Moneta ( /məniːtə/ or /moʊniːtə/) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in southern Bedford County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, United States. The community is located along Route 122 between the towns of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

and Rocky Mount. It is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Olive Branch Missionary Baptist Church and the Holland-Duncan House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. On August 26, 2015, the community made news when journalists Alison Parker and Adam Ward were murdered on live television by former colleague Vester Flanagan at a nearby shopping center and marina.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of 3.846 square miles (9.96 km²).

Demographics

Moneta first appeared as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the 2020 U.S. Census.

2020 census

The community was delineated by the United States Census Bureau for the first time during the 2020 census. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 450 people residing in the CDP. There were 223 housing units. The racial makeup of the CDP was 81.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 6.9% African American or Black, 0.0% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.4% from other races, and 8.2% from

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

of any race were 6.7% of the population.

Parks and recreation

Moneta Park, a 119-acre public park maintained by the Bedford County Parks and Recreation Department, is located in the CDP. The park features two multi-use ball fields, a football field, an 18-hole disc golf course, picnic shelters, and walking trails. Waterwheel Marina, Bridgewater Marina, and Crystal Shores Marina Resort offer waterfront access to

Smith Mountain Lake Smith Mountain Lake is a large reservoir in the Roanoke Region of Virginia, United States, located southeast of the City of Roanoke and southwest of Lynchburg, Virginia, Lynchburg. The lake was created in 1963 by the Smith Mountain Dam impoundin ...

Government

The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Moneta Post Office within the CDP. The Moneta ZIP Code extends to both sides of Smith Mountain Lake, including parts of Franklin County, since there is no Smith Mountain Lake postal address.

Education

The CDP is served by

Bedford County Public Schools Bedford County Public Schools is a school district based in Bedford, Virginia, United States. It serves Bedford County, Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United State ...

. Public school students residing in Moneta are zoned to attend Moneta Elementary School, Staunton River Middle School, and

Staunton River High School Staunton River High School is one of the three high schools in Bedford County, Virginia. SRHS opened in the fall of 1963. History Staunton River High School opened October 3, 1963, after Bedford County Public Schools mandated the consolidation ...

. The closest higher education institutions are located in Bedford, Lynchburg, and Roanoke.

Infrastructure

The Bedford Regional Water Authority operates a public water and wastewater system within the CDP.

Public safety

Law enforcement is provided by the Bedford County Sheriff's Office, which maintains a field office within the CDP. Fire protection is provided by Moneta Volunteer Fire Department, which operates three fire stations, including one within the CDP.

Emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...

are provided by the Moneta Volunteer Rescue Squad and Bedford County Department of Fire and Rescue.

Transportation

Air

The Smith Mountain Lake Airport is the closest

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airport to Moneta. The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport and

Lynchburg Regional Airport Lynchburg Regional Airport , also known as Preston Glenn Field, is a public use airport in Campbell County, Virginia, United States. It is located at the intersection of Route 29 South and Route 460, five nautical miles (6 mi, 9&nbs ...

are the closest airports with commercial service.

Highway

* Virginia Route 122 (Moneta Road)

Rail

The

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

operated Altavista District runs through the CDP. The closest passenger rail service is located in Roanoke and Lynchburg.

In popular culture

Moneta was popularized as the filming location for scenes in the 1991 movie ''

What About Bob? ''What About Bob?'' is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Frank Oz and starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Murray plays Bob Wiley, a mentally unstable patient who follows his egotistical psychotherapist, Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss), ...

''. In the movie, Bob arrived by bus with his goldfish and went into a local general store, which still stands, albeit in a disheveled state because it is no longer open.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Bedford County, Virginia Unincorporated communities in Virginia