Natural Bridge Station is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Rockbridge County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, United States, named for both its proximity to Natural Bridge and formerly having a train depot along the

Norfolk & Western The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisi ...

rail line. Formerly known as Sherwood and Greenlee, the community is located along the James River and Virginia State Route 130, west of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. Natural Bridge Station is made up mostly of the southeastern corner of Rockbridge County encompassing all of the community of Arnolds Valley (named for the area's first settler, Stephen Arnold) and partially covering several other communities, with its southeastern border running along the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenan ...

. Natural Bridge Station has a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

with ZIP code 24579. The population as of 2020 was 1,540.

Communities

There are several small neighborhoods in Natural Bridge Station including: * Buck Hill * Cameron Street * Clark Town * Flint Town * Forest Oaks * Gilmore's Mill * Greenlee (Bank Hill/Lloyd Tolley/Trackside/Wert Faulkner) * Stoner Hollow as well as the entirety of the Arnolds Valley community which includes: * Back Run (Colen Hollow/Drummond Hill/Shop Hill) * Cave Mountain * Cedar Bottom (Johnson's Mobile Home Park/Tolley Hill) * Elk Creek * Glenwood * Hopper Creek * James River * Manor View * Ore Bank * Petites Gap * Tomlin's Mobile Home Park

Government

Natural Bridge Station is governed within the Natural Bridge District of the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors, the 24th district of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

, the 25th district of the

Virginia Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

, and

Virginia's 6th congressional district Virginia's sixth congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It covers much of the west-central portion of the state, including Roanoke, Lynchburg and most of the Shenandoah Valley. The ...

of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. Local law enforcement for Natural Bridge Station is administered by the Rockbridge County Sheriff's Department located in Lexington. Some areas of Natural Bridge Station along the

are patrolled by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

. Natural Bridge Station is part of the Glenwood-Pedlar Ranger District. The area's local Ranger Station is located on Ranger Lane just off Wert Faulkner Hwy.

Schools

Natural Bridge Elementary School is located within the "downtown" zone of the community and serves most of southern Rockbridge County. The community's middle and high school students are bussed to Maury River Middle School and Rockbridge County High School in Lexington. The Bridge Christian Academy is a private school within the area. The Stonebridge Community Center and the Stonebridge Community Church now occupy the main building and surrounding facilities that were once Natural Bridge High School, which closed after the graduation of its Class of 1990. The main building was sold by Sayre Enterprises to

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

in 2020.

Business and infrastructure

The main business corridor in Natural Bridge Station is located within the "downtown" zone along Wert Faulkner Highway between Sherwood Lane and Virginia Manor Lane. There are several factories in the area including: * Base X * Byers * Des Champs * EDM * FEI * Heatex America Some other businesses (corporate, family, small, private or otherwise) in the area include: * AMS Trucking * B&D Variety Store * Bank of Botetourt * Bear & Unicorn Media * C&S Disposal *Campbell and Sons Lawn Service * Doggy Stylez Dog Grooming * Double L Landscaping * Dreamson Enterprises, Inc. * FrontLine WoodWorks
Jellystone Park at Natural Bridge
*Nailogic *Natural Bridge Animal Hospital * Natural Bridge Country Store & Café * Natural Bridge General Store & NattyB Cafe * Natural Bridge Heating & Air * Natural Bridge Station Glass & Gifts * Natural Bridge Station Recycling Center * Pioneer Plumbing * R & S Storage * Raynal Studios, Inc. * Seaman & Sons Roofing * Shayan Electronics * Thunder BRidge Campground, LLC. ''(formerly Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Facility)" * Tpee's, LLC ''General Store & Deli (formerly Arnolds Valley Trading Post)" *Tri-County Autoglass *Villa Views *Virginia Mountain Mortgage * Vivek Pan Shop
Wilderness Canoe Company & Campground

Religion

Natural Bridge Station's religious centers and places of various worship include: * Arnolds Valley Baptist Church * Beth Horon United Methodist Church * Faith Baptist Church * First Baptist Church * Glenwood Humble Beginnings Church * Natural Bridge Christian Fellowship * Stonebridge Community Church

Attractions

Within Natural Bridge Station there are several tourist attractions including: * Balcony Falls Trailhead * Cave Mountain Lake Recreation Area & Family Camp
Devil's Marble Yard
* Elk Cliff(''Private, permission required for access'') * Elk Creek Delta(''Private, permission required for access'') * Elk Creek's East Fork * Four Way Trail Crossroads * Glenwood Furnace ''Historic Landmark'' * Glenwood Horse Trail * Gunter Ridge Trailhead * Hellgate Trailhead * Hickory Stand * Hopper Creek Group Campground * Jellystone Park at Natural Bridge * Locher Tract * Parker's Gap Mountain Trail * Sawmill Hollow Swamp * Smith Tract Campground * Straw Pond (''Arnolds Valley Pool'') * Sulphur Spring Hollow * Tank Hollow *Thunder BRidge Campground * Wildcat Mountain Trail *Wilderness Canoe Company & Campground The area also has many public access points to the following: *

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...

* Hoop Pole Gap * Hopper Ridge * James River Face Wilderness * James River Gorge * Petite's Gap Trail * Snakeden Ridge * Thunder Ridge North Face Wilderness * Thunder Ridge Trail As well as fishing access, swimming access, and boat/canoe/innertube launch/exit sites along the James River and fishing & swimming access along Elk Creek's East Fork(along Petite's Gap Rd). The area's waterways include: *Back Run Stream * Belfast Creek * Big Hellgate Creek * Cave Mountain Lake * Cedar Creek, East End * Elk Creek * Hopper Creek * Hunting Spring * James River * Little Hellgate Creek * Manor View Lake(''Private, permission required for access'') * Marble Spring * Sawmill Branch * Sawmill Hollow Swamp * Sulphur Spring Devils Marble Yard NBS

Media

The News Gazette
in Lexington, Virginia covers newspaper stories for this area. The ''Arnolds Valley Community Column'', which covers the entire Natural Bridge Station area, published in The News-Gazette is written by local writer/photographer Karyn B. Gardner (''published works include: JOURNEY: A Memoir in Photos, Beautiful Things That Caught My Eye''). Local published poet, Martha Watkins, who's now deceased, started the column
The Rockbridge Advocate
is another media print source for the area. Local television stations
WDBJ7
(local reporter Bruce Young)
WSLS10
an
WSET13
(all three covering the greater Roanoke/ Lynchburg area) cover the Natural Bridge Station community, as well as a weekly broadcast on local government access channels from

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...

journalism students calle
The Rockbridge Report
Local radio coverage for this area is provided b
Classic 96.7 3WZ
and WREL AM 1450 in Lexington, Virginia. Online media coverage for the area is provided b
Rockbridge Forum
an
EyeOnVirginia

References

Unincorporated communities in Rockbridge County, Virginia Unincorporated communities in Virginia Populated places on the James River (Virginia) {{RockbridgeCountyVA-geo-stub