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The missus and I plan to relocate to the Central VA area in the future (1-2 years). We have been looking in the Lynchburg/Bedford/SML area. Although we are coming from NY, we are NOT among the ones who sell their $750M home.
Presently, I own an insurance agency, but will look to do something different. Not being old enough, nor "flush" enough to retire, work is important.
We haven't looked in the Roanoke area, but have been told it is a good place to explore.
Of the above mentioned areas, what is the consensus with regards to the better business environment? Roanoke? Lynchburg? SML?
Whatever I do, it will not be insurance. (30 years is enough!)
Also, we anticipate that our son and his family will relocate,too. Which area offers the most for a young (30 year old) family?
hey JackJM...
To answer your question above...Roanoke.
Well, that also depends on what you are looking for as far as work goes. But Roanoke has all the amenities, variety of neighborhood choices, etc. We're transplants from NJ and live in Franklin County; when we drive into Roanoke, you almost get the feeling that you are leaving behind a lot of the Dixie flags and many backward mentalities. Roanoke is a breath of fresh air, and seems pretty progressive compared to where we live. Nice mountain views too...from pretty much everywhere in the city. SML is generally pricier, and in my opinion, not such a great deal or "destination"...lots of new development on a man-made lake.
I came across an article recently which a lot of people in the area probably never knew. Before the Norfolk & Western Railway made Roanoke its headquarters around the 1890's it had its main operations in Lynchburg!
So actually the newly merged Norfolk & Western moved its headquarters and operations to Roanoke as Lynchburg didn't have room for the railroad and didn't want the "gritty" railroad in their town. Roanoke then began to grow as a railroad town and left Lynchburg behind. I can understand the monied class or the "blue blood" type Virginians of Charlottesville, Richmond and Lynchburg
as more similar than the "old railroad money" types of Roanoke not being similar. The history of L & R could explain why the current thinking of L is to go it alone. Also, I think when the interstate bypassed L it really had a lasting effect economically so I think there has always been some animosity between the two towns.
I have heard that same story and it seems correct. I don't think they feel any animosity to R over that one. L developed its own cleaner industries and has a solid diverse base now with nuclear, health, higher education, and financial services all stable or growing. They took a hit when Ericsson Phones left town in a hurry in 2003 but have come back stronger from that and the cheap tech space left by Ericsson has allowed Liberty U and others to expand operations that they could no have otherwise.
NewsAdvance.com | Jerry Jr. finds comfort zone (http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA/MGArticle/LNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173353617234 - broken link)
NewsAdvance.com | Liberty takes step to expand to 15,000 students (http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA/MGArticle/LNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173354008052 - broken link)
R is definately losing its importance as the areas' retail hub. Blacksburg is building new retail and restaurants, some of which aren't yet in R yet.
L has some nice centers and new ones planned. I was wondering if you know
what is to happen to River Ridge Mall once these new centers are built. I heard a rumor that Liberty U was planning to do something with it. There were some big plans for SML but I think much of the commercial was cancelled due to the uncertainty of the economy. Roanoke County recently made up a comprehensive plan and most of the citizens there don't want commercial in their backyards so I think that is a major reason new retailers
aren't seen here.
Enclosed malls are generally considered somewhat obsolete and being replaced by open air lifestyle centers and power centers such as the Short Pump center in Richmond. I think River Ridge will continue to exist so long as it ca keep the anchors stores open. If they lose another that is the end. I have heard the same rumors but I think they are unfounded. Liberty was just given the old Plaza Mall as a donation because it was obsolete. That's a lot of space to maintain even for free. LU is involved with a new proposed center just to south on Wards Rd at the L city limits. There was another large center project proposed at Forest and Hwy 501 but I thin they are having trouble getting pre-leased as it was approved over a year ago and nothing has happened on site. IMHO L probably has enough retail right now for the population and any new center will be stealing tenants from other centers which is not desirable. Taking the old Plaza space off the market will improve the vacancy numbers but I think we are good for the next 10 years. A new movie theater would be nice though. We probably have enough restaurants too.
