Roanoke, TX - Population 7,900
N 33° 02.562 W 097° 12.481
14S E 667330 N 3657448
Roanoke, TX, population 7,900 as of this posting. This sign is located about nine tenths of a mile south of the intersection of US 377 and FM 1171. Notably, this once was the northern city limit of Marshall Creek, absorbed by Roanoke in 2007.
Waymark Code: WMFR1Q
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 11/21/2012
Views: 1
Per the city website (
visit link) (slightly edited):
The history of Roanoke, Texas begins in the year of 1847, when a small group of twenty settlers and their families settled near Denton Creek, north of the present location of Roanoke. First called the Medlin Settlement in honor of Louis and Charles Medlin, whose families were in the colony, the early community was later designated Garden Valley.
Laid out in one-half acre tracts, the early settlement had stores and a blacksmith shop. Frequent floods of Denton Creek, which often reached the roof tops of the houses, endangered the lives of both the settlers and their livestock. About 1879 the settlement was moved closer to the present site of Roanoke. In 1881 and 1882 most of the settlers began moving to a new town site, which was being laid out by the railroad. One of the railroad surveyors named the town Roanoke in memory of his home town in Virginia.
Roanoke was a cattle center in its early days. They had robust cattlemen, two saloons, a horse trough, and a water tank which was located in the center of what is now called Oak Street. There were two hotels in the early days of Roanoke, the "Pacific" and the "Eureka." In the early days of Roanoke a person could get a shave for ten-cents and a haircut for fifteen-cents.
It was during the Depression (1933) that Roanoke was incorporated as a town and Mr. H. W. Jenkins was elected as the town's first Mayor. Gus Wiggs was the first postmaster, appointed in 1882 and in the year 1889 Mr. William Cowan was appointed Postmaster by President McKinley. In 1902 Mr. Cowan inaugurated the first Rural Route for Roanoke. In 1948, Roanoke purchased its first fire truck, a 1923 LaFrance. In 2000, the City completed a mini-museum in honor of all the volunteer firemen with the old LaFrance at the center.
Although Roanoke is one of the fastest growing cities in Texas, it maintains a small town atmosphere. Many of Roanoke's original families are still represented in the city. Roanoke's excellent location provides optimal access to major metropolitan amenities including airports, interstate, highways, rail services, entertainment and shopping.