Relocating to Roanoke ?

[coolasamoose]

Originally Posted by happygal0000

Hi there,
While you will lose some of the architectural charm, SW Co is better for raising kids; and you can always drive downtown or the Grandin Rd area.

First, corkdork, welcome to Roanoke! Wherever you choose to live, I'm sure you will enjoy life in this beautiful area and find it a great place for raising kids.

Since Sean had mentioned that you may find Raleigh Court to your liking, I thought I'd provide some input. My wife and I recently moved to Raleigh Court and chose the area for several reasons. The old neighborhoods are absolutely beautiful, we can walk to the Grandin Village which has a movie theater, restaurants, an old fashioned ice cream parlor, and other stores. The city's greenway system of trails that wind through and around the city continues to grow and will eventually come even closer to our neighborhood. There are several parks near our house, and outside of our short commutes to work, we rarely use a car. My wife can take the bus to work if she chooses and we are a five minute drive from beautiful downtown Roanoke. On our street alone there are several families with children. These were some of the things that we were hoping to find in a place to live and start a family and consider ourselves lucky to be here.

The following is based on conversations I've had with folks in the neighborhood as my child has not yet begun school. Maybe someone reading this can add some input on the schools in Raleigh Court. The city of Roanoke has an extremely diverse population, both culturally and economically, a challenge for any school system but also a quality that makes the city appealing for us. I do not disagree that many Roanoke city schools are not performing well at the present time and for sure this is one unfortunate reason that families move out of the city, send their children to private school, or never move here at all. If you have the luxury of time and find that Raleigh Court offers what you are looking for, I encourage you to talk to families in the area. You will find many families with children who are pleased with the education their children are receiving. To judge Roanoke City Schools as a whole based on test scores (a faulty measure in itself), while ignoring the accomplishments of individual schools and the successes of many of its students is unfair. You may find that the city is exactly where you want to raise your children.

Good luck in your search and feel good knowing that whether you choose the city of Roanoke, Roanoke County, Franklin County, or anywhere else nearby, you'll find good people and a great place to live.

[happygal0000]

Originally Posted by kaptn35

Is North Cross a private school???? I looked at the website and it has tuition per yearly fee's.

Hi there,

Yes, North Cross is a private school. But the public schools in SW county are just as good, if not better (but don't tell Sean, he'll take me to task). The class sizes in the elem. schools are small (20:1) and a little larger in the middle schools and high schools.

As I've said before, if you look in the 24018 zipcode, you should be fine. Some of the 24018 area incorporates Bent Mountain and may be too rural for you, but there's still plenty to choose from that aren't up the mountain.

Good luck in your search. Let me know if you have any other questions.

happygal0000

[happygal0000]

["To judge Roanoke City Schools as a whole based on test scores (a faulty measure in itself), while ignoring the accomplishments of individual schools and the successes of many of its students is unfair. You may find that the city is exactly where you want to raise your children[/quote]

Hi Coolasamoose,

I'm glad you mentioned this about the city schools. We looked long and hard at buying in the city (and may move into the city once our children have graduated, for many of the reasons you listed). My husband and I grew up in big cities and loved them. We were being transferred from a smaller Virginia town (not a good fit for us) to Roanoke, so we really thought we wanted to go back to living in the city.

Since we had a year to find a house, we visited every elementary, middle, and high school in the valley -- Roanoke city, Roanoke county, Vinton, Salem (what a job that was). Ultimately, though, SW county won out...and not for any of the reasons we loved the city. Strange, huh?

When we moved here, most of our children were young and many of the elementary schools in the city were wonderful, but when we checked out the middle schools and high schools, we were VERY disappointed. There seemed to be an awful lot of racial division and security problems (fights and drugs, to name a couple). While SW county doesn't have as much racial division because there isn't much racial diversity (a problem in itself), there isn't much fighting (my children aren't afraid of getting beat up nor does there seem to be evidence of physical bullying like in the city schools) and there is a lot of parent participation in the SW county schools. We finally came to the conclusion: why pick a good school when we can pick a great school?

