48,914, Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Harrisonburg with Rockingham County for statistical purposes, Harrisonburg is home to James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite University. Harrisonburg is the city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Harrisonburg, previously known as Rocktown, was named for Thomas Harrison, in 1779, Harrison deeded 2.5 acres of his land to the public good for the construction of a courthouse. In 1780, Harrison deeded an additional 50 acres and this is the area now known as Historic Downtown Harrisonburg. In 1849, trustees chartered a mayor–council form of government, although Harrisonburg was not officially incorporated as an independent city until 1916, today, a council–manager government administers Harrisonburg. When the slaves of the Shenandoah Valley were freed in 1865 and this settlement was eventually annexed by the independent city of Harrisonburg some years later, probably around 1892. Today, the old city of Newtown is still the home of the majority of Harrisonburgs predominantly black churches, such as First Baptist, the modern Boys and Girls Club of Harrisonburg is located in the old Lucy Simms schoolhouse used for the black students in the days of segregation. This effort, called Project R4, focused on the city blocks east of Main, north of Gay, west of Broad, and south of Johnson. According to Bob Sullivan, an intern working in the city office in 1958. Newtown, a low socioeconomic status housing area, was declared a slum, federal law mandated that the city needed to have a referendum on the issue before R4 could begin. The vote was close with 1,024 votes in favor and 978 against R4, after the vote, the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority was formed. All of the members were white men, the project began and, due to eminent domain, the government could force the people of Newtown to sell their homes. They were offered rock bottom prices for their homes, many people couldnt afford a new home and had to move into public housing projects and become dependent on the government. Likewise, many of the businesses of Newtown that were bought out could not afford to reestablish themselves, klines, a white-owned business, was actually one of the few businesses in the area that was able to reopen. The city later sold the land to commercial developers, in early 2002, the Harrisonburg community discussed the possibility of creating a pedestrian mall downtown. Public meetings were held to discuss the merits and drawbacks of pursuing such a plan, ultimately, the community decided to keep its Main Street open to traffic
Harrisonburg, Virginia
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Rockingham County Courthouse in Court Square in downtown Harrisonburg
Harrisonburg, Virginia
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Harrisonburg was named for Thomas Harrison (1704–1785), an early settler.
Harrisonburg, Virginia
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Interstate 81, a main roadway in Harrisonburg
Harrisonburg, Virginia
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Larkin Arts
9.
Staunton, Virginia
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Staunton is an independent city in the U. S. state of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,746, in Virginia, independent cities are separate jurisdictions from the counties that surround them, so the government offices of Augusta County are in Verona, which is contiguous to Staunton. Staunton is a city of the Staunton-Waynesboro Metropolitan Statistical Area. Staunton is known for being the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th U. S. president, the city is also home to Stuart Hall, a private co-ed preparatory school, as well as the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. The area was first settled in 1732 by John Lewis and family, in 1736, William Beverley, a wealthy planter and merchant from Essex County, was granted by the Crown over 118,000 acres in what would become Augusta County. Surveyor Thomas Lewis in 1746 laid out the first town plat for Beverley of what was originally called Beverleys Mill Place, founded in 1747, it was renamed in honor of Lady Rebecca Staunton, wife to Royal Lieutenant-Governor Sir William Gooch. Staunton thus played a role in the mid 18th century expansion of the economies of the American Colonies which, in turn. It served as capital of Virginia in June 1781, when state legislators fled Richmond, for instance, in 1815, a slave named Henry ran away from John G. Wrights Staunton plantation. Wright later placed an ad in the Daily National Intelligencer in Washington and this ad is notable in its genre for the fact that it notes that Henry was an excellent cook and was widely travelled, having been to the West Indies. In August 1855, President Franklin Pierce visited Staunton and he gave a speech at the Virginia Hotel, in which he stated that his feelings revolted from the idea of a dissolution of the union. He said that t would be the Iliad of innumerable woes, located along the Valley Pike, Staunton developed as a trade, transportation and industrial center, particularly after the Virginia Central Railroad arrived in 1854. Factories made carriages, wagons, boots and shoes, clothing, in 1860, the Staunton Military Academy was founded. By 1860, Staunton had at least one pro-union, pro-slavery and at least one pro-secession, pro-slavery newspaper. The Spectator ran editorials before the war urging its citizens to vote for union, while the Vindicator ran, on May 23,1861, Virginians voted on whether or not to ratify articles of secession from the Union. The articles were approved throughout the Commonwealth. In Staunton the vote was 3300 in favor of secession and 6 opposed, during the Civil War, the town became an important Shenandoah Valley manufacturing, staging area and supply depot for the Confederacy. On May 2,1862, Union General John C, frémont occupied Staunton while on his way to a rendezvous with General Nathaniel P. Banks to pursue Stonewall Jackson into what would become known as the Battle of Cross Keys, fought near Harrisonburg, by October 1862 Staunton was back in rebel hands, occupied by the 2nd South Carolina infantry
Staunton, Virginia
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West Beverley Street
Staunton, Virginia
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Bird's-eye view c. 1910
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton, Virginia
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Letter from N.K. Trout, mayor of Staunton, describing a contribution of $80 to the
1st Georgia Regiment, then encamped at
Monterey, Virginia. Published in the Daily Constitutionalist of
Augusta, Georgia on August 6, 1861
10.
Lexington, Virginia
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Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 7,042 and it is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Lexington with Rockbridge County for statistical purposes, Lexington is about 57 miles east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777, Lexington is the location of the Virginia Military Institute and of Washington and Lee University. It was one of the first of what would be many American places named after Lexington, Massachusetts, the Union General David Hunter led a raid on Virginia Military Institute during the American Civil War. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson are buried here and it is the site of the only house Jackson ever owned, now open to the public as a museum. Cyrus McCormick invented the mechanical reaper at his familys farm in Rockbridge County. McCormick Farm is now owned by Virginia Tech and is an agricultural research center. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 2.5 square miles. The Maury River, a tributary of the James River, forms the northeastern boundary. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers, according to the Köppen climate classification system, Lexington has a humid subtropical climate, similar to Northern Italy, abbreviated Cfa on climate maps. As of the census of 2000, there were 6,867 people,2,232 households, the population density was 2,753.8 per square mile. The racial makeup was 86. 01% White,10. 38% African American,0. 26% Native American,1. 92% Asian,0. 01% Pacific Islander and 0. 48% from other races, and 0. 93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4. 1% of the population,41. 0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17. 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the family size was 2.76. In the city, the population was out with 11. 0% under the age of 18,41. 4% from 18 to 24,14. 5% from 25 to 44,16. 7% from 45 to 64. The median age was 23 years, for every 100 females there were 123.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 127.2 males, the median income for a household in the city was $28,982, and the median income for a family was $58,529
Lexington, Virginia
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Downtown Lexington
Lexington, Virginia
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Lee Chapel
Lexington, Virginia
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Lexington High School, designed by architect Charles M. Robinson and constructed in 1908, was typical of the modern public schools that cities built during the Progressive Era.
