Need Advice : Relocating to Roanoke, Virginia (Lynchburg, Blacksburg: real estate, apartment complex, low crime)

[tryingtofindthefit]

Hello All!

I am a 23 YOF looking to relocate to Roanoke with my husband. We are originally from northern Alabama, but currently live in Buffalo, New York. While we love the political climate and diversity, we need something closer to home with better weather.

We have already done lots of research, and just completed a two day trip to Roanoke to test the waters. We had a really good experience, but still have lots of concerns. I need advice on the following:

1. It seems very friendly and open-minded; however, will it be easy to make friends? I understand there has to be lots of effort on our end, but are there even local groups, hobbies, and activities to facilitate relationships?
2. Is this an up-and-coming city? Or a dead-end? We stayed in downtown and drove though Vinton, Mill Mountain, Carvin’s Cove, Salem, Cave Spring, and Grandin. To be honest we didn’t see that many people, which was a little odd. But I’m not sure if we’re looking in the right places. I want to make sure there will be many other people in a similar age range.
3. My husband works in software development / data science. Will he have difficulties looking for a job?
4. How would you rate the overall quality of life? Are you happy living in or around Roanoke?
5. Finally, if you do not recommend moving to Roanoke, can you please recommend any liberal city in the southeast? We’ve already considered many different ones, but any and all advice is appreciated. We have been wanting to find our “forever home” for a while now, and are beginning to feel very discouraged.

Sorry for the long questions, but I would be BEYOND appreciative for any and all advice. Thank you so much in advance!!!

[ersatz]

I like the area, but I am older than you. You will find a lot of college-age people around Radford and Blacksburg, not so many in Roanoke. The area is becoming increasingly popular, I don't think it is a dead-end place.

I suggest you check out Chapel Hill, NC. That is a pleasant area with a good reputation and has a large college population. If you use the City-Data.com city statistics tools, you can see that the average age in Roanoke is 37.6 and IT is not shown as one of the major local industries. For comparison, Blacksburg resident average age is 22 and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services is one of the major industries. Chapel Hill average age is 26.4, and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services is also one of the major industries. Chapel Hill is bigger than Blacksburg but smaller than Roanoke. https://www.city-data.com/city/Chape...-Carolina.html

[Watchful]

Like ersatz my age skews well beyond yours but I will share what I can.

In Roanoke, you might say that there are two strategies for connecting to those of similar age and interest. One is to choose the right residence. The other is to choose the right activities. I say that because the metro is compact enough that it is a simple matter to connect to others based on events/activities even if you live in a part of town chosen for other reasons.

Having said that, my guess is that the best places to land would be centered around downtown, Wasena (especially the River House apartments area), Old Southwest and Grandin Village. These are popular areas with some street life and younger appeal. Some old stodgy apartments west of Grandin Village on Memorial Ave. are being rehabbed into more upscale units. The old name was "English Gardens" and the new name is "Gardens at Grandin." You can probably search out info!

There are also newer apartments east of downtown on Orange Ave. called DISTRICT VUE that have a lot of younger residents, and there is a large apartment complex on the drawing board just a bit farther east.

There are some bold folks who are venturing into affordable neighborhoods just east of downtown (the neighborhood called Southeast) but this remains something of a rough-and-tumble experience. As an Uber driver, I also notice quite a few younger folks who live in the areas close to Mill Mountain - close to Blue Cow ice cream - and between there and Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Roanoke is stable as opposed to "up and coming." The job situation is up and down with new ventures coming in all the time, but also some longtime employers downscaling.

As far as similar metro areas in this scenic part of the mountains I have heard a lot of positives about Asheville NC, Chattanooga TN and Greenville SC. Asheville is more trendy, more liberal and more expensive!

Someone mentioned Chapel Hill NC as being smaller than Roanoke. That may be true in terms of city population but Chapel Hill is part of the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill metro area which is huge compared to Roanoke. I think Raleigh could be a good option for younger folks (probably better than Roanoke) but I think Roanoke has much better outdoor options than Raleigh.

We chose Roanoke intentionally because of the mid-sized metro area, the scenic beauty, the cost of living, the four seasons and the purple politics.

