Editing Roanoke, Virginia (section)

==Economy==

Roanoke's economy was long closely linked to its status as the headquarters for the [[Norfolk and Western Railway]].<ref name="Dotson">{{Cite book |last=Dotson |first=Rand |title=Roanoke, Virginia, 1882-1912: Magic City of the New South |publisher=The University of Tennessee Press / Knoxville |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-57233-592-9 |pages=}}</ref> As time progressed, manufacturing and mining businesses contributed to the region's growth.<ref name=Sturgeon5>{{cite news |last=Sturgeon |first=Jeff |date=March 29, 2020 |title=Roanoke region will see sharp but short economic decline, economist predicts |work=The Roanoke Times |page=E}}</ref> After the N&W's merger with the [[Southern Railway (US)|Southern Railway]] created the [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] in 1982, Norfolk Southern continued to operate maintenance facilities and a rail yard in Roanoke but moved its headquarters to Norfolk, Virginia, and in 2015 moved out of its downtown Roanoke office building.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/news/norfolk-southerntocloseroanokeofficebuildingrelocateemployees.html |title=Norfolk Southern to close Roanoke office building, relocate employees |website=Norfolk Southern |access-date=June 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623193308/http://nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/news/norfolk-southerntocloseroanokeofficebuildingrelocateemployees.html |archive-date=June 23, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On May 18, 2020, after 139 years of production, Norfolk Southern shut down its locomotive shops and moved all operations to the Juniata Locomotive Shops in [[Altoona, Pennsylvania]].<ref name=Era/> With Norfolk Southern's departure, Roanoke's economy has since the mid-1990s shifted to become dominated by the healthcare industry.<ref name=Sturgeon5 /> [[File:Carilion_Roanoke_Memorial_Hospital.jpg|thumb|[[Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital]] has been expanded many times since its opening in 1900.]]
{{As of|2023}} the city's top employer {{endash}} and the largest private employer west of Richmond<ref name=Rife1>{{cite news |last=Rife |first=Luanne |date=January 30, 2020 |title=Economists say Carilion adds $3.2B to Va.'s economy |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref>{{endash}} is Carilion Clinic, which developed from the 1987 merger of two of the area's largest hospitals.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Piester |first=Rick |date=2013 |title=The History of Healthcare in the Roanoke Valley |url=https://issuu.com/ourhealthvirginia/docs/rnrv_historyiii2013 |magazine=Our Health |location=Salem, Virginia |publisher=McClintic Media, Inc. |access-date=December 20, 2023}}</ref> The non-profit group employs over 13,000 people. It operates nine hospitals in Western Virginia, along with public-private partnerships with Virginia Tech (Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute)<ref>{{Cite web |title=The First Ten Years |url=https://medicine.vtc.vt.edu/content/medicine_vtc_vt_edu/en/about/history.html |access-date=May 8, 2023 |website=medicine.vtc.vt.edu |language=en |archive-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508192708/https://medicine.vtc.vt.edu/content/medicine_vtc_vt_edu/en/about/history.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and Radford University (Radford University Carilion).<ref name=Rife2>{{cite news |last=Rife |first=Luanne |date=May 3, 2019 |title=Graduation marks college's evoltion: Jefferson College hosts final graduation before merger with Radford |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref><ref name=":16" /> The clinic's expansions have spurred considerable development in the former brownfields located south of Roanoke's downtown,<ref name=Rife3>{{cite news |last=Rife |first=Luanne |date=October 22, 2017 |title=The catalyst for innovation |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> turning the once-abandoned industrial sites into an area called the "innovation corridor" by the city.<ref name=Chittum3>{{cite news |last=Chittum |first=Matt |date=August 30, 2019 |title=Mayor praises city's ethic of 'hard work' |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1D}}</ref>