11.
Martinsburg, West Virginia
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Martinsburg is a city in and the county seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States, in the tip of the states Eastern Panhandle region. Its population was 17,227 at the 2010 census, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle, Martinsburg is part of the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Martinsburg was established by an act of the Virginia General Assembly that was adopted in December 1778 during the American Revolutionary War, Aspen Hall is a Georgian mansion, the oldest house in the city. Part was built in 1745 by Edward Beeson, Sr. Aspen Hall and its residents had key roles in the agricultural, religious, transportation. Significant events related to the French and Indian War, the Revolution, three original buildings are still standing, including the rare blockhouse of Mendenhalls Fort. The first United States post office in what is now West Virginia was established at Martinsburg in 1792, at that time, Martinsburg and the larger territory were still part of Virginia. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Martinsburg in 1842, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops were constructed in 1849 and rebuilt after the American Civil War. According to William Still, The Father of the Underground Railroad and its historian, Robert Brown, alias Thomas Jones and he rode a horse and had it swim across the freezing Potomac River. After riding forty miles, he walked in cold wet clothes for two days, to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and he received assistance there from the Underground Railroad and traveled by train to Philadelphia, and the office of William Still with the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society. Browns wife and four children had been sold, he sought help to find them and he had a likeness of his wife, and locks of hair from each of them. In 1854, ten-year-old Isabelle Boyd, known as Belle and later a noted spy for the Confederacy, moved to Martinsburg with her family, after the Civil War began, Benjamin joined Second Virginia Infantry, which was part of the Stonewall Brigade. His wife Mary was thus in charge of the Boyd home when Union forces under General Robert Patterson took Martinsburg, when a group of Pattersons men tried to raise a Union flag over the Boyd home, Mary refused. One of the soldiers, Frederick Martin, threatened Mary, and she soon became involved in espionage, sending information to Confederate generals Thomas Stonewall Jackson and J. E. B. Often she was helped by Eliza Corsey, a Boyd family slave whom Belle had taught to read, in 1863, Belle was arrested in Martinsburg by the Union Army and imprisoned. Boyds Greek Revival home, which he had built in 1853, in 1992 it was purchased by the Berkeley County Historical Society. The historical society renovated the building and now operates it as the Berkeley County Museum and it is also known as the Belle Boyd House. Most residents of West Virginia were yeomen farmers who supported the Union and, during the Civil War, the new state was admitted to the Union during the war. The city of Martinsburg was incorporated by an act of the new West Virginia Legislature on March 30,1868, Martinsburg became a center of the railroad industry and its workers
Martinsburg, West Virginia
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Downtown Martinsburg Historic District
Martinsburg, West Virginia
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Postcard view of veterans medical center
Martinsburg, West Virginia
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B&O Roundhouse and Station Complex
12.
U.S. Route 50 in Virginia
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U. S. Route 50 is a transcontinental highway which stretches from Ocean City, Maryland to West Sacramento, California. U. S. Route 50, also known in times for most of its mileage in Virginia as the John Mosby Highway. Native Americans first created it as they followed seasonally migrating game from the Potomac River to the Shenandoah Valley, as English colonists expanded westward in the late 17th and 18th centuries, the Indian trail gradually became a more clearly defined roadway. Along the way, small settlements sprang up which provided lodging and provisions for travelers, during the American Civil War, the roads which became US50 were an important travelway for troops, and were the site of significant battles and skirmishes. Among these, the Battle of Chantilly, the Battle of Aldie, during the 19th century, the Virginia Board of Public Works encouraged and helped finance internal transportation improvements such as canals, turnpikes, and some of the earlier railroads. The Winchester and Berrys Ferry Turnpike extended from the Ashbys Gap to Winchester, in 1922, these three privately owned turnpikes were taken over by the Commonwealth of Virginia and became State Route 36. Then in November 1926 the route part of US Route 50 as designated in the United States Numbered Highway System. At Winchester, the end of the Valley Pike, another historic trail, turnpike and toll road pathway steeped in history, intersected US50. US Route 50 was one of the major east–west transcontinental highways in the system of the lower 48 states planned in the 1920s as a successor to the National Auto Trails System. It extended from San Francisco, California to Annapolis, Maryland, Route 50 crosses Virginia near the states northern borders with Maryland and West Virginia. The east–west major routes in the 1920s national grid system were those with two digit ending with a zero. Virginias other east–west highway of this type is US60, which extends in modern times from Virginia Beach across the section of the state to exit west of Covington. It is on a winding, two lane road until it passes the former lumbering town of Gore, at which point it widens to a four-lane highway and it eventually crosses State Route 37 and enters the independent city of Winchester. Winchester was long the transportation hub of the lower Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, today, US50 meets Interstate 81 there, as well as US11, US522, and State Route 7. U. S. Route 17 joins US50 here from its northern terminus as the route exits the city to the east. After crossing the Shenandoah River, the divided four-laned roadway which serves as combined U. S. Routes 17 and 50 ascends into Clarke County and crosses US340 close to Boyce <Google Maps, State of Va. >, a few south of Berryville. Just west of Paris, the crosses a ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains at a place known as Ashby Gap
U.S. Route 50 in Virginia
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US 50 co-signed as
Interstate 66 in
Rosslyn viewed from the
Marine Corps War Memorial.
U.S. Route 50 in Virginia
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U.S. Route 50
13.
