Dan River
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Dan River South Branch Roanoke River |
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 Dan River near Danville, Virginia |
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| Data | ||
| Water code | US : 1465581 | |
| location | Virginia and North Carolina, USA | |
| River system | Roanoke River | |
| Drain over | Roanoke River → Albemarle Sound → Atlantic Ocean | |
| source | at Meadows of Dan in Patrick County , Virginia 36 ° 47 ′ 2 ″ N , 80 ° 21 ′ 21 ″ W |
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| muzzle | in the John H. Kerr Reservoir , Virginia Coordinates: 36 ° 40 '44 " N , 78 ° 42' 26" W 36 ° 40 '44 " N , 78 ° 42' 26" W.
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| length | 340 km | |
| Catchment area | 8550 km² | |
| Left tributaries | Mayo River , Smith River , Sandy River , Banister River | |
| Right tributaries | Hyco River | |
| Reservoirs flowed through | Talbott Reservoir , Townes Reservoir | |
| Medium-sized cities | Danville | |
| Small towns | Eden , South Boston | |
| Communities | Danbury , Madison | |
The Dan River is a river in the southeastern United States . It flows in the states of Virginia and North Carolina and is the main tributary of the Roanoke River . Hence it was also called the South Branch Roanoke River .
The river has its source in the eastern Appalachian Mountains in Patrick County , Virginia near the Blue Ridge Parkway . At the headwaters, the Dan River has the character of a mountain river. It flows south first and breaks through the eastern part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Dan River Gorge . Here the river is dammed into two small reservoirs. The Talbott Reservoir and the smaller Townes Reservoir provide water for the Pinnacles hydropower plant, which opened in 1938.
After leaving the Appalachian foothills, the Dan River crosses the North Carolina border and reaches the Piedmont Plateau . The Dan River first flows southeast past Hanging Rock State Park and the village of Danbury . Near Belews Lake it changes direction to the northeast and flows back to Virginia past the small towns of Madison and Eden . In Virginia, the Dan River reaches the middle town of Danville , the largest town on the river with over 40,000 inhabitants. On the banks of the river in Danville, there was a textile factory owned by Dan River Inc., named after the river, from 1882 to 2008 .
After a short loop back to North Carolina - the Dan River crosses the state line eight times in total - the river continues to flow east. Before 1952 it flowed into the Roanoke River near the city of Clarksville , and since a dam was built the Dan River has ended below the city of South Boston in the western arm of the John H. Kerr Reservoir .
The Dan River has a catchment area of around 8,550 square kilometers and is approximately 340 km long. Its main tributaries are the Mayo River , Smith River , Sandy River , Banister River, and the Hyco River .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources: Upper Dan River Watershed
- ^ City of Danville: History of Pinnacles ( Memento from March 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