Another driving factor in the region's economy has been a push during the 21st century to market the area's [[outdoor recreation]] potential.<ref name=Codispoti3>{{cite news |last=Codispoti |first=Amanda |date=March 25, 2012 |title=Marketing the great outdoors |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1}}</ref> The Roanoke Regional Partnership, an [[economic development]] group representing the area's municipalities, has created a division called the Roanoke Outside Foundation that seeks to recruit businesses and talent based on the strength of the region's natural amenities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=» About |url=https://roanokeoutside.com/about/ |access-date=May 9, 2023 |website=roanokeoutside.com |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510154816/https://roanokeoutside.com/about/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The organization also puts on annual events such as the [[Blue Ridge Marathon on the Parkway|Blue Ridge Marathon]] and the GO Outside Festival.<ref name=Eshelman>{{cite news |last1=Eshelman |first1=Pete |last2=Marston |first2=Brett |date=June 12, 2021 |title=Ironman shows region's success |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2B}}</ref>

Other areas of strength in the region's economy include manufacturing and retail, each comprising over ten percent of the valley's industry.<ref name="Roanoke Regional Partnership">{{Cite web |title=Leading Employers |url=https://roanoke.org/data/workforce/leading-employers/ |access-date=May 10, 2023 |website=Roanoke Regional Partnership |language=en-US |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510205214/https://roanoke.org/data/workforce/leading-employers/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Transportation manufacturers such as [[Yokohama Rubber Company|Yokohama Tire]],<ref name=Petska1>{{cite news |last=Petska |first=Alicia |date=October 1, 2022 |title=Yokohama Tire union in Salem ratifies a new contract |work=The Roanoke Times |page=2A}}</ref> [[Volvo]],<ref name=Volvo>{{cite news |date=April 13, 2022 |title=Volvo plant builds more electric trucks |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1K}}</ref> [[Mack Trucks]],<ref name=Fabris2>{{cite news |last=Fabris |first=Casey |date=January 31, 2020 |title=Truck manufacturing plant coming to Roanoke County |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1A}}</ref> Metalsa,<ref name=Petska2>{{cite news |last=Petska |first=Alicia |date=October 23, 2022 |title=Manufacturer now zero-waste facility |work=The Roanoke Times |page=1C}}</ref> and Altec<ref name=Adams3>{{cite news |last=Adams |first=Duncan |date=June 19, 2014 |title=Altec expansion to add 200 jobs |work=The Roanoke Times |page=8A}}</ref> contribute to the thousands of people employed in that field regionally.<ref name="Roanoke Regional Partnership" /> [[Night-vision device]] makers [[Elbit Systems]]<ref name=Wall1>{{cite news |last=Wall |first=Sam |date=April 27, 2022 |title=Roanoke County plant to play key role in night vision innovation |work=The Roanoke Times |page=3E}}</ref> and the [[Optical fiber|fiber optics]] company [[Luna Innovations]]<ref name=Petska3>{{cite news |last=Petska |first=Alicia |date=April 10, 2022 |title=Business Intel: Luna Innovations |work=The Roanoke Times |page=4C}}</ref> are among the advanced manufacturers in the area.<ref name="Roanoke Regional Partnership" />

===Top employers===
According to Roanoke's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>{{cite web |title=Annual Comprehensive Financial Report Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2023 |url=https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/19460/FY23-Annual-Comprehensive-Financial-Report-ACFR |access-date=July 24, 2024 |website=roanokeva.gov |publisher=City of Roanoke |archive-date=July 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240724154000/https://www.roanokeva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/19460/FY23-Annual-Comprehensive-Financial-Report-ACFR |url-status=live}}</ref> the top employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
| 1
| [[Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital]]
| 1,000+
|-
|2
| Roanoke City Public Schools
| 1,000+
|-
|3
| Carilion Services
| 1,000+
|-
|4
| City of Roanoke
| 500 to 999
|-
|5
| [[United Parcel Service]]
| 500 to 999
|-
|6
| [[Walmart]]
| 250 to 499
|-
|7
| [[United States Postal Service]]
| 250 to 499
|-
|8
| [[Virginia Transformer Corporation]]
| 250 to 499
|-
|9
| [[YMCA]]
| 250 to 499
|-
|10
| [[Elevance Health|Anthem]], member of [[Blue Cross Blue Shield Association]]
| 250 to 499
|}