When we lived in Northern Virginia, a contractor once bragged that the construction crane was the “official bird of Arlington.” It often seemed all too true. Construction surrounded us for most of the 24 years we lived in Arlington County.

But this view is not from Arlington. It is the north edge of Floyd County, near Copper Hill, where a Roanoke developer is breaking ground for a gated community that will feature large homes on 25-acre lots.

The county board of supervisors, blinded by visions of growth and increases in tax base, won’t stop such developments. Floyd County is one of Southwestern Virginia’s hot real estate communities, the place where people want to move to get away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. But when so many come so far so fast they bring the very life they sought to escape. Unless something is done, Floyd County’s days as a idyllic community may well be numbered and those of us who moved here for peace and quiet will soon be looking for another place to find the peace and quiet that disappeared when the birds of prey moved in.