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The Roanoke region’s towns come in various sizes, armed with considerable creativity.
Dan Smith
The Bedford Museum is just one important piece of Bedford’s history and future.
Virginia’s sometimes-difficult-to-understand tiered government structure comes in three distinct levels: cities, towns and counties. Cities are totally independent with no county connection. Towns are an additional service tier to counties and have their own governing bodies.
People who live in towns pay taxes to the county and to the town, for those additional services like water and sewer, curb and gutter, planning, trash and police protection, among others.
It is often in the planning that towns distinguish themselves. Some—like Bedford, Rocky Mount and Vinton— think big. Others, like Buchanan—are more limited in their ambitions, preferring to maintain a historic neighborhood feel.
Even with their limits, towns are often at the front edge of creativity in Virginia. Here is how four of them near Roanoke work:
Buchanan
Dan Smith
Downtown Buchanan
This Botetourt County town has been around since 1811, but the mention of its name most often conjures the flood of 1985 when it was nearly erased, or its thriving antiques stores, which get visitors from up and down the East Coast. Buchanan had a solid manufacturing presence in the past (Virginia Forge and Groendyk) and remains home to Carmeuse Lime & Stone, but the emphasis has changed notably.
Dan Smith
Buchanan, which covers 2.5 miles and has 1,230 residents, is rapidly developing its recreational attraction, centered on the James River, which runs smack through its middle. One of the most notable businesses in the center of town is Twin River Outfitters, a canoe and kayaking enterprise that served 15,000 paddlers between Memorial and Labor Days of 2024, half of all those recreating on the river in the warm months. “The river has the potential to be a great way toward our growth,” says new Town Manager Angela Lawrence.
A 2023 grant from the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities program—part of the Environmental Protection Agency—has been at the center of recent initiatives. Buchanan is four miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway and another half mile to the Appalachian Trail. That proximity has huge potential for the town, says Lawrence.
Much of Buchanan’s attention in recent years has centered on the seven-acre Town Park, just off Main Street, and resting at the foot of Purgatory Mountain. The town has actively promoted a variety of festivals from reggae to fall colors, and an annual carnival. “Entertainment brings people in,” says Lawrence.
The former button factory in town now has 22 units of apartments, the movie theatre is thriving with renovation and the Old Goats brewery has established its second location (first is in Roanoke) in town. “We have a couple of business buildings we’re marketing,” says Lawrence, but that is not a huge priority. “We have some spaces for light industry, but we want to grow organically.”
Mostly, though, “People just want to remain small,” says Lawrence.
Bedford
Dan Smith
The seat of government for Bedford County took a turn at being a city a few years ago but has settled comfortably in as a town of 6,818 people living within 11 square miles. That new population represents growth of more than 200 people since 2020.
Bedford is alive with accomplishment, innovation and ambition, including heavy emphasis on visual and performing arts. “We are trying to push downtown,” says Nicole Johnson, Bedford County’s Director of Tourism. The 48-year-old Little Town Players community theatre group leads the way in that regard and the town has a symphony orchestra (Bedford Community Orchestra).
Bedford’s attraction has considerable support with the nationally significant D-Day Memorial, the Bedford Museum, the Bedford Library (with a genealogical section), the Bower Center for the Arts and a town library that is especially appealing to children.
The old Bedford High School and Middle School (which burned recently) are being developed into a boutique hotel and apartment complex (60 units), using the designer responsible for the notable Billy Byrd in Vinton.
Dan Smith
Bedford courthouse
As energetic as Bedford is, says Mary Zirkle, Director of Planning and Development, “It just takes time. This is a marathon, not a sprint. There are ebbs and flows of life, and there is risk” for developers.
The sense of community is strong in Bedford, says Pam Armstrong, the county’s economic development director. “The degree of separation in Bedford is one,” she says. “You can find it faster here.”
Bedford, says Johnson (a Bedford native), “is in a growth spurt, but we need rooftops to get commerce. … There is more variety of businesses and things to do. It feels like home, a comfortable place. I’m excited to see change.”
“Walkability is important,” says Zirkle, “and it is a conscious effort” for the town planners.
Two new, or planned hotels (the Hampton Inn & Suites and a boutique hotel), will bring 115 rooms to a town that needs them. Companies like Blue Ridge Optics, Sam Moore Furniture and Southern Flavorings remain stable, countering the loss of Rubatex (though a foundry has moved into some of its vacated space). Fifty-eight apartments and a few commercial spaces have occupied a former ax factory.
The next step for Bedford is the new 60,000 square-foot metal fabrication facility and a first-of-its-kind workforce development center (Regional Technology Academy), a public-private enterprise. That will add a whole new twist to this charming town.
Want to learn more about what's on the horizon for some of the Roanoke region's towns, including Rocky Mount and Vinton? Check out the latest issue, now on newsstands, or see it for free in our digital guide linked below!
The story above is a preview from our January/February 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!