Town file
Vinton, Virginia
Vinton, Virginia (Roanoke County, Virginia) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 190, "We Will Dig Up That Basement!" (24 September 2020). In 1994 the Hodges family lived on Virginia Avenue in Vinton, Virginia, a small town outside Roanoke.
- Town
- Vinton
- County
- Roanoke County
- State
- Virginia
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 190
- Approximate location
- 37.274, -79.888
Episode 190 / 24 September 2020 / 159 min / full
We Will Dig Up That Basement!
"We're going to Vinton, Virginia, central western Virginia just outside Roanoke, like a suburb of Roanoke; this is in Roanoke County." about 0:05:10
The case: Murder of the Hodges family (August 1994); Disappearance of Tammy Lynn Acres and Angela May Raider (February 1977). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2020
- Population
- 8,069
- Median age
- about 38
- Median household income
- $44,389
- Median home value
- $163,200
- Two-bedroom rent
- about $770 a month
- Cost of living
- 88
- Religious
- 39 percent
- Property crime
- ▲ maybe 10% over
- Violent crime
- ▼ about 20% under
History, in brief
- Vinton was incorporated by the Virginia General Assembly in March 1884, when it had a population of 584. about 0:07:36
- Much of the town was farmland, and land speculation followed as developers bought large swathes and sold them on. about 0:08:04
- Land and housing prices fell repeatedly, and many buyers were employees of the Norfolk and Western Railway, giving Vinton a working man's, blue-collar reputation. about 0:09:54
- The American Viscose plant opened near Vinton in 1917 and brought a large number of jobs. about 0:12:07
- Burlington Mills, now known as Precision Fabrics Group, was established in 1936. about 0:13:00
- The Vinton Fuel Company was another local business. about 0:13:42
The reviews read out
3 stars
"A cute small town in Roanoke County; names William Byrd High, the middle school and two elementary schools, W. E. Cundiff and Herman L. Horn; friendly, with cute festivals and good places to eat."about 0:14:03
2 stars
"Outdated and snobby, very little to do and very few opportunities, and most people are incredibly small-minded."about 0:14:39
1 star
"Streets are littered, homeowners have no obligation to keep property up, taxes are over the top, no quiet zones in the library, panhandlers at the shopping centre, bins left on the street all week, water bills unfair to single people, property values falling; the most recent review, from 2019."about 0:14:57
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Collinsville, Virginia38 miles
- Radford, Virginia38 miles
- Lynchburg, Virginia39 miles
- Pearisburg, Virginia46 miles
- Amherst, Virginia51 miles
- Keeling, Virginia51 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.