U.S. Route 33 in Virginia
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U. S. Route 33 is a part of the U. S. Highway System that runs from Elkhart, Indiana to Richmond, Virginia. In Virginia, the U. S. Highway runs 135.60 miles from the West Virginia state line near Rawley Springs east to its terminus at SR33 in Richmond. US33 is the primary east–west highway of Rockingham County, which lies in the Shenandoah Valley, the highway connects the independent city of Harrisonburg, the town of Elkton, and an entrance to Shenandoah National Park. East of the Blue Ridge Mountains, US33 connects the Piedmont communities of Stanardsville, Gordonsville, the U. S. Highway is a major suburban and urban route in the Richmond metropolitan area. Within Richmond, US33 runs concurrently with US250, SR33 continues from US 33s eastern terminus as a state-numbered extension of the U. S. Highway that connects Richmond with Virginias Middle Peninsula. US33 then heads east as Rawley Pike, with a descent to the narrow but flat valley of the Dry River. East of Rawley Springs, the highway away from the river, leaves the national forest. Once in the Shenandoah Valley, US33 passes through the hamlets of Hinton and Dale Enterprise, US33 continues into Harrisonburg as Market Street, a four-lane divided highway. US33 meets the southbound direction of US11, then splits to pass along a two-lane, one-way street surrounding Court Square, the eastern side of the square, Main Street, is followed by northbound US11. Both directions of US33 therefore have short but separate concurrencies with each direction of US11 around the Courthouse, US33 expands to four lanes at Mason Street, then curves south and becomes a divided highway at Vine Street. The highway passes over the Norfolk & Southerns Roanoke District rail line, after I-81, US33 expands to six lanes, passing through a commercial area that includes the Harrisonburg Crossingshopping center and the Valley Mall. Eastward, the returns to a four-lane highway, and is named Spotswood Trail at the city limits of Harrisonburg. US33 meets the end of SR276 in Penn Laird as the highway makes a broad curve around the southern end of Massanutten Mountain, within which is the Massanutten Resort. The highway crosses the Norfolk & Southern rail line again and passes through McGaheysville, at the base of Massanutten Mountain, West of Elkton, US33 Business splits to the north. US33 then crosses the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, enters the town limits, the highway leaves the town at US340 and the east end of US33 Business. US33 Business splits to the north to pass through the center of Stanardsville, US33 Business provides access to SR230, which heads toward Madison. US33 continues southeast through Quinque and intersects US29 in Ruckersville, east of US29, US33 reduces to two lanes and enters Orange County. The highway has a concurrency with SR20 through Barboursville
U.S. Route 33 in Virginia
–
The Rockingham County Courthouse in Harrisonburg, Virginia, at the intersection of US 11 and US 33
U.S. Route 33 in Virginia
–
U.S. Route 33
14.
U.S. Route 250 in Virginia
–
U. S. Route 250 is a part of the U. S. Highway System that runs from Sandusky, Ohio to Richmond, Virginia. In Virginia, the U. S. Highway runs 166.74 miles from the West Virginia state line near Hightown east to its terminus at US360 in Richmond. US250 is the main east–west highway of Highland County, which is known as Virginias Little Switzerland, from Staunton east to Richmond, the U. S. In the Richmond metropolitan area, US250 is known as Broad Street, US250 enters Virginia on top of Allegheny Mountain, the ridgeline that forms the Virginia – West Virginia state line and the Eastern Continental Divide. The U. S. Highway continues northwest into Pocahontas County, West Virginia toward Durbin and Elkins. US250, which is known as Highland Turnpike, parallels the state line, east of Hightown, US250 crosses Monterey Mountain and enters the town of Monterey, the county seat of Highland County. The U. S. Highway serves as the towns Main Street, US250 passes to the north of Jack Mountain and follows Crab Creek through a gap in Doe Hill to McDowell, where the highway crosses the Bullpasture River. The U. S. Highway continues across Bullpasture Mountain and crosses the Calfpasture River, after passing through Shaws Ridge, US250 goes through the hamlet of Head Waters and has a curvaceous crossing of Shenandoah Mountain, where the highway enters Augusta County. At the Augusta County border, a parking area leads to Fort Edward Johnson, US250 heads southeast along the creek through Lone Fountain and Churchville, Virginia. In the latter village, the U. S. Highway runs concurrently with Virginia State Route 42, US250 continues southeast as Churchville Avenue, which crosses the Middle River on its way to the independent city of Staunton. The U. S. Highway meets SR262 at an interchange at the west city limits. At the north end of downtown, US250 turns onto Augusta Street, at the south end of downtown, just north of the Staunton Amtrak station, US250 and US11 Business turn east onto Johnson Street, which parallels CSXs North Mountain Subdivision. US11 Businesss southern terminus is at US 250s intersection with US11, SR254 heads north on Coalter Street and east with northbound US11 on Commerce Road while US250 and US11 pass under the railroad together on Greenville Avenue. South of the crossing, US250 turns east onto Richmond Avenue. US250 heads east as an undivided highway through the southeastern part of Staunton, passing the remains of Western State Hospital. US250 continues as Jefferson Highway, which becomes an undivided highway, the U. S. Highway becomes Main Street on entering the independent city of Waynesboro. The U. S. Highway crosses the South River into the Basic City neighborhood of Waynesboro before joining US340 on Main Street, the two highways pass under Norfolk Southern Railways Roanoke District and diverge at Delphine Street, where US340 heads north toward Elkton. US250 reduces to two lanes and parallels CSXs North Mountain Subdivision on its ascent of Blue Ridge Mountain, just east of the city limit of Waynesboro, the U. S. Highway passes under the rail line
U.S. Route 250 in Virginia
–
US 250 in Highland County
U.S. Route 250 in Virginia
15.
Interstate 64 (Virginia)
–
In the U. S. state of Virginia, Interstate 64 runs east–west through the middle of the state from West Virginia to the Hampton Roads region, a total of 298 miles. It is notable for crossing the mouth of the harbor of Hampton Roads on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, I-64 enters Virginia as a four-lane divided highway, continuing its concurrency with U. S.60 through Covington into Lexington where the two routes split. From Lexington, I-64 then turns northward to Staunton overlapping Interstate 81 in the Shenandoah Valley. S, after Charlottesville, I-64 then turns more east-southeasterly and heads towards Richmond, passing through Fluvanna, Goochland and Louisa Counties. Hurricane gates are installed at eastbound Interstate 64 entrance and exit ramps from Exit 200 to Exit 273, to date, there has never been an activation of the contraflow system in any capacity. Once on the Southside, I-64 turns south through Norfolk, passing the eastern boundary of Naval Station Norfolk and Chambers Field, and the spur route supplying it, Interstate 564. It then becomes a six lane divided highway with a two lane roadway in the middle, which is used for HOV-traffic during morning and afternoon rush hours. After entering Chesapeake, I-64 actually turns west-southwesterly and it is actually at this point when the road stops being signed as either east or west and is only signed with its Beltway designation of Inner or Outer Loop. After interchanging with another of its routes, Interstate 464, I-64 then crosses the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River using the High Rise Bridge. Early studies and proposals of the Interregional Highway System, I-64 was to use the U. S. Route 250 alignment west of Richmond and this southern route was favored by Gov. J. Lindsay Almond Jr. and most members of the State Highway Commission. The decision was on hold for three years while the state continued planning for the piece of the US250 alignment from Richmond to Short Pump, which would be needed anyway to handle traffic. In 1961, U. S. Secretary of Commerce Luther Hodges rejected that plan and chose the present route, officially, the chosen route was considered more efficient. However, there is speculation that the decision involved back-room politics of the Kennedy administration, Interstate 64 has four auxiliary routes, all of which are in the Hampton Roads Area, Interstate 664, a bypass route serving Chesapeake, Suffolk, Newport News and Hampton. Interstate 564, a route serving Naval Station Norfolk. Interstate 264, a route serving the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, Downtown Norfolk. Interstate 464, a route serving the western side of Chesapeake, Portsmouth. It connects I-64 in Chesapeake to I-264 in Norfolk, two segments on I-64 have been identified as candidates for widening, I-64 on the Virginia Peninsula from New Kent County to Newport News and I-64 in South Hampton Roads from the I-464/SR 168/U. S. 17 interchange in Chesapeake to the Bowers Hill Interchange in Suffolk, on the Peninsula, most of the I-64 corridor is a four lane roadway and is one of the most-traveled segments in the region, connecting the Hampton Roads Metro to the Greater Richmond region. The approved plan selected by VDOT and partners included the plan that added a general purpose lane in each direction by either expanding into the median or on the outside shoulder
Interstate 64 (Virginia)
–
Map from a 1958 study, showing the two routes between Clifton Forge and Richmond
Interstate 64 (Virginia)
–
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 (Virginia)
–
I-64 on the
Hampton Roads Beltway, north of
I-264
Interstate 64 (Virginia)
–
Interstate 64 in
Alleghany County. Note the narrow median.
