Wasena, Roanoke, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Wasena is a Roanoke
, Virginia
(United States
) neighborhood located in south, central Roanoke bisected by U.S. Route 221 (Main Street), immediately to the south of the Roanoke River
. It borders the neighborhoods of Raleigh Court
on the west, Old Southwest
on the north and east and Mountain View
via the Wasena Bridge across the Roanoke River on the north, and Franklin-Colonial
on the south. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Wasena has a population of 1,633 residents.
word meaning "beautiful view," Wasena was annexed into the city in 1919 and began its development as an early suburb of Roanoke in the 1920s. Nearly all of the structures within Wasena date from between the 1920s and 1950s. The architecture of the area is varied with the largest numbers representing both the American Craftsman
Bungalow
and American Foursquare
design for residential construction. Formed in 1983, the Wasena Neighborhood Forum has been a member of the Roanoke Neighborhood Partnership since 1984, serving as a citizen advocacy group for the neighborhood.
Today, Wasena is the location of the 41 acres (165,921.3 m²) Wasena Park, Smith Park, Triangle Park, Valley Avenue Park and a portion of the Roanoke River Greenway. Wasena Elementary School is the lone public school located within the neighborhood.
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) neighborhood located in south, central Roanoke bisected by U.S. Route 221 (Main Street), immediately to the south of the Roanoke River
Roanoke River
The Roanoke River is a river in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States, 410 mi long. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains southeast across the Piedmont...
. It borders the neighborhoods of Raleigh Court
Raleigh Court, Roanoke, Virginia
Raleigh Court is a Roanoke, Virginia neighborhood located in southwest Roanoke along U.S. 11 . It borders the neighborhoods of Greater Deyerle on the west, Wasena on the east, Cherry Hill, Mountain View and Norwich on the north and Franklin-Colonial and Grandin Court on the south...
on the west, Old Southwest
Old Southwest, Roanoke, Virginia
Old Southwest is a neighborhood of the independent city of Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.A.. Located geographically near the center of the city, Old Southwest was annexed from Roanoke County in 1890 and developed as one of Roanoke's more affluent residential areas...
on the north and east and Mountain View
Mountain View, Roanoke, Virginia
Mountain View is a Roanoke, Virginia neighborhood located in central Roanoke north of the Roanoke River. It borders the neighborhoods of Norwich on the west, West End on the east, Hurt Park on the north and Raleigh Court and Wasena on the south....
via the Wasena Bridge across the Roanoke River on the north, and Franklin-Colonial
Franklin-Colonial, Roanoke, Virginia
Franklin-Colonial is a Roanoke, Virginia neighborhood located southwest Roanoke that is bisected by the three primary arterials of Franklin Road, the Roy L. Webber Expressway and Colonial Avenue. It borders the neighborhoods of Wasena and South Jefferson on the north, Grandin Court and Raleigh...
on the south. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Wasena has a population of 1,633 residents.
History
Taking its name from the Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
word meaning "beautiful view," Wasena was annexed into the city in 1919 and began its development as an early suburb of Roanoke in the 1920s. Nearly all of the structures within Wasena date from between the 1920s and 1950s. The architecture of the area is varied with the largest numbers representing both the American Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
Bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
and American Foursquare
American Foursquare
The American Foursquare or American Four Square is an American house style popular from the mid-1890s to the late 1930s. A reaction to the ornate and mass produced elements of the Victorian and other Revival styles popular throughout the last half of the 19th century, the American Foursquare was...
design for residential construction. Formed in 1983, the Wasena Neighborhood Forum has been a member of the Roanoke Neighborhood Partnership since 1984, serving as a citizen advocacy group for the neighborhood.
Today, Wasena is the location of the 41 acres (165,921.3 m²) Wasena Park, Smith Park, Triangle Park, Valley Avenue Park and a portion of the Roanoke River Greenway. Wasena Elementary School is the lone public school located within the neighborhood.