Best places to live in roanoke (Norfolk, Blacksburg: environment, relocating, real estate)

[Thankheaven]

Originally Posted by ethcd

My family moved to Botetourt County 2 years ago. I have two children ages 9 and 13 as well. We have been very pleased with the schools. They are very good. Everyone raves about sw roanoke schools but Botetourt definately competes. Not to mention the views. My neighborhood is fantastic, the mountain views are incredible! Most neighbors are not from here either and we all have cookouts and are each others "family"! Everyone is friendly, the kids will not be picked on for being from NJ.

I am so glad to hear this. Did you move from another state as well? Thanks for the info. it helped.

[Thankheaven]

Originally Posted by j1n

There are a lot of pleasant things about the Roanoke area. There are also a lot of unpleasant things that you may initially overlook. Once the excitement of the move and the novelty of the new area have worn off, you may notice a lot of things that may or may not "jive" with you. The "adjustment" is getting harder the longer I am here...if that makes sense? The longer I am here, the more I find myself shaking my head at things that I see. But that's just me and my .02. Everyone's experiences will differ.

Hi j1n,

I understand what you are saying. Are you sorry now that you made the move? A few other people replied to me to say that they also moved down south and now they either moved back to Jersey or are looking to come back. They said that the grass is not always greener on the other side. I am sure that if it does happen the "Newness" will wear off. I was just taken back by the beauty of Roanoke, plus having family closer which is a real big plus. Thanks again, always happy to hear new ideas.

[ethcd]

Originally Posted by Thankheaven

I am so glad to hear this. Did you move from another state as well? Thanks for the info. it helped.

We moved from Alabama. I have neighbors from California, Florida, Chicago, Maryland, etc. We are a very diverse neighborhood! HA! They all also have children who are very happy here. My kids adjusted very well as did all of theirs.

Let me know if you have any more questions, I'd be happy to help since our kids are the same age.

We are actually about to move again for my husbands job. My house is for sale if your interested in the BEST neighborhood on earth!!

[j1n]

Originally Posted by Thankheaven

Hi j1n,

I understand what you are saying. Are you sorry now that you made the move? A few other people replied to me to say that they also moved down south and now they either moved back to Jersey or are looking to come back. They said that the grass is not always greener on the other side. I am sure that if it does happen the "Newness" will wear off. I was just taken back by the beauty of Roanoke, plus having family closer which is a real big plus. Thanks again, always happy to hear new ideas.

I'm not sorry that we made the move, because we needed to do it...to finally break away from NJ. But I don't think we are going to stay here. We are not going back to Jersey though! That would be madness.

[Thankheaven]

Originally Posted by j1n

I'm not sorry that we made the move, because we needed to do it...to finally break away from NJ. But I don't think we are going to stay here. We are not going back to Jersey though! That would be madness.

Hi, without going into to much of your personal business, is there anything that you can tell me about what you really don't like. Like you said, the newness wore off so now you may be seeing the down side about living there. Thanks.

[j1n]

Originally Posted by Thankheaven

Hi, without going into to much of your personal business, is there anything that you can tell me about what you really don't like. Like you said, the newness wore off so now you may be seeing the down side about living there. Thanks.

Sure, no worries. At first, I was really happy about the "outdoors" stuff all around...mountains, etc. I am really frustrated that, most of the time, if you have a chance to just stand and look out over the mountains...you'll notice that many of the hills have this "reverse mohawk" thing cut into/over them to run power lines through. That, or they are viewed as just a high point to slap a cell tower on. In many mountainous areas, folks live there because of the mountains...to take advantage of the outdoors...hiking, camping, etc. I get the distinct impression that many folks live here despite the mountains...like they don't appreciate them. Many beautiful areas are marred by ridiculous amounts of trash, old washing machines tumbled down mountainsides, etc. There's also not a very "green" sensibility here. That may be something that many folks couldn't care less about, but not me. I want to live somewhere where folks care about the (and their!) environment...and where the towns/gov't makes real efforts to implement sustainability and recycling options, etc. Here, if you have an old tire...just roll it down a hillside into the woods.
There is also an old, closed-mouth, closed-minded, deep-rooted redneck culture. It manifests itself in some positive ways like farmers markets, farms, etc. But it also shows up in some ugly, ignorant, backwards ways as well. And as much as I love our kids being around the natural side of things...local produce, animals, etc, I can see that the ugly and backward stuff is all around them as well.