16.
U.S. Route 11 in Virginia
–
U. S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway that traverses through western Virginia, parallel to Interstate 81. Virginias portion of US11 begins at the intersection of east–west Euclid Avenue. At this intersection, a pair of divided U. S. Highways, US 11W and US 11E, US 11W and US 11E parallel each other through East Tennessee to Knoxville, where the divided routes merge to form mainline US11 again. The west leg of the intersection features southbound US 11W and northbound US421, Highways split at the Tennessee state line, US 11W heads southwest toward Kingsport, Tennessee while US421 soon joins US58 west toward Gate City, Virginia. The south leg of the intersection includes southbound US 11E, southbound US19, southbound US421, the north leg of the intersection is SR381, which is a state-numbered, street-level continuation of I-381, a spur south from I-81. US11 and US19 head east as a divided boulevard through a residential area. The street becomes undivided shortly before the U. S, Highways reach the northern end of SR113, which heads south toward Virginia Intermont College and downtown Bristol. US11 and US19 continue northeast on Lee Highway, which here, the highway meets I-81 and US58 at a diamond interchange with a rakish angle. US11 and US19 pass under Norfolk Southern Railways Pulaski District, the two highways continue northeast through Washington County, where they pass Virginia Highlands Airport before entering the town of Abingdon. At the west end of town, US11 and US19 intersect SR140, Highways and I-81 that also serves Virginia Highlands Community College. The U. S. highways continue east as Main Street, US11 becomes four lanes and then two at its intersection with US58 Alternate, which leads to the William King Museum, in downtown Abingdon. The alternate route runs along Main Street for a distance before turning south with SR75 to rejoin US58 at I-81. US11 passes the Barter Theatre, at the east end of town, US11 crosses over the rail line and meets I-81 at a partial cloverleaf interchange. US11 has a concurrency with US58 east of the interchange before US58 splits to the east as Jeb Stuart Highway. US11 meets the end of SR80 south of the communities of Meadowview and Emory. The U. S. Highway intersects SR91 south of Glade Spring before the highway closely parallels I-81, US11 has an interchange with I-81 where the highway crosses to the north side of the Interstate shortly before entering Smyth County. What is now US11 was added to the highway system in 1918 as portions of State Route 10. SR3 became State Route 33 in 1923, and US11 was applied to its present alignment in 1926, SR10 and SR33 vere dropped in 1933
U.S. Route 11 in Virginia
–
U.S. Route 11
17.
Interstate 81 (Virginia)
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Interstate 81 is an 855-mile long highway. In the U. S. state of Virginia, I-81 runs for 324.92 miles and it is also the longest Interstate highway within the borders of Virginia. It stretches from the Tennessee state line near Bristol to the West Virginia state line near Winchester, Interstate 81 enters Bristol, Virginia from Tennessee and runs primarily along the mountains of western Virginia. For most of its length, I-81 parallels U. S. Route 11, I-81 runs concurrently with Interstate 77 in Wytheville, Virginia for about 10 miles in a notable example of a wrong-way concurrency, both I-81 south and I-77 north share the same roadbed there. Further north, the highway runs concurrently with several miles of Interstate 64. The state has proposed to widen its entire portion of I-81 to a minimum of three or four lanes in each direction to accommodate increased traffic and to toll non-passenger vehicles. Some sections of the new Virginia I-81 may completely separate car, between exits 315 and 317 the state has proposed to widen it to 4 lanes for this 2 mile portion in Winchester, Virginia. org I-81 Corridor in Virginia by VDOT
Interstate 81 (Virginia)
–
Interstate 81
18.
Valley
–
A valley is a low area between hills, often with a river running through it. In geology, a valley or dale is a depression that is longer than it is wide, the terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys. Most valleys belong to one of two main types or a mixture of them, with respect to the cross section of the slopes or hillsides. A valley in its broadest geographic sense is known as a dale. A valley through which a river runs may also be referred to as a vale, a small, secluded, and often wooded valley is known as a dell or in Scotland as a glen. A wide, flat valley through which a river runs is known in Scotland as a strath, a mountain cove is a small valley, closed at one or both ends, in the central or southern Appalachian Mountains which sometimes results from the erosion of a geologic window. A small valley surrounded by mountains or ridges is sometimes known as a hollow, a deep, narrow valley is known as a cwm. Similar geological structures, such as canyons, ravines, gorges, gullies, chines, a valley formed by erosion is called an erosional valley, a valley formed by geologic events such as drop faults or the rise of highlands is called a structural valley. A valley formed by flowing water, or river valley, is usually V-shaped, the exact shape will depend on the characteristics of the stream flowing through it. Rivers with steep gradients, as in mountain ranges, produce steep walls, shallower slopes may produce broader and gentler valleys. However, in the lowest stretch of a river, where it approaches its base level, it begins to deposit sediment, in prehistory, the rivers were used as a source of fresh water and food, as well as a place to wash and a sewer. The proximity of water moderated temperature extremes and provided a source for irrigation, most of the first civilizations developed from these river valley communities. In geography, a vale is a river valley, usually with a particularly wide flood plain or flat valley bottom. In Southern England, vales commonly occur between the escarpment slopes of pairs of chalk formations, where the dome has been eroded, exposing less resistant underlying rock. Rift valleys, such as the Albertine Rift, are formed by the expansion of the Earths crust due to tectonic activity beneath the Earths surface, there are various forms of valley associated with glaciation that may be referred to as glacial valleys. A valley carved by glaciers is normally U-shaped, the valley becomes visible upon the recession of the glacier that forms it. When the ice recedes or thaws, the remains, often littered with small boulders that were transported within the ice. Floor gradient does not affect the shape, it is the glaciers size that does
Valley
–
Calchaquí Valleys in
Argentina
Valley
–
U-shaped valley in
Glacier National Park,
Montana,
USA
Valley
–
Romsdalen in
Western Norway is an almost vertical valley.
