About Floyd County and the Town of Floyd
Floyd County is our adopted home. We 'discovered' it about 6 years ago, even though we lived just two counties away for 12 years, long ago. It is located in Southwest Virginia...that part of the state west of Roanoke that even Virginians frequently don't know exists. You can't get here from there: no interstate access (joy!), with very steep approaches from the west and south, essentially climbing the Blue Ridge Escarpment; and there are no large employers luring workers from adjacent counties to work in mills or factories, so you have to come to Floyd on your way to Floyd. Not many folks just pass through on their way to other destinations, except for those who wander into town off the Parkway.
Floyd County is bordered on its south boundary by the Blue Ridge Parkway, roughly from milepost 175 near Mabry Mill to milepost 145 toward Roanoke. The county has the highest average elevation of any county in Virginia (about 2100 feet) with the highest elevation being Buffalo Mountain. No water flows into the county from outside; and it is the biggest producer of Christmas trees in the state. The population is about 14,000. There is considerable recent influx of new residents from both north and south of us. The town of Floyd is the county seat, and a wider place in the road than the couple of other county settlements centered around post offices and a gas station. Notable for the county is that there is a single traffic light, in the middle of 'downtown'. Town population is about 400; most folks live in the elevated rolling hills, many keep cattle or horses.
Notable features in Floyd County: Buffalo Mountain; Chatteau Morrisette Winery; Mabry Mill; Schoolhouse Fabrics; Oddfellows Cantina; Blue Ridge Parkway; Rock Castle Gorge; New Mountain Merchantile; Harvest Moon Healthfoods; Pine Tavern and Restaurant and the Blue Ridge Restaurant. The town of Floyd is about 26 miles south of Blacksburg (Virginia Tech) and 35 miles west of Roanoke.
About Goose Creek
In the northeastern end of Floyd County, the south fork of the Roanoke River is formed by the confluence of Bottom Creek and Goose Creek. We live very near the headwaters of Goose Creek, where the creek is too small to lure trout fisherpersons, but large enough to provide a constant rise and fall of burbling wet sound, all day, all night.
The road we live on is honestly one of the most beautiful but most treacherous little lanes in the county, state-maintained, and the last state road that ran in a creek bed (until the early '70s). There are more than a dozen blind curves, very few places where two cars can pass one another, with a steep dropoff into the creek on some sections. At the turn of the century, there was a thriving settlement up the valley here, but now only the empty remnants of a church and store. Today there are fewer than a dozen widely spaced occupied dwellings on our 4-mile road.
We first drove down our road after an ice storm in February 1999 to see the property, and I wondered if we would ever be heard from again. Then when we finally came upon the house 'as pictured in the real estate ad', I knew we were NOT interested. My wife cast a strong dissenting vote, and well, here we are. The purchase of the land was a no-brainer; we could have recouped our investment and made a profit in 6 months. But the house: now THAT was a gamble. Long story short: the 130-yr-old structure was worth saving, took way more $$$ than we intended, but now has indoor plumbing and electricity, new windows, new foundation, a paint job. It is a snug and comfortable home with the ambience of age and the function of a new house. It is the most serene and peaceful place we have ever lived, and we are not moving from here until they move us out in a pine box.
About Fred
Alabama native, Auburn University graduate (BS Biology, MS Vertebrate Zoology). I taught various biology courses at a Virginia community college, then returned for a Masters and licensure in Physical Therapy. We lived in North Carolina after I got the PT degree, and moved back to SW Virginia in 1997. We have two grown children who continue to add gray hair to their parents' heads but are a joy forever.
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