# Poor Mountain > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Poor_Mountain > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Poor_Mountain.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Mountain > Source revision: 1355952384 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Mountain in Virginia, United States Poor Mountain Poor Mountain from across Poages Valley in Roanoke, Virginia. Highest point Elevation 3,928 ft (1,197 m)[1] Prominence 1,448 ft (441 m)[2] Coordinates 37°10′46″N 80°09′46″W / 37.17956°N 80.162753°W / 37.17956; -80.162753[1] Geography Location Montgomery / Roanoke counties, Virginia, U.S. Parent range Appalachian Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains Topo map USGS Elliston Climbing Easiest route Road **Poor Mountain** is a ridge of high peaks located in [Roanoke County](/source/Roanoke_County%2C_Virginia), [Virginia](/source/Virginia) and [Montgomery County](/source/Montgomery_County%2C_Virginia), 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](/source/Buckleya_distichophylla))*, a plant which draws nutrients from the roots of [Eastern Hemlock](/source/Eastern_Hemlock) trees.[3] Piratebush is found only in limited numbers at a few other locations in Virginia, [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina), and [Tennessee](/source/Tennessee).[4] The [Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve](/source/Poor_Mountain_Natural_Area_Preserve) has been established to protect this population. [Twelve O'clock Knob](/source/Twelve_O'clock_Knob_(Roanoke_County%2C_Virginia)) is located adjacent to Poor Mountain in Roanoke County directly south of [Salem](/source/Salem%2C_Virginia), 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](/source/Fort_Lewis_Mountain) is located directly across the valley from Poor Mountain. ## Communications hub The WDBJ Transmitter site is the largest on Poor Mountain Looking East on the antenna farm on Poor Mountain Poor Mountain is the location of several broadcasting antennas for [radio](/source/Radio) and [television](/source/Television) stations in the [Roanoke, Virginia](/source/Roanoke%2C_Virginia)-[Lynchburg, Virginia](/source/Lynchburg%2C_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](/source/WVTF)(FM) 89.1, licensed to the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc.; [WXL60](/source/WXL60) (VHF-FM) 162.475 MHz ([NOAA Weather Radio](/source/NOAA_Weather_Radio)), licensed to [NOAA](/source/NOAA), [National Weather Service](/source/National_Weather_Service); W220BD 91.9, licensed to Family Radio; and three radio stations licensed to Mel Wheeler, Incorporated, [WXLK](/source/WXLK)(FM) 92.3; [WSLC-FM](/source/WSLC-FM) 94.9; and [WSLQ](/source/WSLQ)(FM) 99.1. Digital television stations located in the antenna farm are [WBRA-TV](/source/WBRA-TV) 3 ([PSIP](/source/PSIP) Channel 15), [WDBJ](/source/WDBJ) 18 (PSIP Channel 7), [WSLS-TV](/source/WSLS-TV) 30 (PSIP Channel 10), [WFXR](/source/WFXR) 17 (PSIP Channel 27), [WPXR-TV](/source/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](/source/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](/source/WSET-TV) 13 (PSIP Channel 13) and [WWCW](/source/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](/source/WOWK-TV) in [Huntington, West Virginia](/source/Huntington%2C_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](/source/Federal_Communications_Commission) (FCC) [city of license](/source/City_of_license). ## Wind farm bid The mountain is under consideration for the placement of a [wind farm](/source/Wind_farm). Reportedly, Invenergy Wind LLC dropped the idea of putting wind turbines on Poor Mountain and neighboring [Bent Mountain](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bent_Mountain&action=edit&redlink=1), as a study concluded that the potential energy would overload the existing [electricity transmission lines](/source/Electricity_pylon) found in the immediate area,[5] 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 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-pb_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-pb_1-1) ["Poor Mountain, Virginia"](http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7694). *Peakbagger.com*. Retrieved 2008-12-21. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-pl_2-0)** ["Virginia P1000 Summits"](http://www.peaklist.org/USlists/VA1000.html). Peaklist.org. Retrieved 2008-12-31. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Buckleya distichophylla"](http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=642). *CPC National Collection Plant Profile*. Center for Plant Conservation. Retrieved 2008-12-31. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve"](http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/natural_area_preserves/poormt.shtml). Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved 2008-12-31. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-LLC_drops_bid_5-0)** [Company drops bid to put wind farm in region - Roanoke.com](https://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/80375) [Deprecated link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Archive.today_guidance) archived 2013-02-01 at [archive.today](/source/Archive.today) [Oct 2010 - Invenergy still trying to pass wind farm installation, never actually gave up...!](https://archive.today/20130201122946/http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/252860) ## External links - ["Poor Mountain"](https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names/1494256). *[Geographic Names Information System](/source/Geographic_Names_Information_System)*. [United States Geological Survey](/source/United_States_Geological_Survey), [United States Department of the Interior](/source/United_States_Department_of_the_Interior). Retrieved 2008-12-31. - ["Poor"](https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=GX3300). *NGS Data Sheet*. [National Geodetic Survey](/source/U.S._National_Geodetic_Survey), [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration](/source/National_Oceanic_and_Atmospheric_Administration), [United States Department of Commerce](/source/United_States_Department_of_Commerce). Retrieved 2008-12-31. v t e Mountains of Virginia Allegheny Mountains Allegheny Mountain Peters Mountain Reddish Knob Shenandoah Mountain Blue Ridge Mountains Apple Orchard Mountain Battle Mountain Broken Hills Buck Mountain Bull Run Mountains Catoctin Mountain Elk Pond Mountain Furnace Mountain Hawksbill Mountain High Knob Hogback Mountain Holston Mountain Humpback Rock Knob Mountain Loudoun Heights Maintop Mountain Mary's Rock Mine Bank Mountain Mount Jefferson Mount Rogers Neighbor Mountain Old Rag Mountain Paris Mountain Peaks of Otter Pignut Mountain Poor Mountain The Priest Purcell Knob Ragged Mountains Robertson Mountain Rocky Mountain Short Hill Mountain Smith Mountain Southwest Mountains Stony Man Mountain Turkeycock Mountain Twelve O'clock Knob Whitetop Mountain Cumberland Mountains High Knob Pine Mountain Tri-State Peak Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians Beartown Mountain Big Schloss Clinch Mountain Elliott Knob Fort Lewis Mountain Great North Mountain Massanutten Mountain Powell Mountain Salt Pond Mountain Timber Ridge Others Camp Rock Carpenter Mountain Cedar Mountain House Mountain Kate's Mountain McAfee Knob Nakedtop Pantops Mountain Roanoke Mountain Short Mountain Signal Knob Willis Mountain --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Poor Mountain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Mountain) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Mountain?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.