There is a flipping ton of new retail establishments in the Westlake area of Smith Mountain Lake and there is absolutely no slowing it down. Yes, the land rush on the lake has slowed to a relative crawl - but even so - the larger population already established in the lake area is still demanding more retail. Retail construction probably needs 12 months just to catch up to demand. And, last I checked, property is still selling on SML. Just not enough to support the 100+ agents and the many speculative investors and developers who got entrenched at the wrong time.
The real news lately is that Franklin County is at > 10% growth since 2000 and it's curving upward. And that upward growth is now happening more in the Blackwater and Boone districts of Franklin County (basically the Boones Mill, Burnt Chimney and Rocky Mount triangle). So you'll start seeing ground breaking on about a million square feet of retail over the next few years along the Boones Mill / Rocky Mount 220 corridor. I know of about 300,000 square feet that's going to get built the moment the water line reaches Wirtz Rd. Most of this new population works in Roanoke so you'll see some major retail growth on Route 220 near the BRP entrance in Roanoke. It's already been growing mightily during the past couple of years. The massive Hammersley dealership (Porsche, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes Benz, Volvo), the new Home Depot, Starbucks, the upcoming Target, the upcoming Super-Walmart. Then there is Slate Hill, the hill everyone makes fun of but will inevitably be full of upscale retail to serve the Franklin County commuter population growth.
I recently did a database query for Franklin County and there were more lots purchased during the past 6 months away from SML than near SML, which represents quite a sea change. 5 acre wooded lots in our neck of the woods sold for $8,400/acre in 2005, and increased to $11,000/acre in 2006, and increased again in late 2007 to $14,000/acre. 5 acre open lots in restricted subdivisions are selling for $25K/acre now. The market slowdown comes at a good time for people interested in northern Franklin County because the land appreciation rates were beginning to get a bit out of hand.
With Roanoke County and Franklin County now in agreement that soon a major water pipeline will be brought south along 220 to the Wirtz / 220 intersection, the writing is basically on the wall. Franklin County will soon become the next urbanized area in the Roanoke metro. If you look at current population growth trends then Franklin County will eventually have the highest population among all counties in the Roanoke metro. So far the county gov't is doing a great job w/ zoning and things are progressing sensibly. It's a good thing because otherwise FC would turn into a disastrous mess similar to the madness that is exits 150A/B in Daleville/Cloverdale.
And let's not kid ourselves about the Blacksburg metro. I lived in Blacksburg for 9 months. It's a nice town but it has some real limitations. The population growth of the Blacksburg/Christiansburg/Radford metro area is going to have it's legs cut out from under it within 10 years. That's around the time when Virginia Tech will stop increasing it's student population. For goodness' sake, Blacksburg's full time population is only like 12,000. I remember when most students would leave for the summer and most retail centers became like ghost towns. It's so hard for Virginia Tech to get things done in Blacksburg that they're going out of town for major growth projects. For example, their new medical college is being built right now in Roanoke. We just got an email from the economic development dept of Virginia Tech doing a feasability study on building a massive equestrian / event center in Fort Chiswell (I-77/I-81) capable of hosting large animal shows and agricultural conventions. So, I wouldn't call Blacksburg a looming retail hub, not by a long stretch.
Roanoke has some really super nice shopping, much of which has been added/enhanced over the past 12 months. There are fantastic family owned boutiques. One notable example is The Cobbler's Wife, which is, according to my wife and daughters, the best place in the Roanoke metro to buy women's shoes. Oh and I almost forget. The Valley View Mall in northern Roanoke is so damn big now it needs its own zip code. The new Barnes & Noble, boutiques and several restaurants added this past year make it even bigger. Personally, I hate going there, because its so vast and parking is too much of a bother, but judging by the full parking lots, I think I hold the minority opinion
Sean
Last edited by seanpecor; 02-04-2008 at 08:36 PM..