Valley
–
Fljótsdalur in East
Iceland, a rather flat valley (in Scotland, this type of valley is called a "strath")
19.
Cultural region
–
In anthropology and geography, a cultural region, cultural sphere, cultural area or culture area refers to a geographical area with one relatively homogeneous human activity or complex of activities. These are often associated with a group and the territory it inhabits. Specific cultures often do not limit their geographic coverage to the borders of a nation state, Cultural spheres of influence may also overlap or form concentric structures of macrocultures encompassing smaller local cultures. Different boundaries may also be depending on the particular aspect of interest, such as religion and folklore vs. dress. Cultural areas are not considered equivalent to Kulturkreis, a culture area is a concept in cultural anthropology, in which a geographic region and time sequence is characterized by substantially uniform environment and culture. The concept of culture areas was originated by museum curators and ethnologists during the late 1800s as means of arranging exhibits, clark Wissler and Alfred Kroeber further developed the concept on the premise that they represent long-standing cultural divisions. The concept is criticized by some, who argue that the basis for classification is arbitrary, but other researchers disagree and the organization of human communities into cultural areas remains a common practice throughout the social sciences. The definition of culture areas is enjoying a resurgence of practical and theoretical interest as social scientists conduct research on processes of cultural globalization. A formal culture region is an area inhabited by people who have one or more traits in common, such as language, religion. It is a relatively homogeneous with regard to one or more cultural traits. The geographer who identifies a formal culture region must locate cultural borders, because cultures overlap and mix, such boundaries are rarely sharp even if only a single cultural trait is mapped so there are cultural border zones rather than lines. The zones broaden with each additional cultural trait that is considered because no two traits have the spatial distribution. As a result, instead of having clear borders, formal culture regions reveal a center or core where the traits are all present. Away from the core, the characteristics weaken and disappear. Thus, many formal culture regions display a core-periphery, in this sense, functional regions also possess a core-periphery configuration, in common with formal culture regions. Vernacular, popular or perceptual cultural regions are those perceived to exist by their inhabitants, as is evident by the widespread acceptance, some vernacular regions are based on physical environmental features, others find their basis in economic, political or historical characteristics. Vernacular regions, like most culture regions, generally lack sharp borders, and it grows out of peoples sense of belonging and identification with a particular region. They often lack the necessary for functional regions although they may be centered on a single urban node
Cultural region
–
Cultural areas of North American people at the time of European contact.
20.
Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians
–
They form a broad arc between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau physiographic province. They are characterized by long, even ridges, with long, the ridge and valley system presents an important obstacle to east-west land travel even with todays technology. The eastern head of the Ridge and Valley region is marked by the Great Appalachian Valley, the western side of the Ridge and Valley region is marked by steep escarpments such as the Allegheny Front, the Cumberland Mountains, and Walden Ridge. These curious formations are the remnants of an ancient fold-and-thrust belt, here, strata have been folded westward, and forced over massive thrust faults, there is little metamorphism, and no igneous intrusion. The ridges represent the edges of the erosion-resistant strata, and the valleys portray the absence of the more erodible strata, smaller streams have developed their valleys following the lines of the more easily eroded strata. Then the region was uplifted slowly enough that the rivers were able to maintain their course, valleys may be synclinal valleys or anticlinal valleys. These mountains are at their highest development in central Pennsylvania, a phenomenon termed the Pennsylvania climax, geology of the Appalachians Allegheny Front Eastern Continental Divide Tennessee Valley Divide Stanley, Steven M. Earth System History. New York, W. H. Freeman and Company,1999
Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians
–
Ridges and valleys near
Bristol, Tennessee
Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians
–
Shaded relief map of Cumberland Plateau and Ridge and Valley Appalachians on the Virginia/West Virginia border
Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians
–
Pennsylvania's ridge country from Clarks Knob
Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians
–
Oblique air photo of
Massanutten Mountain, looking southwest. The south fork of the
Shenandoah River is visible to the left, as well as a part of the
Blue Ridge Mountains.
21.
Massanutten Mountain
–
Massanutten Mountain is a synclinal ridge in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, located in the U. S. state of Virginia. The mountain bisects the Shenandoah Valley just east of Strasburg in Shenandoah County in the north, the mountain is divided into northern and southern sections, divided by the New Market Gap. The northern section consists of 3 roughly parallel ridges, forming 2 valleys, the wider, main valley, is called Fort Valley, while the smaller one is known as Little Fort Valley. The ridges of the northern section converge at New Market Gap, the southern section consists of a series of closely gathered ridges, separated by precipitous creek gorges. On the eastern side of the range lie the Page Valley. On the western side lie the North-Central Shenandoah Valley and the Great North Mountain of the Alleghany Mountains, most of the range is part of the Lee Ranger District of the George Washington National Forest and contains the Elizabeth Furnace and Camp Roosevelt recreational areas. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club maintains the Massanutten Trail as well as several hiking trails in the forest. Signal Knob, a former Civil War signal station on the peak of the mountain, is a popular destination. The forest service also maintains several ATV trails, in 1971, the Massanutten Mountain ski lodge and four-season resort village was established near the southern peak. The private resort has nearly doubled in size since Great Eastern Resorts bought it in 1995, wildlife on Massanutten includes black bear, coyotes, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, timber rattler, and luna moths. Significant flora includes mayapple, bluets, wild lupine, cardinal flower, erosion of the Martinsburg shale in some areas of the mountain caused the sandstone to break and slide to form talus slopes. The Massanutten Sandstone is folded in a synclinorium, and it outcrops at the ridge tops
Massanutten Mountain
–
View of Massanutten Mountain from the east, looking west from
Hawksbill Peak, with
Luray in the foreground and the Great North Mountain in the background. August 2007.
Massanutten Mountain
–
Oblique air photo of Massanutten Mountain, looking southwest. The south fork of the
Shenandoah River is visible to the left, as well as a part of the
Blue Ridge Mountains.
