Editing Floyd County, Virginia (section)

==Geography==
[[Image:Hills of Floyd County VA USA.JPG|right|thumb|Rolling hills of Floyd County.]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|381.8|sqmi|1}}, of which {{convert|380.9|sqmi|1}} is land and {{convert|0.9|sqmi|1}} (0.2%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> It is located in the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] of southwestern Virginia. Floyd County is one of the 423 counties served by the [[Appalachian Regional Commission]],<ref name="ARC">{{cite web |title=About the Appalachian Region |url=https://www.arc.gov/about-the-appalachian-region/ |publisher=Appalachian Regional Commission |access-date=21 June 2024}}</ref> and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book ''[[American Nations|American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America]]''.<ref name="NYT_CW">{{cite news |last1=Woodard |first1=Colin |title=The Maps That Show That City vs. Country Is Not Our Political Fault Line |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/opinion/urban-rural-united-states-regions-midterms.html |work=New York Times |date=July 30, 2018 |access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref>

The county seat, the town of Floyd, is {{convert|40|mi|km}} southwest of Roanoke on US 221. [[Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve|Buffalo Mountain]], at {{convert|3971|ft|m}}, is the highest point in the county.

Floyd County is situated atop a high plateau of the Blue Ridge Mountains which divides the eastward flowing from the westward flowing waters. With the high topography, no streams flow into Floyd County. The county is drained primarily by [[Little River (New River)|Little River]] and its tributaries which flow into New River below the [[Claytor Lake]] Dam and, in turn, by way of the [[Kanawha River]], the [[Ohio River]] and the [[Mississippi River]], into the [[Gulf of Mexico]].

The Little River, the county's largest waterway, is formed by three main branches, or forks: the East, West, and South (also known as Dodd's Creek). It is said that no water flows into Floyd County.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Floyd County|url=http://visitfloydva.com/about-floyd-county/|access-date=February 7, 2021|website=Visit Floyd Virginia|language=en-US}}</ref>

The headwaters of the south fork of the [[Roanoke River]] are in the northeastern part of the county. One particular fast stream is Shooting Creek, named for its speed over rocks. This creek today follows Shooting Creek Road from Floyd into Franklin County. In was once the site of moonshine liquor distilleries and the lawlessness that surrounded this industry.

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Franklin County, Virginia|Franklin County]] – east
* [[Patrick County, Virginia|Patrick County]] – southeast
* [[Carroll County, Virginia|Carroll County]] – southwest
* [[Pulaski County, Virginia|Pulaski County]] – northwest
* [[Montgomery County, Virginia|Montgomery County]] – northwest
* [[Roanoke County, Virginia|Roanoke County]] – north

===Protected areas===
* [[Blue Ridge Parkway]] (part), including [[Rocky Knob Recreation Area]] (part)
* [[Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve]]

===Major highways===
* {{Jct|state=VA|US|221}}
* {{Jct|state=VA|SR|8}}
* {{Jct|state=VA|US|58}}