The worst thing about Roanoke has got to be the wind/mosquitos (Blacksburg: tornadoes)

[CABQ]

Learning about Roanoke from this forum, it seems the worst of Roanoke is summers you have a really bad mosquito problem. And in the winter, because of the topography you have some high winds. So though you don't show really frigid temperatures the high wind makes it feel much colder.

This is what I had gathered reading.

Is this true, exaggerated, not true?

Roanoke is a great little city in my opinion from research and photo's.

I had visited Asheville for a week, and there was a definate quality to the air, that people said, that's the mountain air.
Does Roanoke have that "mountain air?" Kinda sweet and fresh earthy like? I guess that is how I'd describe it. Well if anyone has been to Asheville and Roanoke maybe you can chime in.

Thank you

[BHarrison84]

Originally Posted by CABQ

Learning about Roanoke from this forum, it seems the worst of Roanoke is summers you have a really bad mosquito problem. And in the winter, because of the topography you have some high winds. So though you don't show really frigid temperatures the high wind makes it feel much colder.

This is what I had gathered reading.

Is this true, exaggerated, not true?

Roanoke is a great little city in my opinion from research and photo's.

I had visited Asheville for a week, and there was a definate quality to the air, that people said, that's the mountain air.
Does Roanoke have that "mountain air?" Kinda sweet and fresh earthy like? I guess that is how I'd describe it. Well if anyone has been to Asheville and Roanoke maybe you can chime in.

Thank you

I think Roanoke has the mountain air similar to Asheville. I think Roanoke has a more country feel to it.

I doubt mosquitos are much of a problem in Roanoke especially compared to other parts of the southeast like the Low Country in SC.

The windchill would be my biggest concern as well. I looked at some old posts on Roanoke, and there was this was a Virginia Tech grad who posted on living in Roanoke a few years ago, and he complained a lot about the wind in Roanoke. I thougth he said it would almost knock him over at times. LOL

Asheville is probably too touristy, and it clearly much more expensive to live there than Roanoke. Roanoke seems more like a real city with some corporate buildigns downtown, just a little more modern I think.

You could consider Greenville SC as an alternative to Asheville, it is just 45 minutes south of Asheville, it is much more affordable, and a better downtown area in my opinion, plus a lot more jobs. Roanoke seems more like a smaller version of Greenville than similar to Asheville.

[Watchful]

We moved here late June and I hear no one complaining about the wind or mosquitoes.

This summer they are complaining about the rain, but it is an unusually wet summer.

People do complain periodically about the humidity, but having moved here from the Houston TX area, you can be sure it doesn't seem unusually humid to me!

It is a definite four season climate - which we happen to enjoy!

Asheville definitely has a higher altitude (2100 ft. compared to ~900 ft. for Roanoke) so I think there will be not quite so much of the "mountain air" experience here - and my impression is that Asheville has somewhat cooler summers and definitely colder winters.

It was in researching Asheville, that we learned more about Roanoke and we basically came to the conclusion that while Asheville might be a (slightly) better tourist destination, Roanoke was a (significantly) better place to settle! So here we are.

[roanoker 4]

I have never noticed the wind as being an issue in Roanoke. If anyone has visited California I know there it is difficult to stand up at times. The mountains here seem to shelter the valley from extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes, tornadoes. Our biggest issue with weather is flooding. The continued rain this summer has caused some minor problems but it is hoped the flood control project has helped. I also don't notice mosquitoes since I don't live near water, but I am sure in hot summers they are out there. The temperatures around here can be cooler in summer due to higher elevations such as Roanoke may be 10 degrees warmer than Blacksburg or Hot Springs. Roanoke is 1,000 feet about sea level.

[CABQ]

Ah HA! It was a couple months ago I had researched digging through old posts like I said. And today I just had a niggling to go post and ask about skeeters and wind.

I appreciate all the responses thus far.

So therefore winter is a no big deal, it isn't the windy city of VA.

And if you go outside, you are not attacked by skeeters, and you aren't smacking your ears in the middle of the night.

Okay, here is a scenario, you have to take your dog outside in the dark either late at night this summer or early morning. Are you getting swarmed then?

Here is hoping you get enough and not more rain.

[Watchful]

When we walk late, it is more apt to be gnats. I actually expected more mosquitoes considering all the rain!

[Watchful]

There is a dog park section at Highland Park near downtown.

[headnsouth]

We have mosquitos but no more than anywhere else I've lived. Wind is a non-issue. Very dog-friendly place to live.

[Lucky_Town]

Insects are not a big deal.

We are not known to have high winds. We could use a little more in the summer.

Sometimes we get bad droughts in the summer. Around the year 2000 it was bad.

For the last week or so it has been windy, I'll give you that.