Thoughts on Roanoke as I prepare to leave. (Bristol: best cities, 2014)

[NomadStephanie]

I moved to Roanoke in February 2011 after a difficult, spiritually and emotionally exhausting period of my life when I lived in the New York City metro area (mainly Jersey City). To this day, I'm not sure how much of that difficult period had to do with where I was living, and how much had to do with things I was working through in myself at the time. What I do know is that I found Roanoke to be just the place I needed at the time. I absolutely loved living in Roanoke the first couple of years I was here. Over the last two years, though, my feelings about Roanoke have shifted, and again, I am unclear how much has to do with Roanoke, how much has to do with me, and how much has to do with national socioeconomic matters.

What I loved most about Roanoke right away was its slower and more peaceful pace of life, paired with amenities and cultural qualities rarely found in smaller towns in this region... Slow, but not stagnant. I loved the beautiful first floor flat I had in a converted Craftsman home, walking distance from the Grandin Village. I made friends and found my niche. Whenever I thought of something new I wanted to try--from attending a UU church to aikido training--I found an opportunity here. I stumbled into things just by virtue of their presence, from a 3D printing workshop at the Taubman to innovative farm-to-table dining at Local Roots. Roanoke is where I developed my love for craft beer. I was impressed with the compassionate and charitable nature of people I met while working as a social worker here... and I was also impressed by the huge need for these services, which I initially found more inspiring than discouraging.

But then things started falling apart. I stopped attending UU services, which I had grown to love, after a long-simmering, ugly and contentious conflict tore apart the congregation. The opportunity to practice compassion as a social worker, which initially inspired me, began to exhaust me as it became clear how rarely people who cycled through "the system" ever got well. Various bureaucratic, political, and logistical factors blocked clients, and they also blocked me from progressing on my career path; it was when I decided I wanted to change careers that Roanoke really fell down for me. Months looking at job listings turned into over a year, and almost all I saw, except for opportunities in a very few specialized sectors (medicine, law), were low-paying service jobs. My choice was to continue with social work, which was increasingly dragging me down, or taking a minimum wage job in a service profession. Faced with no other option that was any better, I never "got out" of working social work jobs while living in Roanoke.

This drawn-out experience has changed how I see Roanoke. Even with the tremendous need for creative responses to social issues, it seems Roanoke's supply of creativity is nearly exclusively spent on the visual arts and restaurant ventures. Initially, it seems Roanoke has a place for people who are "left of field" culturally and spiritually, but after some time, you realize that the extraordinarily small percentage of Roanokers involved in such enterprises leaves these groups vulnerable. Two or three people moving out of the city can torpedo some of these small local groups.

But what came to bother me most of all is the message I received from job ad after job ad: there are plenty of rich folks here who would be happy to pay you a wage you can't live on to ring them up, bus their tables, wash their cars, wipe their asses, or do just enough with the homeless and mentally ill so their existence can be camouflaged, but there are very few people who want to give an opportunity to do anything else, or really change anything. "Be an entrepreneur," some people say. But what about those of us that lack the ability to take that kind of risk financially, and who need some time to try different things before they know what kind of venture they would pursue if and when they can afford the risk? I see the larger national trend of rising income inequality played out in Roanoke to the extreme, with rich old money types in South Roanoke gallivanting from gala to cocktail party while the homeless and barely-not-homeless swarm in to underfunded social services, with young people increasingly given the option of either accepting low paying positions with very little opportunity for advancement, or leaving the area.

I believe Roanoke has a lot of good qualities, and a lot of potential, but is also victim to its own hype. I love 101.5 The Music Place and think it's one of the better radio stations I've ever listened to, but I have to laugh when I hear their ads proclaiming Roanoke as "Virginia's new Music City," when the music scene in my much smaller hometown of Bristol, VA/TN is much more vibrant than here. I've gone to see less live music here than I have anywhere else I've lived. I've seen one of the major downtown live music venues shut down since I've been here, as I've also seen the last independent bookstore selling new books in Roanoke close--the sign of a city not exactly thirsty for new ideas. I've seen the Civic Center renamed the "Berglund Center" for the questionable (gotta love their lot that directly advertises to those with poor credit, luring them into more debt) auto empire that seems as intent on buying up Roanoke as Carilion... I've seen the contested space behind Walgreens where a Ukrops started, and quickly failed, finally be chosen for yet another Carilion property. It's funny to think of how Roanoke bills its "healthcare jobs" as a plus--healthcare is a necessity, but what does it mean when it's the biggest factor in your local economy? What about the healthy people who want life to mean more than just avoiding or triaging the worst medical or psychiatric (or financial) crises?

Then there is the insanely overhyped Greenway, which winds through beautiful views of garbage, dilapidated houses that abut the walking path, and the smells of river pollution. Loudly grinding trains force you to increase the volume on your earbuds to an uncomfortable level, then--surprise!--you've got to navigate around a scary looking bridge construction project. You can then head up Mill Mountain to gaze upon our beloved, tacky neon star, or maybe into the valley below, where on sweltering summer days, you can see something you see in Los Angeles, another city nestled in a bowl of mountains--smog.

