Roanoke top ten place to find a job in the south?

[Gardner222]

Agreed 100%. Roanoke is more in line with Asheville and Charlottesville. It wants to remain smallish, attract the upscale
cater to more professionals continues to be a wish. Different strokes for different folks. Roanoke is Roanoke and the vibe
here is we are not apologetic for being unique.

[Anita Lebeck]

Well, the last few posts were pretty eye-opening. So tell me, since it isn't in Roanoke, or in Charlottesville (both which seem to be nice sized areas), are there any places in Virginia near the mountains that ARE good for employment?

[Watchful]

Originally Posted by Anita Lebeck

Well, the last few posts were pretty eye-opening. So tell me, since it isn't in Roanoke, or in Charlottesville (both which seem to be nice sized areas), are there any places in Virginia near the mountains that ARE good for employment?

Despite the negative vibe of a few posts here, in light of what you wrote earlier:

>>>I am in insurance halfway thru school in Healthcare management, and my husband is a delivery driver in school for motorcycle repair. <<<

I am still thinking Roanoke could be a good fit for you.

You could easily find jobs in the DC suburbs too within an hour's drive of the mountains, but I'm guessing that would not be what you're aiming for!

Good luck.

[Watchful]

There was a very interesting article that highlights the national "bind" we are in - the parts of the country where there is the MOST upward mobility are the places where housing and cost of living expenses are way high.

The parts of the country where housing and cost of living are very affordable offer very very little upward mobility.

Roanoke does not fall to either extreme, but it is hard to build the critical mass that you would find in a DC, a Charlotte or an Atlanta.

The article is worth a peek...very interesting stuff.

Why It's So Hard for Millennials to Find a Place to Live and Work - The Atlantic

It mentions three metro areas that are "outliers" in that they are still relatively affordable but do offer a good degree of upward mobility - Pittsburgh, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, and Salt Lake City.

Moving here from Texas, honestly one thing I do see that is different is perhaps a spillover from years of depressed economy in Appalachia, a sort of Anglo "permanent underclass" - where kids have a hard time "breaking out" - that was not nearly so apparent in the parts of Texas where I lived. Some of the social struggles we deal with here in Roanoke are likely connected in some way, and certainly likely connected to some of NomadStephanie's rough time here.

I am still learning.

[Anita Lebeck]

Watchful, you are awesome!! Your posts are so helpful, I really appreciate you taking the time to help. I am visiting the Salem/Roanoke area late June - first time there so I am really excited!! I was watching the live streaming news from WSLS on my phone this morning, and they did admit that Roanoke has had a slower recovery coming back from 2008, BUT that is was basically a numbers game because they were not hit as hard as most of the state in the first place. So I guess statistics are not everything. Now, being here in Michigan about 30 minutes east of Detroit, we got it pretty bad. But I am optimistic that as long as I find employment before I move, things should work out.