22.
James River (Virginia)
–
The James River is a river in the U. S. state of Virginia. It is 348 miles long, extending to 444 miles if one includes the Jackson River, the James River drains a catchment comprising 10,432 square miles. The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million people and it is the 12th longest river in the United States that remains entirely within a single state. Tidal waters extend west to Richmond, the capital of Virginia, larger tributaries draining to the tidal portion include the Appomattox River, Chickahominy River, Warwick River, Pagan River, and the Nansemond River. At its mouth near Newport News Point, the Elizabeth River, many boats pass through this river to import and export Virginia products. The navigable portion of the river was the highway of the Colony of Virginia during its first 15 years, facilitating supply ships delivering supplies. However, for the first five years, despite many hopes of gold and riches, in 1612, businessman John Rolfe successfully cultivated a non-native strain of tobacco which proved popular in England. Soon, the became the primary means of exporting the large hogsheads of this cash crop from an ever-growing number of plantations with wharfs along its banks. This development made the efforts of the Virginia Company of London successful financially, spurring even more development, investments. The upper reaches of the river above the head of navigation at the line were explored by fur trading parties sent by Abraham Wood during the late 17th century. Although ocean-going ships were unable to navigate beyond present-day Richmond, portage of products, produce from the Piedmont and Great Valley regions traveled down the river to seaports at Richmond and Manchester through such port towns as Lynchburg, Scottsville, Columbia and Buchanan. The James River was considered as a route for transport of produce from the Ohio Valley, the James River and Kanawha Canal was built for this purpose, to provide a navigable portion of the Kanawha River, a tributary of the Ohio River. For the most mountainous section between the two points, the James River and Kanawha Turnpike was built to provide a link via wagons. However, before the canal could be completed, in the mid-19th century, railroads emerged as a more practical technology. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was completed between Richmond and the Ohio River at the new city of Huntington, West Virginia by 1873, dooming the canals economic prospects. In the 1880s, the Richmond and Alleghany Railroad was laid along the portion of the canals towpath. In modern times, this line is used primarily in transporting West Virginia coal to export coal piers at Newport News. The James River contains numerous parks and other recreational attractions, canoeing, fishing, kayaking, hiking, and swimming are some of the activities that people enjoy along the river during the summer
James River (Virginia)
–
James River at the crossing of the
Blue Ridge Parkway
James River (Virginia)
–
The James, hidden by trees, at Percival's Island Riverwalk in
Lynchburg,
Virginia
James River (Virginia)
–
James River at Huntington Park Beach in Newport News
James River (Virginia)
–
ACL Railroad crossing at the falls in Richmond.
23.
Roanoke Valley
–
The Roanoke Valley in southwest Virginia is an area adjacent to and including the Roanoke River between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian Plateau to the west. The valley includes much of Roanoke County, and two independent cities, Roanoke City and Salem, the Roanoke Valley is part of the valley and ridge province of Virginia, which also includes the Shenandoah Valley to the northeast and the New River Valley to the southwest. However, this area generally features isolated peaks and wide gaps, with the exception of the aforementioned gorge. Adjacent communities such as western Bedford County and eastern Montgomery County are also considered parts of the Roanoke Valley. In a political context, the Roanoke Valley usually refers collectively to Roanoke City, Salem, for example, there is a regional sewer authority and Roanoke Regional Airport is governed by a regional commission. Salem is generally reluctant to participate in these efforts than Roanoke City. Botetourt County also participates in some such as the regional library system. Whether more functions should be provided on a basis, or if the governments should be consolidated, is an often discussed issue. Consolidation referendums in 1969 and 1990 failed because of the opposition of voters in Roanoke County, the issue has remained dormant since the 1990 referendum. The Roanoke Valley contains the lowest point above sea level in the mountains of southwest Virginia, the Norfolk and Western was headquartered in Roanoke for nearly a century before merging with the Southern Railway, the newly merged Norfolk Southerns corporate headquarters moved to Norfolk. The railroad has remained a major employer in the valley, though major layoffs were recently announced, Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau
Roanoke Valley
–
The Roanoke Valley
24.
Physical geography
–
Physical geography is one of the two major sub-fields of geography. Geomorphology seeks to understand landform history and dynamics, and predict future changes through a combination of observation, physical experiment. Thus the field encompasses water in rivers, lakes, aquifers and to an extent glaciers, in which the field examines the process and dynamics involved in these bodies of water. Similar to most fields of physical geography it has sub-fields that examine the bodies of water or their interaction with other spheres e. g. limnology and ecohydrology. Glaciology is the study of glaciers and ice sheets, or more commonly the cryosphere or ice, glaciology groups the latter as continental glaciers and the former as alpine glaciers. Glaciology also has a vast array of sub-fields examining the factors and processes involved in ice sheets and glaciers e. g. snow hydrology, Biogeography is the science which deals with geographic patterns of species distribution and the processes that result in these patterns. The main stimulus for the field since its founding has been that of evolution, plate tectonics, climatology examines both the nature of micro and macro climates and the natural and anthropogenic influences on them. The field is also sub-divided largely into the climates of various regions, meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and short term forecasting. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the eighteenth century, meteorological phenomena are observable weather events which illuminate and are explained by the science of meteorology. Pedology is the study of soils in their natural environment and it is one of two main branches of soil science, the other being edaphology. Pedology mainly deals with pedogenesis, soil morphology, soil classification, palaeogeography is a cross-disciplinary study that examines the preserved material in the stratigraphic record to determine the distribution of the continents through geologic time. Almost all the evidence for the positions of the continents comes from geology in the form of fossils or paleomagnetism, the use of this data has resulted in evidence for continental drift, plate tectonics, and supercontinents. This, in turn, has supported palaeogeographic theories such as the Wilson cycle, coastal geography is the study of the dynamic interface between the ocean and the land, incorporating both the physical geography and the human geography of the coast. It involves an understanding of coastal weathering processes, particularly wave action, sediment movement and weathering, coastal geography, although predominantly geomorphological in its research, is not just concerned with coastal landforms, but also the causes and influences of sea level change. Oceanography is the branch of geography that studies the Earths oceans. These diverse topics reflect multiple disciplines that oceanographers blend to further knowledge of the world ocean, Quaternary science is an inter-disciplinary field of study focusing on the Quaternary period, which encompasses the last 2.6 million years. The field was founded by the German geographer Carl Troll. Landscape ecology typically deals with problems in an applied and holistic context, geomatics is the field of gathering, storing, processing, and delivering geographic information, or spatially referenced information
Physical geography
–
True-color image of the Earth's surface and atmosphere. NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center image.
Physical geography
–
A
natural arch.