You may know that in Virginia, a city is not considered part of a county. Roanoke City leans blue and Roanoke County leans red, so that you can find your peeps either way. The neighborhoods I mentioned above are in the city. If you plan to enter the child-rearing business soon, there are folks who will prefer Roanoke County schools to the city schools. The city schools have a larger number of students in economically disadvantaged categories, but you may also find more progressive attitudes in some of the city schools. The county schools are currently going through a bit of a controversy ... don't really wanna get into it here but direct message me if you want a link.

Well one more thing - you may want to take a peek at Daleville, VA also - that is where we wound up locating - it is in Botetourt County north and east of Roanoke proper. Daleville Town Center is a "new urban" walkable neighborhood concept with apartments, townhomes, and single family homes. It really fit the bill for us with walkability as a huge draw. Botetourt County as a whole is not the place to choose for purple politics, but it fit our lifestyle choice. Here is a video a few years old about Daleville Town Center. I'm glad we bought when we did - because the prices are jumping!

https://youtu.be/9-kCEkcEkDA

There is also a real estate couple that does really nice YouTube videos about various neighborhood options in the area. Their stuff is pretty on target. We can't recommend real estate folks on City Data but if you are interested, once again message me and I will send you a link.

Good luck! We spent years scoping things out before choosing Roanoke, and the info we found here on City Data was so helpful.

[littlelou]

read through older posts. Similar questions have been asked and answered. Age range may be slightly different. I am working toward making the move myself - though I'm much older. I was asked "why Roanoke" by an acquaintance (who I later found out was born and raised in Roanoke) and I said the people. Since 2016, I have visited/long weekended in Roanoke and everytime I meet nicer people, friendly, kind and interesting. And made friends from complete strangers. There's no IMHO stress - pressure - big city issues. Traffic seems decent - of course I am comparing to Atlanta and Charlotte. as I have moved more times than I want to admit, trying to find "my place" I've learned, Home is where you are happiest, whether is it because of friends, job, activities or the atmosphere you are in, when you realize your stress is gone, you aren't overthinking every decisions, every opportunity, every meal, you're just happy. You're Home.

[mooksmom]

You both need to take a vacation to the Charlotte NC area. It has EVERYTHING you like and is now a very youngers city. Don't do a 3 day, long weekend like you did Roanoke. You won't really even need to leave the Uptown area very far (less than 20 miles) to have plenty of fun. Ride the LightRail to get a better idea of what's up. And don't let anyone fool you. CLT is deep purple blue and has been for a long time. I would bet there are many folks from Buffalo there and they may still have a monthly meet up group like they once had.
I happily give you my 'spot here'. 40 yrs has been enough and I'm 70 now. I'm seeking lower key cities that still have things to do but are also Marijuana friendly for my crumbling spine.
Good luck to you.

[drinkthekoolaid]

Interesting...

I also live in the buffalo area and I'm looking to escape the woke-progeesive mentality which has taken over my so I'm looking for a more moderate - conservative state. I really like the idea of a mild 4 season climate with no real extreme one way or the other. Right now in buffalo out summers are glorious but too short and winter is much too long and harsh. So a higher elevation mild south climate sounds ideal to me.

OP, from what I've looked at so far you might want to check out the cities of Lexington, KY, Asheville,NC Boone, NC, Chattanooga TN or Nashville, TN and as already mentioned Charlotte NC. Maybe even the far northern Atlanta perimeter area. Those seem to have pretty strong "liberal" vibes to them or at least as much as you're going to find in the south anyway.

[badger74]

Lynchburg, VA. College town with balanced economy, low COL and moderate politics. Beautiful old neighborhoods well maintained or being renovated. Low crime.

[hotkarl]

Asheville.

[Hoping4Huntsville]

Did you ever settle on a particular place? I am from SWVA, just about sixty miles south from Roanoke and miss the whole VA vibe quite a bit. My wife is from NOVA. We spent a number of years in NC in the GSO-WS-HP area of the triad and loved it there as well. Currently residing in Dothan, AL and it has been a long ten years! Just way too different here in Dothan for my liking. Enjoy Bham and north though. Hope your search is fruitful and successful.