I have met people who thrive here. Avid cyclists who do long rides on the Parkway when it's closed. Laid back people who have no ambition for a career arc, just to make enough money to enjoy the simpler things. Artists with exceptional vision and talent who find inspiration, an audience, and a market here. I once thought I could be one of the people who made life in Roanoke work for them--until I finally realized that, well, Roanoke and I had some irreconcilable differences. I leave here with mixed feelings--relief, joy, gratitude, resentment, perplexity. I don't expect to be back--but I do hope that life in Roanoke gets better for people who find themselves struggling with the same things I have--that more and diverse jobs show up, especially more that pay a living wage; that pollution gets addressed more consistently; that issues with the Rescue Mission are addressed and social services are expanded and/or updated to address the huge, and growing demand; and that small businesses who want to do anything other than sell food find themselves in a better economic climate to do so.

[RVAbornandbred]

Wow. My only experience with Roanoke, as I mentioned in another thread, was a weekend in 2013. So I can't comment on much, but I think this is one of the most thoughtful posts I've read on a message board in many, many years.

[Lucky_Town]

Interesting read.

Thanks for sharing.

[Watchful]

Some of this may indeed be exposing the downside of Roanoke - HOWEVER, a lot of it resonates with the talking point from a fascinating article:

>>>The paradox of the American Dream: The best cities to get ahead are often the most expensive places to live, and the most affordable places to live can be the worst cities to get ahead.

The article is targeted at the experience of the "millennials" but it fits lots of us who are trying to find our niche...both dear wife and I took a big hit in salary to move from the Houston area to Roanoke - but we wouldn't have it any other way!

Here is the article:

Why It's So Hard for Millennials to Find a Place to Live and Work - The Atlantic

[Lucky_Town]

Thanks for the link.

[NomadStephanie]

Thanks for the positive feedback, everyone. And thanks for sharing that link, Watchful, it's a great analysis, and goes to the heart of what I've experienced in Roanoke, and I'm sure what others are experiencing elsewhere.

I know I focused on a lot of negatives in my post but I don't leave Roanoke feeling completely negative about it; I leave with mixed feelings. I feel like Roanoke has some really good fundamentals as a city that are still there but that can and will be lost if people don't stop hyping Mill Mountain and the Greenway and focusing on some new projects.

I do feel like Roanoke has slid backwards in some ways since I moved here, with the loss of Ram's Head and Kirk Avenue Music Hall reflecting greater losses than just the loss of two businesses. The live music scene has suffered and there's no local bookstore any more for new books and author events, other than the chains. Another example of a trend toward sameness / lack of innovation for me was the very brief existence of Mirko Pasta at Towers, which had a great concept and good food, but the subsequent sustained existence of yet another burger joint in that space. Will Roanoke eventually be all burger joints and chains and souvenir shops? I'll keep my fingers crossed that Local Roots, Pop's, and Chocolatepaper all stay open... and that Roanoke will get another indie bookstore to open... and maybe some social service startups that provide an alternative to what's there now and isn't working. Although I guess as long as Wildflour still sells Better Than Sex Cake, there will never be a cause for total despair

[Watchful]

Nomad, you should really submit this for an op-ed to the Roanoke Times - as a spark to healthy discussion.

[DevelopmentShopinaBox]

This is the first post I have read where someone has given an honest assessment of their experience here in Roanoke on this forum without giving an extremist opinion: too optimistic or too pessimistic. I am so sick and tired of people lying about Roanoke to people who have an interest in moving to this city or have questions and need honest answers so they can make the best decision on what is right for them and their family. I rather hear the truth about the pros and cons of a city rather than sugar coating a city up to be something that it is not all for the sake of getting people to move there. It is just insincere and bait and switch.

Like you have mentioned, Roanoke has its perks and benefits but do not make it out to be what it is not. I am a native Roanoker and came back in 2011 after living in DC for 10 years. I did not come back because I wanted to. I came back to start over. Roanoke is not a major metropolitan area yet, even though it is trying to be like one. Most of the people who make comments on this thread about Roanoke to puff it up have never left this area so they only go by what they have experienced and seen here.

Roanoke has so much potential for growth but I remember when that was said in 2002 when I left. When I came back Roanoke has grown a lot but the growth is still at a very slow rate. I am not certain if the residents here want the city to grow as fast, just enough for people to be attracted to move to the city. I know that does not work for me which is why I am also looking to move back to the DMV area. You are not alone in your feelings.

I am the first to say Roanoke is definitely not for everyone. Just as NYC, Chicago, DC, or LA. Every city has its pros and cons. But it is up to every person to figure out who you are and what you want, and how your geography is going to meet all of your needs.

Stay strong and hope that you find the peace you are looking for.

[TN Lily]

NomadStephanie, thank you for your post.
Good luck on your journey.

[NomadStephanie]

Thanks for the positive feedback, folks! I am glad people enjoyed and found my post useful. I didn't expect that!