Can you tell me about Roanoke?

jwthoms1

My husband is interviewing for a position in Roanoke on Monday.  We live in Memphis.  I lived in N. VA as a kid but I don't know anything about the Roanoke area.  Is that somewhere we would want to move and raise a family?

 

Thanks! 

grounhogswifey

Roanoke is growing rapidly.  There are parts of Ronaoke that you don't want to live in and there are parts that would be perfect for a family.  I don't live in Ronaoke but I my Dad does.  I wouldn't want to live close the Mall or Airport.  Definately look at Salem for housing options. Roanoke is quite smaller than Northern Virginia but still has a lot to offier.  DH doesn't want to move to a big city, we live about 2.5 hours south of Roanoke in Southwest Virginia but I would move there.  PM if you want and we can talk more about it.

sporky

i live in roanoke so if you have any specific questions, i'd be happy to try and answer them. it's a pretty nice place to raise a family- nice schools, lower crime rate than larger cities.  while salem is lovely as well, i'm not really sure why the pp suggested staying away from the airport/mall areas. yes, living right across the street from either may not be ideal, but i live in north county which is about 5 minutes (if i hit all the lights) from the mall and airport area, and it's one of the more desirable family areas.  that and the southwestern county area are probably the nicer areas for kids, although downtown is undergoing a revitalization and is becoming a great place to live as well.

nmlahaie

DH grew up around Roanoke but we just moved back, and I have been surprised by how much I like it. There's a lot to do, especially if you are into outdoors stuff, and the city is big enough to have some character but small enough to not be too urban and busy.

jwthoms1

Thanks everyone. If DH gets the job I'll probably have lots of questions for you. His second interview is this Monday.  I'm hearing good things!  I'm worried about how quickly I can find a job. I'm a school counselor and the school systems are small around there. I'm in a large school system and there are usually openings every year. I'm crossing my fingers and toes!

sporky

hmmm yeah... good luck on the job interview for dh, but i can feel you on the education job. maybe counselors have better luck, but i'm an unemployeed teacher at the moment. i've subbed and been an IA for the last 3 years to no avail. there are VERY FEW teaching jobs available here.

Cuardraro

We used to live in Roanoke and I think it's a great place to raise a family. There's a lot to do but it's not a huge city. I don't know why pp only suggested Salem. IMO, Salem is kind of out of the way of most of what's going on in Roanoke. That said, I would recommend living in either Roanoke County, Bonsack, Botetourt, or Salem. I would try to stay away from living within the city limits. That's where most of the "lower income" areas are, the property taxes are higher and the school system is not as good as the surrounding areas. In terms of teaching, good luck with that. I know several people who have successfully gotten jobs in the area but they all had to start out as subs or tutors first.

jwthoms1

Thanks!  DH got the job and will be starting 10/1. I'll come up with DS as soon as we can get our house rented.  It's a terrible time to find education jobs it sounds like. I'm going to do my best but I may be subbing or staying at home for a while.  I'm crossing my fingers!