Physical geography
–
Alexander von Humboldt, considered to be the founding father of physical geography.
Physical geography
–
Biogeography
25.
Great Appalachian Valley
–
The Great Valley, also called the Great Appalachian Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America. It is a gigantic trough—a chain of valley lowlands—and the central feature of the Appalachian Mountain system, the trough stretches about 1,200 miles from Quebec to Alabama and has been an important north-south route of travel since prehistoric times. Broadly defined, the Great Valley marks the edge of the Ridge. There are many names of the Great Valley, such as the Shenandoah Valley. From a large perspective the Great Valley can be divided into a northern section, a series of mountains bounds the northern half of the Great Valley on both sides. Some consider this gap the dividing point between the northern and southern sections of the Great Valley, to the west or continental side, a series of more impenetrable mountain regions border the northern Great Valley. The northernmost is the Adirondack Mountains, an extension of the Canadian Shield. This long ridge is broken by narrow and dramatic gaps, known as wind. In its southern section, the Great Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, some describe the Coosa River Valley as the southernmost part of the Great Valley. These southern portions of the Great Valley are sometimes grouped into two parts, the Valley of Virginia and the Tennessee Valley, an important gap in these mountains occurs near Roanoke, Virginia. Other gaps of note in the Blue Ridge of Virginia, connecting the Piedmont region with the Great Valley, include Thornton Gap, Swift Run Gap, the Cumberland Gap connects the Great Valley region with Kentucky and Tennessee lands to the west. Massanutten Mountain lies in the middle of the Valley of Virginia portion of the Great Valley, the Valley of Virginia is a region of karst, with many sinkholes and caverns. Routes through the valley were first used by Native Americans, in pre-colonial and early colonial times a major Indian pathway through the Great Valley was known as the Great Indian Warpath, Seneca Trail, and various other names. For European colonists the Great Valley was a route for settlement and commerce in the United States along the Great Wagon Road. In the Shenandoah Valley the road was known as the Valley Pike, another branch at Roanoke, called the Carolina Road, led into the Piedmont regions of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The various gaps connecting the Great Valley to lands to the east and west have played important roles in American history, on the east side, the wide gap in southeast Pennsylvania became the main route for colonization of the Great Valley. By the 1730s the Pennsylvanian Great Valley west of South Mountain was open to settlement after treaty cessions, the region drew a steady and growing stream of immigrants and became known as the best poor mans country. Before long immigrants had settled the Great Valley in Pennsylvania and were rapidly migrating and settling southwards into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
Great Appalachian Valley
–
A map of the Appalachian Mountains, highlighting the Great Appalachian Valley. The main mountain regions on either side are named, as are the various local valleys.
26.
Shenandoah River
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The Shenandoah River /ˌʃɛnənˈdoʊə/ is a tributary of the Potomac River,55.6 miles long with two forks approximately 100 miles long each, in the U. S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. The Shenandoah River is formed northeast of Front Royal near Riverton, by the confluence of the South Fork and it flows northeast across Warren County, passing underneath Interstate 661 mile from its formation. Beyond the I-66 bridge the river flows through a set of bends before turning to the northeast again, five miles downriver from the Clarke County border, the Shenandoah passes under U. S. Route 50 and then passes through a triple bend. Once in West Virginia the river completes six large bends before joining with the Potomac from the south near Harpers Ferry,20 miles from the Virginia-West Virginia border, the Shenandoah valley is underlain by limestone. The fertile soil made it a place for early settlement. It continues to be an agricultural area of Virginia and West Virginia. Some karst topography is evident, and the limestone is honeycombed with caves, several have been developed as commercial tourist attractions, including Luray Caverns, Shenandoah Caverns, and Skyline Caverns. On the riverbank a few miles above Harpers Ferry is said to be a cave with an opening just large enough for a rider to squeeze through. It widened in the interior to a room where hundreds of Col. John Mosbys raiding troops are said to have hidden from pursuing Union cavalry. Since 2005, the Shenandoah River has experienced several springtime fish kills that have affected several of its fish species. In 2005, redbreast sunfish and smallmouth bass along a 100-mile stretch of the South Fork Shenandoah River began dying of lesions caused by bacteria, although the fish kill eventually wiped out 80% of the adult redbreast sunfish and smallmouth bass, juvenile populations appeared to be unaffected. Various accounts tell the origin of the name and he also sent much needed corn to Washington and his troops during their hard winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in 1777-1778. It is also said to be named after the Senedo people, the American folk song Oh Shenandoah has been recorded in the 20th century by a number of notable artists. The song may or may not refer to the Shenandoah River or Valley, the Shenandoah River figures prominently in John Denvers Take Me Home, Country Roads, which associates the river with the state of West Virginia. Only the last 20 miles of the river are in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, more than 92% of the river and its forks and tributaries flow through Virginia. The original song Shenandoah River is included on the 2011 album Middle of Everywhere by Pokey LaFarge and those willing to brave the colder water of spring will be rewarded with a more challenging big-water experience. The South Fork is formed at Port Republic in southern Rockingham County, by the confluence of the North River and South River. It flows 98.5 miles northeast in a meandering course, past Elkton and Shenandoah, through Page Valley, with the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east
Shenandoah River
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Crossing the Shenandoah River in
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Shenandoah River
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Dream Lake, inside Luray Caverns
Shenandoah River
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Moonlight on the Shenandoah, engraving by J.D. Woodward
Shenandoah River
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The
confluence of the
Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, at
Harpers Ferry
27.
Frederick County, Virginia
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Frederick County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 78,305, the county was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. Frederick County is included in the Winchester, VA-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, the area that would become Frederick County, Virginia was inhabited and transited by various indigenous peoples for thousands of years before European colonization. The Indian Road refers to a pathway made by local tribes. Frederick County was established in 1743 from parts of Orange County, the Virginia Assembly named the new county for Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King George II of Great Britain. As Commander-in-Chief of the new Colonial Virginia regiment in 1754, Colonel George Washingtons headquarters were located in Winchester before and during the French and he resigned from military service in 1758, only to be appointed General by the Continental Congress sixteen years later. Meanwhile, Washington represented Frederick County in his first elective office, daniel Morgan was another famous General during the American Revolutionary War, from. Winchester changed hands between the Confederate and Union Armies on average every three weeks during the war. Many battles were fought in Frederick County, unlike those of neighboring Berkeley and Jefferson counties, Frederick County residents voted to remain in Virginia despite being occupied by the Union Army at the time. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 416 square miles. This is the northernmost county in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the population density was 143 people per square mile. There were 23,319 housing units at a density of 56/square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 94. 99% White,2. 62% Black or African American,0. 16% Native American,0. 66% Asian,0. 02% Pacific Islander,0. 56% from other races, and 1. 01% from two or more races. 1. 70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,19. 20% of all households were made up of individuals and 6. 80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the family size was 3.02. In the county, the population was out with 26. 40% under the age of 18,7. 00% from 18 to 24,31. 90% from 25 to 44,24. 10% from 45 to 64. The median age was 37 years, for every 100 females there were 100.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males, the median income for a household in the county was $46,941, and the median income for a family was $52,281
Frederick County, Virginia
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The Old Frederick County Courthouse in Winchester
Frederick County, Virginia
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Seal
28.
