Towns around Roanoke?

[jmelts]

Check out Blacksburg--about a 40 minute drive. It is a University town (Virginia Tech), and as such has the amenities (cultural, civic, diversity) that come with a large school. Our publlic schools are excellent (the HS was ranked in the US World and Report top 100)
Very friendly and tolerant, close to AT and plenty of hiking and outdoor opportunities. Look at a voting map and see how we are a dot of blue in an otherwise red sea of VA!

[seanpecor]

Originally Posted by jmelts

Look at a voting map and see how we are a dot of blue in an otherwise red sea of VA!

I loved almost everything about Blacksburg when I lived there but ultimately I opted for country life just south of Roanoke over living in the big town of Blacksburg. Driving 45-50 minutes to Roanoke from Blacksburg to get to a symphony, a ballet, a broadway play, a stadium concert, got us thinking about moving closer to Roanoke. I'm glad we did. But I think Roanoke and Blacksburg are too distinctly different experiences, and Blacksburg does have that slower pace feel of a sleepy town combined with the vitality of a college town. So if you can find work there and don't mind being 40 minutes from the Roanoke Airport and other metro area vibrance and convenience then it's such a nice town to live in.

I drove through Blacksburg recently on my way to an entrepreneurial event in Dr. Neck's class that was organized by the city of Roanoke. I noticed that there were alot more vacant storefronts on Main Street in Blacksburg. It's sad to see such a neat little downtown struggling to keep up with the growing retail offerings in Christiansburg. I hope they can turn it around.

Sean

[Ridgerunner]

Griffis: A good choice for you might be Salem (25,000 pop.), next door to Roanoke. Roanoke College is there. Hollins (14,000) with Hollins Univ. is also nearby. Bedford and Rocky Mount are nice towns that are farther away but possibly too small for your taste. Christiansburg (18,000) is barely outside the 30-mile radius but is within 10 miles or so of both Radford Univ. and Va. Tech. You would be commuting on I-81. Compared to places you've lived, the traffic would be a breeze. But housing costs are higher in the college towns.