Moving from Oregon to Salem, VA - Advice anyone? (Roanoke: 2013, home) - Virginia -Roanoke - Salem area - Page 4 - City-Data Forum

garyzgal · 04-28-2011, 11:03 AM

Thanks you for the links & tips asma. I will be there shortly & am certainly feeling a lot of uncertainty. I'm just hoping it's as great of a place as you say. I'm trying to maintain a positive outlook as I've never lived anywhere other than CA & OR. My husband keeps telling me the kids will love it!

Carter, the Portland area is very wet & rainy as I'm moving from Oergon (different part though). Just be prepared for that!

theluckygal · 04-28-2011, 11:51 AM

All the best with ur move. Weather is pleasant so its a good time for relocating. If you like small towns u will luv this place. Personally, I like big cities but they r so expensive in comparison to this town.

geeayohh · 05-26-2011, 01:46 PM

Roanoke is not that small everyone and is much larger than people think. The Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area is over 300,000 as of 2010. Remember just about anyone from Roanoke County, Roanoke City, Salem, Vinton and the areas of Botetourt and Franklin Counties, including Smith Mtn Lake, all consider Roanoke their home.

j1n · 05-26-2011, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geeayohh

Roanoke is not that small everyone and is much larger than people think. The Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area is over 300,000 as of 2010. Remember just about anyone from Roanoke County, Roanoke City, Salem, Vinton and the areas of Botetourt and Franklin Counties, including Smith Mtn Lake, all consider Roanoke their home.

Of course the valley is considerably larger than just Roanoke City and County. But I've lived in Rocky Mount (Franklin County) and I don't think many folks there consider themselves as being "from Roanoke".
I also doubt anyone from Salem considers themselves a Roanoker...

spyder22 · 06-07-2011, 08:22 AM

Not sure where in Oregon you are but you will most likely enjoy the area. My Wife and I met in Richmond, VA (her hometown) and then moved to Portland, OR. We loved it out west but jobs changed and we moved to Indianapolis, IN (my hometown). Now we are looking to move to Roanoke, VA. It is in a beautiful part of the state and I think you will like it. The scenery will be familiar with the mountains and outdoor activities. You should have no issues adjusting. It will not be as liberal as what you might be used to in Oregon, and like someone said recycling may not be a number one issue, as it is here in Indiana. We have to pay for recycling but we do it because we want to. I have lived all over the South and loved it. Plus for your kids you will be in a great state for Colleges and Universities. You couldn't ask for a better State for schools. You have UVA, Virginia Tech, William and Mary, and so many more. I hope you like the move!......PS we will always miss Oregon!

lagoon7 · 07-03-2011, 11:00 AM

Why is there a perception of Salem as being kind of closed off? Are the peope there kind of "culty?" I'm genuinely curious. Are they all members of the same church? Is it like a non-Mormon moving to Utah? We're actually coming to visit the area in a few weeks. We will be relocating somewhere from South Carolina and the Roanoke area is on our list. We'd like to get a house with 15-20 acres of land.

Also, to the person thinking of relocating to portland, I'm a native of there. Its a beautiful city, but can be expensive. People will always tell you that it's very rainy and miserable, or that "it rains ALL THE TIME." The truth is that it rains for the better part of the winter, about four months. You get a beautiful and mild spring and summer, and a chilly fall.

novanwbie · 07-04-2011, 07:45 PM

Welcome to Virginia! My sister moved from VA to Portland, so I can pretty much guarantee you'll have a fair amount of culture shock. But that's not a bad thing. Oregon does seem to be more laid back than VA. There are so many great outdoor activities, and good sports and activities for kids. Look at the Cave Spring area, pretty good schools. And there are tons of festivals and things in the area. Roanoke has a wonderful downtown market, and there's also an organic cooperative.

We have a great service here in VA (probably every state does this, but I've only needed to research VA daycare) -- google DSS Virginia childcare, and you'll get our state directory of all the daycares and preschools that are monitored. First, it's a great starting list when you're moving to a new area. Second, you can use it weed out places you wouldn't feel comfortable placing your children, because it lists all violations found on inspection visits. It also provides contact info for the facilities. From what I've learned about OR, you'll probably find it cheaper to live here. I think our taxes are generally lower than yours.

It gets a lot hotter than OR, but we don't get the rain a lot of OR gets. The humidity might also require a lot of adjustment, too.

wierzbra · 07-24-2011, 02:49 PM

Here is an article on Roanoke that an acquaintance just posted on FB.

Train your sights on Roanoke | The Republic

Kreutz · 07-25-2011, 04:07 PM

Coming from Oregon you will encounter a large celestial object called "the Sun".

Do not be alarmed at this, it was always there in Oregon, you just never saw it. This friendly fellow emits alot of radiation, but, most importantly it emits what we call "light". This "light"-again, something you may have heard of in Oregon, is warm and bright, dont be afraid of the sensation of warmth on the skin, or strange stinging your eyes do when you see it for the first time in your life; you will adapt from your current mist-based environment.

Oh, and Salem is a nice little city with a good main street.

RevDocJohn · 03-04-2013, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kreutz

Coming from Oregon you will encounter a large celestial object called "the Sun".

Do not be alarmed at this, it was always there in Oregon, you just never saw it. This friendly fellow emits alot of radiation, but, most importantly it emits what we call "light". This "light"-again, something you may have heard of in Oregon, is warm and bright, dont be afraid of the sensation of warmth on the skin, or strange stinging your eyes do when you see it for the first time in your life; you will adapt from your current mist-based environment.

Oh, and Salem is a nice little city with a good main street.

Ha ha, that was FUNNY!

You could say the same thing to people from the East Lake Erie area (Cleveland, Buffalo, even to Rochester). Although they DO get sun- and humidity- for about 12 weeks in the summer. But the cloudiness lasts (it seems) from October to May!