We brought our family to Roanoke from New England. We honestly tried to have a great attitude and be opened minded. We found the Roanoke area very unwelcoming to Northerners. It is most definitely the good ole boy network. Locals never really except you -ever. Politeness abounds on a very superficial level, true sincerity is hard to find.The area is beautiful no doubt,but life is about relationships. We left and are so glad we did.
Funny. I'm from New England and we've got scads of friends down here in the Roanoke area. Most of them are families who have been here for generations. I think an individual's negative blanket statements about an entire city or region and its people tells more about the individual than it does the region or the people they castigate.
We brought our family to Roanoke from New England. We honestly tried to have a great attitude and be opened minded. We found the Roanoke area very unwelcoming to Northerners. It is most definitely the good ole boy network. Locals never really except you -ever. Politeness abounds on a very superficial level, true sincerity is hard to find.The area is beautiful no doubt,but life is about relationships. We left and are so glad we did.
I'd like to know how old the original poster is. Perhaps too young to appreciate Roanoke and the reasons why those of us who love it, stay.
The original poster (me) did not know there was a response to this thread until today. Sorry, I thought that I would get an email sooner.
I am 28. I have 2 children. I live in SW County and also have a house at Westlake.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ikuout
We brought our family to Roanoke from New England. We honestly tried to have a great attitude and be opened minded. We found the Roanoke area very unwelcoming to Northerners. It is most definitely the good ole boy network. Locals never really except you -ever. Politeness abounds on a very superficial level, true sincerity is hard to find.The area is beautiful no doubt,but life is about relationships. We left and are so glad we did.
I also would like to know where you did move to A lot of the reason that I have issues with Roanoke is the very judgmental atmosphere...open-minded is rare in Roanoke. I am not usually at the bad end of it, but I hate to see it so often. I have found that many people in Roanoke are already set in their mind and are unwavering to new concepts or thoughts. I have been traveling to find new places and am almost certain that I have chosen Lexington, Mass. I have a bit more traveling to do in Europe (mostly Austria, Germany, Italy, and Hungary, which I plan to cover this summer), but have really enjoyed my visits to Lexington (which actually shocked me).
I am certainly not desiring a metro area, like Atlanta or Richmond. I find that Roanoke is a good size. It is just a little off, to me. The job market is lacking. There isn't any really good shopping here. We have some good restaurants, but nothing great. It seems that Roanoke is just behind when it comes to the majority of things. I do like the educational opportunities that the Jefferson Center has opened up and find that to be a great start, but why can't the rest of Roanoke go from there? Roanoke is okay, but nothing that would ever be worth relocating to, IMHO. I think that most of the people who are raised here enjoy it because there is a certain mentality of acceptance rather than improvement.
I frequent Richmond and do a lot of traveling. I do like that Roanoke is not a place with excessive traffic and wait times. I do like that Roanoke has some green areas. I enjoy driving up to Westlake and actually prefer that area to Roanoke. It is not that I find Roanoke detestable, but I really believe that there are places better out there. If Roanoke were great, then the housing values wouldn't be so low in comparison to other areas.
I do like the South Roanoke area and think that people there are probably in a better place to enjoy Roanoke, but unfortunately, it is still Roanoke. I was there for a few years, but ventured out a bit for more open space for the kids. The mentality there is more acceptable. However, there are far more areas in Roanoke that are not like South Roanoke. I have found the county to be worse than the city in many aspects.
This is probably going to seem like a bad comparison (I hate the impersonal aspect of the typed word), but I feel like Roanoke is more comparable to "new money" vs. "old money". Roanoke seems to me like "new money" that just doesn't have the class or background to consider itself truly wealthy. I know that sounds horrible, but it is something that I have heard throughout my entire life and just seems to fit. I do not necessarily agree with the saying completely, but it gets a certain point across.
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Lynchburg & Roanoke
