Roanoke, the "Star City of the South," is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The name Roanoke is said to have originated from the native American word for shell "money". The town of Big Lick was chartered in 1874. It became the town of Roanoke in 1882 and the independent city of Roanoke two years later. Its location in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, in the middle of the Roanoke Valley between Maryland and Tennessee, made it the transportation hub of western Virginia and contributed to its rapid growth. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 94,911. The United States Census Bureau includes in Roanoke's metropolitan area the counties of Botetourt and Roanoke, and the cities of Salem and Roanoke. The Roanoke area is home to beautiful scenery and a large, but spread out, population. Nursing studies available in the area are excellent, as should be exit prospects toward nursing careers.