Roanoke Rapids

Roanoke Rapids is in North Carolina.

Understand
Similar to Goldsboro and Rocky Mount, Roanoke Rapids is another former textile mill town built on the fall line where the Piedmont bedrock meets the alluvial coastal plain, in nautical terms being the point where navigation no longer becomes possible for most water craft. This demarcation made for good zones in which to build mills and storage centers and towns that went along with them, and in this case it was along the Roanoke River.

In Roanoke Rapids specifically, a canal was built to circumvent some challenges, and today this has become a popular park and trailway.

The textile operations were a big business in Roanoke Rapids up until they closed up in the latter half of the 20th century. A film was made about unionization efforts by a woman in these which was called Norma Rae.

Get in
By car. Roanoke Rapids is directly connected by highway with Rocky Mount (Interstate 95), Fayetteville (Interstate 95), and Elizabeth City (US 158).