Roanoke area with young children? (Cave Spring, Salem: neighborhood, high school, living in)

[mying]

We have a possible opportunity for my husband to relocate to the Roanoke area (just south of Salem) with his current employer. We can't really visit the area and then decide if it would be for us because it would be awkward for him to refuse the position at that point (and may prevent further promotions in the future).
So...is this area good for young families?
We started married life in New Jersey (near Staten Island) and wanted to move from there before starting a family (lower cost of living and more relaxed attitude). We now live in a small town in Missouri and have one 8 month old daughter. I have found it somewhat difficult to make friends as it seems everyone here grew up in the area and therefore has lots of friends and family that they already spend time with. Would we run into the same thing in this area?

Also...my husband actually lived in the area for a while during middle and high school. He is Asian and had some really bad experiences with racism in his schools. Is this an issue?

Thanks for your input!

[VALover]

I don't have children but most of my friends do and they seem to be pretty happy. I live in the Raleigh Court area of the city and see lots of strollers out on nice days.

I understand living in an area where it seems impossible to make friends because I was once in that situation myself. I have to say that I have not had that problem here in Roanoke. We have lived here for about 3 years now and now know many of the people in our neighborhood well and have made lots of friends at work.

The very best of luck to you and your family.

[txtransplant2010]

We just moved here last year so I am by no means an expert, but it has been my experience that most people here are welcoming and friendly. I had the same concerns about meeting new people here, but it has been a lot easier than I expected. I guess it depends on exactly in which area of town you live, but I have met many young families in SW County (Cave Spring area) and Raleigh Ct (as mentioned above). I would think living in a neighborhood as opposed to a more rural setting would ensure that you'd feel less isolated and give you the opportunity to meet more people. Good luck!

[mying]

Well...we took the leap...he applied for the job...
My concern about Raleigh Court or Cave Spring is that the commute (to Glenvar) would be closer to 20-30 minutes according to Google maps. Is this accurate?
Also, any comments about racism in the schools or in general?

[headnsouth]

Yep that's accurate. Salem would be best if you want a short commute to Glenvar. Plenty of racism to go around for sure, but we've definitely found more diversity/tolerance (hate that word)/interracial harmony here than we expected to find.

Sorry, after posting I read the first post & will add that the racism we've seen here doesn't involve Asians, it's your standard deeply entrenched black/white divide.

[littlejohn54]

mying, I know of a great neighborhood for you in Salem, close to everything. Do you need 4 bedrooms 2 and a helf baths?

[mying]

Thanks everyone. DH has an on-site interview next week...
May have more questions soon

[VALover]

I hope it goes well for him!

[Danimarie]

We're dying to move there too. We have some very good friends in the area. My best friend (who lives near there) says that part of VA is really friendly. And when I visited there, it certainly seemed that way. Salem is really nice. HTH