The SW County school PTA/PTSAs are very active and provide lots of "extras" for the schools (computers, computer programs, after-school programs, playground equipment, school supplies, etc). That is something my husband and I really believe in: getting involved with our children's education/school and we found many parents here in SW Co. who have that same mind-set. It was nice to have too many volunteers instead of "those same five women" running everything!

Occasionally, I still regret not getting a house in the city. Some Sundays I will go to real estate open houses in the Old SW area and Grandin Road and get my "charming house" and "delightful neighborhood" fix!

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I would recommend city schools if your children are young (pre-school, elementary) but I would compare city vs county schools if you have any children who are older, or if you plan to stay in your home for the length of your child's school years. We moved here when our oldest was in middle school and our experience is that it's been much easier for the littler ones who have had the same friends since kindergarten. The kids here (and, for the most part, adults, too, but that's a subject for another day) socialize with those they know, whether through school, church, or extra-curricular activities like sports.

Unlike in the more transient big cities, most people here stay in the same house (or at least the same school district) for all their children's school lives. There are always kids who move in or out (that's life) but the "new kids" will have a harder time finding friends in middle school and high school because lives here in Roanoke are so insular. Middle schoolers and high schoolers don't intend to be mean; they are just typically selfish and self-centered teenagers who live in a small town and have had the same friends all their lives; they don't need new friends and don't even think about making the new kids feel welcome or included.

Well, that's my input for today. Thanks again for making a pitch for the city, it is all the things you describe!
happygal0000

[red123soccer]

happygal,

Thanks for all the info you've been posting - I asked a question in another thread, but is seems you guys have moved over here! My husband has started a job already in Roanoke and the kids and I will be coming for good in July after school lets out. My son will be starting Middle School and your comments about "new kids" having a hard time fitting in has me concerned. Can you give me some good ideas of ways for him to meet friends over the summer before school starts. Is there a place all the kids go (besides the beach!) He's an avid soccer player and we all love the outdoors. I'd like him to know a few people before school starts. My daughter will be in 4th grade, but she's a lot more outgoing and tends to make friends easier. What do you know about the magnet schools in the city? Do they seem to have the same problems as the other city schools? I'm interested in the IB schools and the Aerospace school. My son loves science!

We're looking in the SW county area, but the taxes are scaring me! We want to rent for a year to decide, but still need to rent in the general area where we think we want to live because of the kids and school. Compared to where I am (Cary,NC) the prices seem steep for what you get and the taxes are unbelievable. I thought we'd be looking at more house for the money there than you get here, but it's really about the same. Thanks for any help!

[Jelleigh]

I've been reading through the responses...my family may relocate to the Roanoke area in the upcoming year-haven't decided yet. Have lived in the PA area all our lives and so it would be a somewhat difficult move. Although I must say we visit VA often and love it wherever we have stayed. It sounds like Sean, you really like Rocky Mount and the size is desireable, similar to where we are now. We really like the small side of things and yet for my work I would need to get into the city in a reasonable time (would like 40 min or less preferably). We are also concerned about good school districts...any thoughts there?

Any thoughts on counties/towns north of Roanoke (Allegheny or Rockbridge Co)?
Trying to gather as much information as possible...Our daughter rides horses and so we really prefer to live in a more country setting yet have the access to a small town for regular stuff, things for kids to do, good schools, church stuff, you know-the community feel of things with good neighbors and ability to make good friends with down to earth people. Thanks for any input!

[seanpecor]

I don't know much about Allegheny County. Rockbridge County might work well for you. For me, it's a bit too rural and distant from a large enough metro area. That is the Lexington area, which is nice from a retirement perspective, but I'm not altogether sure its as well suited to young adults as the Roanoke area is. But it's a pretty area.

Rocky Mount is fairly unique in this part of Virginia in that it is quite close to a great little city (~ 20-35 minutes) yet it offers a number of in-town conveniences uncommon to small towns. To get something similar you might have to head further SW into the Abingdon area.

Sean