There was a recent thread in the Parents Forum that’s worth a read if you’re comparing small, less selective LACs. The closure of Sweet Briar has been unsettling for many. Randolph-Macon avoided the same fate a few years ago only by going co-ed.
Even the best liberal arts colleges have relatively little name recognition, so the fact that people in your area haven’t heard of Roanoke isn’t all that surprising. It has a good reputation on CC. Do a search – several posters (particularly Barrons) have written about the Virginia LACs in the past.