[Thankheaven]

Originally Posted by j1n

Sure, no worries. At first, I was really happy about the "outdoors" stuff all around...mountains, etc. I am really frustrated that, most of the time, if you have a chance to just stand and look out over the mountains...you'll notice that many of the hills have this "reverse mohawk" thing cut into/over them to run power lines through. That, or they are viewed as just a high point to slap a cell tower on. In many mountainous areas, folks live there because of the mountains...to take advantage of the outdoors...hiking, camping, etc. I get the distinct impression that many folks live here despite the mountains...like they don't appreciate them. Many beautiful areas are marred by ridiculous amounts of trash, old washing machines tumbled down mountainsides, etc. There's also not a very "green" sensibility here. That may be something that many folks couldn't care less about, but not me. I want to live somewhere where folks care about the (and their!) environment...and where the towns/gov't makes real efforts to implement sustainability and recycling options, etc. Here, if you have an old tire...just roll it down a hillside into the woods.
There is also an old, closed-mouth, closed-minded, deep-rooted redneck culture. It manifests itself in some positive ways like farmers markets, farms, etc. But it also shows up in some ugly, ignorant, backwards ways as well. And as much as I love our kids being around the natural side of things...local produce, animals, etc, I can see that the ugly backward stuff is all around them as well.

What I was worried about moving out there actually was all in the last part of your paragraph. I may need to think twice about this. Thanks again.

[PaperTrail]

j1n,
I would love to pick your brain more thoroughly about your 180 degree turnaround in feelings toward the Roanoke area. It seemed like just a few weeks ago, you couldn't say enough good things about this place, but now....

From your last post, I definitely understand parts of where you're coming from. I have seen the old tires and other junk along some of the roads, and that saddens me. But this is the least offensive area I've ever lived in in that regard. I'm probably lucky that I haven't really run smack-dab into the redneck culture that is occassionally mentioned on these message boards. However, I've always believed that that kind of mentality would be easier to digest than the bass-thumping "high-school heroes" I've encountered living in most cities.

The one point that I'll back you up on is that people do seem to live here "despite" the mountains, while the mountains are the very reason I moved here. But, I will also say, I think this mentality primarily manifests itself among the residents of Roanoke city. (Not to say that all of them are like that; it just seems most prominent there.) And those are often people who have lived in this general region for years and years -- if not their whole lives. Most of the folks who I've met in the surrounding areas, even those who don't have much money, seem to have a much deeper respect for the mountains and the land in general.

One anecdote that strikes me is the time I stopped to take a photo of the the Peaks of Otter from a spot near my house. Two guys were standing nearby, one was stringing a bow. They were not wealthy people, just to point out. I took a few photos, and one of the guys piped up and said, "A million dollar view, isn't it?" I smiled hestitantly and agreed. He then pointed toward the field before us, out the house where he grew up about a mile from Sharp Top. He talked about the fun he had growing up. He talked about how he'd never want to leave. He talked about the area with such appreciation and admiration. And as stupid as I felt being a transplanted "newbie" to the county by taking photos, he helped me feel like I had chosen the right place call home.

[Thankheaven]

Papertrail,

So glad to hear you never encountered the redneck mentality. I will just have to go with my gut feeling on this whole moving to Roanoke idea. Every one does have their own opinion and every situation is different. Thanks for any input.

[j1n]

There are absolutely a lot of good reasons to live here. I don't dispute that. It is a whole lot less expensive than many other places, and I think that's a big drawing point. It also hasn't yet turned the corner to become the next Asheville or wherever.
But the longer I am here, the more I find myself shaking my head about things that I see, attitudes that I encounter, etc. Like I told Thankheaven, It's just my .02. The redneck stuff, ignorance, etc is really getting to me. I've had some situations happen recently to myself and my family (against myself and my family) that have really turned me off to this area.
If I lived in Roanoke city, and never left the city limits, I might be able to put on blinders to shield me from what I see outside of it. Or if I was wealthy enough to insulate myself out in the country somewhere, I also might be able to overlook a lot of it. But I don't really want to be trapped in either situation.
As to the city bass thumping...
No...I don't want my kids to turn into that...or run around with that. But in all our time living with that all around up north, you know what?
My daughter never came home from school and asked what a "ni**er" was.
Before here, I never had to sit through a presentation at the elementary school on internet predators, by the local DARE officer, where she referred to an internet blog as a "biog".
Last week, my daughter said something like "...ain't got no" or something like that.
The list goes on.
I'm over it.