Poor Mountain

{{Short description|Mountain in Virginia, United States}} {{Infobox mountain | name = Poor Mountain | image = Poor_Mountain.gif | image_caption = Poor Mountain from across Poages Valley in Roanoke, Virginia. | elevation_ft = 3928 | elevation_ref = <ref name="pb">{{cite peakbagger |pid=7694 |name=Poor Mountain, Virginia |accessdate=2008-12-21}}</ref> | prominence_ft = 1448 | prominence_ref = <ref name="pl"> {{cite web | url = http://www.peaklist.org/USlists/VA1000.html | title = Virginia P1000 Summits | publisher = Peaklist.org | accessdate = 2008-12-31}}</ref> | location = [[Montgomery County, Virginia|Montgomery]] / [[Roanoke County, Virginia|Roanoke]] counties, [[Virginia|Virginia, U.S.]] | range = [[Appalachian Mountains]], [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] | coordinates = {{coord|37.17956|-80.162753|format=dms|region:US-VA_type:mountain|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_ref = <ref name="pb"/> | topo = [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] Elliston | first_ascent = | easiest_route = Road }}

'''Poor Mountain''' is a ridge of high peaks located in [[Roanoke County, Virginia|Roanoke County]], [[Virginia]] and [[Montgomery County, Virginia|Montgomery County]], Virginia. At 3,928 feet, Poor Mountain is the tallest mountain in the immediate area.

Poor Mountain has the largest known population, by far, of piratebush ''([[Buckleya distichophylla]])'', a plant which draws nutrients from the roots of [[Eastern Hemlock]] trees.<ref> {{cite web | url = http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=642 | title = Buckleya distichophylla | work = CPC National Collection Plant Profile | publisher = Center for Plant Conservation | accessdate = 2008-12-31 }}</ref> Piratebush is found only in limited numbers at a few other locations in Virginia, [[North Carolina]], and [[Tennessee]].<ref> {{cite web | url = http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/natural_area_preserves/poormt.shtml | title = Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve | publisher = Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation | accessdate = 2008-12-31 }}</ref> The [[Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve]] has been established to protect this population.

[[Twelve O'clock Knob (Roanoke County, Virginia)|Twelve O'clock Knob]] is located adjacent to Poor Mountain in Roanoke County directly south of [[Salem, Virginia|Salem]], Virginia. The north slope of the ridgeline formed by Poor Mountain and Twelve O'clock Knob marks the southwestern boundary of the Roanoke Valley. [[Fort Lewis Mountain]] is located directly across the valley from Poor Mountain.

== Communications hub == [[File:WDBJ Transmitter Complex on Poor Mountain in Roanoke Virginia.jpg|thumb|left|The WDBJ Transmitter site is the largest on Poor Mountain]] [[File:Television and Radio Tower Farm on Poor Mountain in Roanoke Virginia.jpg|thumb|left|Looking East on the antenna farm on Poor Mountain]] Poor Mountain is the location of several broadcasting antennas for [[radio]] and [[television]] stations in the [[Roanoke, Virginia]]-[[Lynchburg, Virginia]] Designated Market Area (DMA). On the apex of the mountain in what's referred to as an "antenna farm" are the broadcasting antennas on towers for radio stations [[WVTF]](FM) 89.1, licensed to the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc.; [[WXL60]] (VHF-FM) 162.475 MHz ([[NOAA Weather Radio]]), licensed to [[NOAA]], [[National Weather Service]]; W220BD 91.9, licensed to Family Radio; and three radio stations licensed to Mel Wheeler, Incorporated, [[WXLK]](FM) 92.3; [[WSLC-FM]] 94.9; and [[WSLQ]](FM) 99.1. Digital television stations located in the antenna farm are [[WBRA-TV]] 3 ([[PSIP]] Channel 15), [[WDBJ]] 18 (PSIP Channel 7), [[WSLS-TV]] 30 (PSIP Channel 10), [[WFXR]] 17 (PSIP Channel 27), [[WPXR-TV]] 36 (PSIP Channel 38), and WEDD-LD 26. All of these stations are licensed to Roanoke. Other telecommunication antennas and towers for local, county, state and national public service, are also located on Poor Mountain, and their flashing [[Federal Aviation Administration]] tower lights can be seen from dozens of miles away, especially at night.

The antennas for the other primary digital TV stations in the Roanoke DMA, [[WSET-TV]] 13 (PSIP Channel 13) and [[WWCW]] 20 (PSIP Channel 21) are located on towers on Thaxton Mountain, halfway between Lynchburg and Roanoke. Prior to the 2009 digital TV transition, WSET could not locate on Poor Mountain because of an inability to provide analog "city-grade" coverage of Lynchburg from that site, in addition to short-spacing concerns with [[WOWK-TV]] in [[Huntington, West Virginia]].

The Poor Mountain broadcast antenna farm is a good example of radio and TV stations, co-locating their broadcast towers near each other on the highest point near their [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) [[city of license]].

== Wind farm bid ==

The mountain is under consideration for the placement of a [[wind farm]]. Reportedly, Invenergy Wind LLC dropped the idea of putting wind turbines on Poor Mountain and neighboring [[Bent Mountain]], as a study concluded that the potential energy would overload the existing [[Electricity pylon|electricity transmission lines]] found in the immediate area,<ref name="LLC drops bid">[http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/80375 Company drops bid to put wind farm in region - Roanoke.com] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130201110524/http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/80375 |date=2013-02-01 }}</ref> however they have not and are still trying to pass the project through state and local government venues. They already have the land leased for up to 54 of the 443-foot tall wind turbines.

== References == {{reflist}}

[https://archive.today/20130201122946/http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/252860 Oct 2010 - Invenergy still trying to pass wind farm installation, never actually gave up...!]

== External links ==  * {{cite gnis | id = 1494256 | name = Poor Mountain | accessdate = 2008-12-31 }} * {{cite ngs | id = GX3300 | designation = Poor | accessdate = 2008-12-31 }}

[[Category:Ridges of Virginia]] [[Category:Blue Ridge Mountains]] [[Category:Landforms of Roanoke County, Virginia]] [[Category:Landforms of Montgomery County, Virginia]]