What's it like living in Roanoke? (Richmond, Blacksburg: 2010, insurance, homes)

[StuckPA]

Originally Posted by Steven2149

the redskins suck and are an embarassment to the city of D.C. (Haha... just kidding).

That's something I did notice when living in Roanoke,folks seemed to be split on which team they liked-the 'Deadskins' as they called 'em or the Panthers. To alot of them I think Washington was more of a 'northern' team so they sided with Carolina of course,as did I

[StuckPA]

Originally Posted by copyguy

I was through Staunton last year and I loved the small town feel there. It's very peaceful and quaint.

As are most towns along the I-81 corridor along the Blue Ridge there. I liked Winchester,Harrisonburg and there's Lexington also.

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by StuckPA

As are most towns along the I-81 corridor along the Blue Ridge there. I liked Winchester,Harrisonburg and there's Lexington also.

Somewhere I read that the I-81 corridor was extremely congested and a pain in the neck. From what I read about air quality for towns near it, it isn't very good. What do you think?

Air quality is very important to me hence, I'm searching for a place away from the pollution of any city.

[StuckPA]

Don't believe everything you read. I drove up and down that highway many times and never saw a problem.
As far as any congestion,maybe...maybe Roanoke and south around Christiansburg at rush hour there may have been a smidge,but I'm from NJ and I Know congestion!
As for the pollution,never heard that. I'm not sure there are many factories or anything around there. Maybe from truck traffic or something. Or maybe because some of those towns are in valleys along the mountains. There's Shenandoah Valley,Roanoke Valley and New River Valley so maybe.

[Steven2149]

Haha, it's funny how people around there complain about traffic congestion. Roanoke is not, I repeat.. IS NOT congested. It is the largest city along the i-81 corridor. There are no traffic problems to speak of. Some areas get a little busy and might back up for a brief while around rush hour. The biggest problem along 81 in the Roanoke area is due to the very large proportion of tractor trailers using the road. There is justification for widening 81 in my opinion for a large portion of that area.. probably Montgomery County, Roanoke County and even further north. Unfortunately, Va doesn't seem to side with me on that one, hehe. Wrecks along 81 tend to cause pretty bad backups, due to the limited number of lanes. The good thing is that it doesn't happen very often. As many of you know, I live in Atlanta now and can say with 100 percent certaintly, that Roanoke does not have traffic problems. The air isn't bad there. It may not be clean like Montana or Wyoming, but it isn't a problem to the extent that you look out on the morning or afternoon and see smog and haze.

[Erin1264]

Skipstone -

We just bought a home in Botetourt County, right over the county line near Read Mountain/Cloverdale area. We love it! Our neighbors are welcoming and friendly and many people are out walking on our street all the time.

We found the property taxes to be quite high in Salem, Vinton and Roanoke City and Botetourt was much lower. The county is huge and beautiful! We are located in an area that is very convenient to downtown, the airport and I-81, so commuting and other travel is easy.

Botetourt is growing immensely - lots of building going on and people moving in. The realtors will tell you that Southwest County is "the place to be." While that area is beautiful too, Botetourt has been publicized as having a lot of growth recently. It is sad to see the farmland and orchard land being built on, so it all depends on what you want.

There seems to always be something to do in the area and we've enjoyed exploring the local landscape by hiking the local trails and portions of the Appalacian Trail.

PM me if you want more information!

Erin

[I_Brennus]

I used to live in Botetourt county in Buchannon. If you like mountain trails, I know a great one. If you are entering Buchannon from the direction of Troutville there is a gas station on the right with a road leading up into the mountains (I think that area is called cherry hill by the locals). keep following that road up and up and up... and eventually the road peters out into a trail that goes below the Blue Ridge parkway and through the mountains. I followed it all the way and came out in a place called Montvale if I recall correctly. It's been many years so I don't know what condition the trail is in now but it was truly beautiful.

[joee]

Ive been to wv,nc,tn, but never to virginia except going thru there on I 77 in the middle of the night.
spent the night in wytheville, got up next mourn & ask around if there was anything to do in the area & was looked at like i was nuts, told nothing to do at all so i just headed on out to tn and nc.

so anyway i hear all kinds of stories on roanoke, "when it snows it snows big time, the wind in roanoke is bad 24/7, I 81 shuts down in the snow, the outlying areas are allmost impossible to run in bad weather due to the terrain.

somebody give me the right scoop on roanoke (general area) will you.

[Steven2149]

Well, from some people's perspective, there may not be *A LOT* to do in sw va. From other's it is just right.... it is all about what a person needs and wants. Winter storms can tend to get a bit ugly and the wind can be nasty, but none are monstrous and the wind isn't 24/7. I-81 only shuts down when it is really bad... VDOT really gets to work on all the roadways. Some, not most areas are worse than others. These tend to be the less populated areas.

[Erin1264]

Joee,

I'm new to the area and have lived here since July so I haven't been through winter yet.

But being a native New Englander, I was concerned about the snow and ice with the steep, windy roads and driveways around here!

I'm told that when it snows, it's gone by the afternoon or the next day; and snow removal is good. I haven't experienced a lot of wind yet.

Maybe I'll have to post later at the end of winter to do a follow-up.

Maybe a native can chime in!