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10-27-2006, 03:57 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 2006
232 posts, read 430,149 times
Reputation: 118
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If you are in the healthcare industry, Roanoke is an absolutely wonderful area in my opinion. The quality of life there is outstanding, regardless of what some may say. It is a terrific place to raise a family. There are areas inside the city that can give you a somewhat urban feel and areas outside that range from suburban to rural and all are within a reasonable drive to downtown. The only knock I have on the place is it's employment situation. As I had stated before, healthcare, human services, and manufacturing are the bulk of the job base in the region. Not being in any of those industries, my wife and I found it very difficult to find the right job. I personally like areas such as Salem, Roanoke County, Catawba (Beautiful area in North County), Botetourt County... many other areas that I found very attractive. Please don't let any of the naysayers affect your opinion of the area. The biggest problem (and it is a big problem) is the economics of the area. It is such a liveable area though. It has okay shopping (I hate shopping, so okay is fine with me), a decent restaurant scene, a few minor league sports teams, a good entertainment venue in the Roanoke Civic Center, a zoo (small, nothing special), tremendous outdoor recreation (lakes, mountians, trails), a fairly reasonable amount of things for kids to do, and outstanding schools.
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10-30-2006, 10:07 AM
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Member
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: East TN
61 posts, read 74,253 times
Reputation: 36
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What about camping and fishing? Not in the city but youknow in the rural areas? We LOVE camping, swimming, fishing, and we don't really need an official camp ground. We have no problem throwing up a tent anywhere's near a body of water in the woods, hehe.
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10-30-2006, 03:20 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Bedford County, Va.
193 posts, read 236,065 times
Reputation: 72
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DivaLicious
What about camping and fishing? Not in the city but youknow in the rural areas? We LOVE camping, swimming, fishing, and we don't really need an official camp ground. We have no problem throwing up a tent anywhere's near a body of water in the woods, hehe.
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There's enough to keep you occupied for years -- and even a lifetime! Washington National Forest and Jefferson NF are right near Roanoke. There's lots of hiking and trail camping to be done there. Plus they allow pets, so feel free to bring a canine buddy with you.  Shenanoah National Park isn't far away either, and I love that place. I've made the drive there from the coast a couple of times, and that park never lets me down. There's so much to see there.
Plus, the Appalachian Trail runs next to Roanoke. My fiancee's dad lives at Smith Mountain Lake (about 45 minutes southeast of Roanoke) and the fishing there is wonderful. And there's a state park right on its shores.
This is one of those posts that could go on and on. The outdoors is for me the No. 1 reason I'm planning to move to the Roanoke area. Take a look online, and you'll likely find an abundance of places to visit.
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10-30-2006, 03:49 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: East TN
61 posts, read 74,253 times
Reputation: 36
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Coolbeans Papertrail! I can't wait. Me and my fiance are in similar situations as you and yours. We wanna move there in the spring and HOPEFULLY, if we get the right jobs get married and start a life there. I love the beauty of East TN where we are now and I hope it's just as pretty there. I LOVE Moutains and when we pasted Roanoke on 81 this summer, it seemed pretty Mountainous (is that a word?). There are many reasons we want to leave TN and we've been considering Roanoke for a while now. We hope to find a place outside of Roanoke and not right in the city because I'm a country girl, LOL! We LOVE outdoor activities too!
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10-30-2006, 04:20 PM
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Charter Member - Moderator
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Join Date: Mar 2006
8,571 posts, read 5,700,002 times
Reputation: 4413
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Well, lets keep this going....once you run out of places to visit as recommended by PaperTrail, there's the Blue Ridge Parkway that runs for another couple hundred miles....at which time you head west in the Great Smoky Mountains, full of wilderness....
The New River Canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of the east, truly amazing beauty.
A little further afield is Asheville, NC, where there is stunning whitewater rafting and such.
The list just goes on and on and on......
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10-30-2006, 08:41 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Aug 2006
73 posts, read 123,738 times
Reputation: 57
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Ha, Diva, you sound like me! I'm PaperTrail's fiancee, and I'm just itching to move home. For us, it will likely be next summer. I'm bummed about suffering through another winter here at the Beach -- sure, it's not as cold, but then again, there's ZERO beauty here in the winter. And I'm totally bummed about missing the leaves changing color, b/c that doesn't really happen here.
I'm a country girl too -- we plan to buy some property outside Roanoke, maybe in Botetourt County or Salem, and have a mini farm. And yes -- that area is pretty mountainous. Roanoke itself is a valley (hence the term "Roanoke Valley"  ).
I grew up about an hour south of Roanoke, and amazingly enough, I've never been to lots of places that are fascinating to me now. Such as the New River Canyon, which MikefromBackEast mentioned. I did visit Natural Bridge once, when I was a kid, and I'd like to see that again. If you get a chance, you should go to Hot Springs or Warm Springs, Va. Those towns are breathtaking. The Homestead Resort is there, and if you have lots of money to throw around, it's amazing!
But as for a place to move to, settle down and grow some roots, the rural areas outside Roanoke will be it for me! I hope you find the same.
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10-30-2006, 10:06 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2006
284 posts, read 340,760 times
Reputation: 136
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PaperTrail
There's enough to keep you occupied for years -- and even a lifetime! Washington National Forest and Jefferson NF are right near Roanoke. There's lots of hiking and trail camping to be done there. Plus they allow pets, so feel free to bring a canine buddy with you. Shenanoah National Park isn't far away either, and I love that place. I've made the drive there from the coast a couple of times, and that park never lets me down. There's so much to see there.
Plus, the Appalachian Trail runs next to Roanoke. My fiancee's dad lives at Smith Mountain Lake (about 45 minutes southeast of Roanoke) and the fishing there is wonderful. And there's a state park right on its shores.
This is one of those posts that could go on and on. The outdoors is for me the No. 1 reason I'm planning to move to the Roanoke area. Take a look online, and you'll likely find an abundance of places to visit. |
Sounds great! Roanoke is one of 3 or 4 places my family hopes to relocate to in the next few months. Will have to go where the job is, though.
Anyway, the outdoors areas and large nearby parks sound verrrry appealing.
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10-31-2006, 07:47 AM
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Member
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: East TN
61 posts, read 74,253 times
Reputation: 36
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We are in the Smokies, hehe so I know how beautiful it is here. I can't wait til we can visit Roanoke and it sounds like we are going to be happy there. We had considered it a year ago and then changed our mind and was actually considering a differnt county in East TN or even NC, but I am thinking VA is where we want to be.
Ryleigh, I hope you liked the pictures!!! |
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11-02-2006, 10:06 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Prospect, KY
1,522 posts, read 1,792,769 times
Reputation: 755
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Wow - I tried to post a link here but it isn't showing up...it is about the 12 police officers indicted for racketeering in Roanoke. |
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11-02-2006, 08:08 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: East TN
61 posts, read 74,253 times
Reputation: 36
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Best they get rid of the bad cops before I get there! LOL! |
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