Clarke County, Virginia
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Clarke County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,034, Clarke County is included in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. White Post was named for the large signpost pointing the way to Lord Fairfaxs home, many of the early settlers of what became Clarke County were children of Tidewater planters, who settled on large land grants from Lord Fairfax. Two-thirds of the county was settled by the group. County status came in 1836 when it was divided off from Frederick County, Clarke was known for its large crops of wheat. During the American Civil War, John S. Mosby, the Gray Ghost of the Confederacy, raided General Sheridans supply train in the summer of 1864, in Berryville. The Battle of Cool Spring was fought in Clarke County on July 17 and 18th,1864, in 1881 was founded the Bank of Clarke County, still functional regional bank headquartered in Berryville. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 178 square miles. It is the third-smallest county in Virginia by total area, as of the census of 2000, there were 12,652 people,4,942 households, and 3,513 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile, there were 5,388 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 91. 15% White,6. 73% Black or African American,0. 19% Native American,0. 49% Asian,0. 03% Pacific Islander,0. 55% from other races, and 0. 85% from two or more races. 1. 46% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race, by 200590. 1% of Clarke Countys population was non-Hispanic whites. 24. 10% of all households were made up of individuals and 9. 90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was out with 23. 40% under the age of 18,5. 80% from 18 to 24,29. 10% from 25 to 44,27. 10% from 45 to 64. The median age was 41 years, for every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.60 males, the median income for a household in the county was $51,601, and the median income for a family was $59,750. Males had an income of $40,254 versus $30,165 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,844, about 4. 20% of families and 6. 60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7. 10% of those under age 18 and 11. 10% of those age 65 or over
Clarke County, Virginia
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Clarke County Courthouse in Berryville, Virginia
Clarke County, Virginia
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Fairfield Estate (1765)
Clarke County, Virginia
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Soldier's Rest (1769)
Clarke County, Virginia
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Norwood Estate (1780)
29.
Warren County, Virginia
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Warren County is a U. S. county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The 2010 census places Warren County within the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area with a population of 37,575, the county seat is Front Royal. By 1672 the entire Shenandoah Valley was claimed for hunting by the Iroquois Confederation following the Beaver Wars, some bands of the Shawnee settled in the area as client groups to the Iroquois and alternately to the Cherokee after 1721. The Iroquois formally sold their entire claim east of the Alleghenies to the Virginia Colony at the Treaty of Lancaster in 1744, Warren County was established in 1836 from Frederick and Shenandoah counties. At that time the county had a population of 7,000 people, wedding records show marriages of people born in the 1770s marrying in the 1800s who head households of four to eight “free colored” so the early demographics of the population are unclear. Joist Hite lead the Sixteen Families into the Lower Shenandoah Valley, some consider that group the first European settlers of the area, others believe different claims. Either way, Presbyterians of Scotch-Irish lineage and Quakers followed, rail service was established in 1854 with the construction of the Alexandria, Orange and Manassas Gap Railroad between Manassas and Riverton. This line was extended to Strasburg in time to become a factor in the Battle of Front Royal on May 23,1862. Lumber, agriculture, manufacturing and grain mills provided employment in the region for decades after the Civil War, the county is named for Joseph Warren. During the Civil War the Battle of Front Royal took place in the county on May 23,1862. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 217 square miles. The population density was 148 people per square mile, there were 13,299 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile. The demographics of the county is 92. 71% White,4. 83% Black or African American,0. 27% Native American,0. 43% Asian,0. 02% Pacific Islander,0. 46% from other races, and 1. 29% from two or more races. 1. 56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,24. 00% of all households were made up of individuals and 8. 80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was out with 25. 60% under the age of 18,7. 60% from 18 to 24,30. 60% from 25 to 44,23. 90% from 45 to 64. The median age was 37 years, for every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males, the median income for a household in the county was $42,422, and the median income for a family was $50,487
Warren County, Virginia
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Warren County Courthouse in Front Royal, Virginia
Warren County, Virginia
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I-66 in Warren County, near Linden
Warren County, Virginia
Warren County, Virginia
30.
Shenandoah County, Virginia
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Shenandoah County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,993 and it is part of the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. The Senedos, possibly an Iroquoian group, are thought to have occupied the area at one time, the name of both the Valley and of the County is most likely connected with this Native American group. Colonial Governor Gooch formally purchased the entire Shenandoah Valley from the Six Nations of the Iroquois by the Treaty of Lancaster in 1744, the Iroquois controlled the valley as a hunting ground. European settlement had begun by that time. During Pontiacs War, Shawnee attacks reached as far east as the current county, Shenandoah County was established in 1772. It was originally named Dunmore County for Virginia Governor John Murray, Dunmore was Virginias last royal governor, and was forced from office during the American Revolution. During the war, in 1778 rebels renamed the county as Shenandoah, during the Civil War, the Battle of New Market took place May 15,1864. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 512 square miles. The Fort Valley and western slopes of the Massanutten Mountain are located within the county. 93. 0% were White,1. 7% Black or African American,0. 5% Asian,0. 2% Native American,2. 8% of some other race and 1. 6% of two or more races. 26. 4% were of American,22. 0% German,10. 3% English and 7. 6% Irish ancestry, as of the census of 2000, there were 35,075 people,14,296 households, and 10,064 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile, there were 16,709 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 95. 60% White,1. 17% Black or African American,0. 18% Native American,0. 35% Asian,0. 02% Pacific Islander,1. 79% from other races, and 0. 89% from two or more races. 3. 40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,25. 10% of all households were made up of individuals and 11. 30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the family size was 2.86. In the county, the population was out with 22. 30% under the age of 18,6. 60% from 18 to 24,27. 60% from 25 to 44,26. 20% from 45 to 64. The median age was 41 years, for every 100 females there were 94.90 males
Shenandoah County, Virginia
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Shenandoah County Courthouse in Woodstock, Virginia
Shenandoah County, Virginia
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Seal
US 50 / US 33 / US 250 / I‑64 / US 11 / I‑81
