# @vadogwoodnews on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CwDaWu5s_j3
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/8272127-vadogwoodnews-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/611cde26ba.jpg
- **Posted:** 2023-08-17T17:00:27.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Dogwood (@vadogwoodnews) — https://gondola.cc/vadogwoodnews

## Caption

Almost Heaven, West(ern?) Virginia. Have you ever wondered which state “Take Me Home, County Roads,” the song released by John Denver in 1971, actually references? The questions arise from the first verse when the singer croons about the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River.

Want to guess which state has the longest portion of the Blue Ridge Mountains? That’s Virginia. And according to Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains, that’s specifically “western Virginia,” where the range slices “a great crescent.” Only a tiny sliver of the mountain range goes through West Virginia—and none of that is along the famous Blue Ridge Parkway, which spans 469 miles from Rockfish Gap to Cherokee, North Carolina.

As for the Shenandoah River, that starts in [guess where] Virginia, where it meanders for the majority of its 57 miles. Just 20 miles of the Shenandoah River slink through West Virginia before emptying into the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry.

We’re not the first to burst out into song and then go, “Wait a minute…” Southern Living, Blue Ridge Outdoor Magazine, and many Virginia and West Virginia local media outlets raised the question over the years. It was West Virginia Public Broadcasting that finally pinned down an answer given by none other than Bill Danoff, one of the song’s co-writers (who, along with Denver and Taffy Nivert, relied on an encyclopedia for reference points when writing the famous country ballad).

When questioned about the geography, Danoff said the narrator’s driving through Virginia on his way to West Virginia, passing through the Blue Ridge Mountains and by the Shenandoah River.

Which state do you think should get the credit? Let us know in the comments!

📸 : AP Photo/Keith Jacobson, File
.
.
.
#history #historytidbit #johndenver #countryroads #westvirginia #wv #westernvirginia #virginia #va #virginiahistory #vahistory #wvhistory #musichistory #countrymusic #singer #historytidbit #songhistory #geography #shenandoahriver #blueridgemountians #shenandoah

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 11
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 1

## Tags

johndenver, vahistory, va, blueridgemountians, history, singer, westvirginia, countrymusic, songhistory, wvhistory, westernvirginia, wv, virginia, shenandoahriver, historytidbit, virginiahistory, shenandoah, geography, musichistory, countryroads

---
Copyright (c) Gondola