Crime in Roanoke? (Franklin, Lexington, Blue Ridge: low crime, house, neighborhoods) - Virginia (VA) -Roanoke - Salem area - City-Data Forum

kubbs17 · 03-20-2007, 11:08 AM

Hello!

My wife and I are considering a move to Roanoke (job offer). The town looks beautiful, as do the surrounding areas. Everything looks great about the city, except one thing...the high murder/crime rates.

Do people feel safe in Roanoke? Is it safe to be out at night? We come from St. Cloud, Mn where there are relatively low crime rates (more than half of what it is in Roanoke). Is there a lot of gang activity? Is it a safe, nice place to raise a family? Is it safer to live in the suburbs?

Thank you so much!

starcity · 03-20-2007, 01:01 PM

roanoke is an awesome place to raise a family. a little too religous for my taste but none the less it is a great place for kids.

duff30329 · 03-20-2007, 01:23 PM

Criminals in Roanoke get a pass from the liberal establishment. Instead of punishment/prison they get " rehabilitated'. LIberals go along with the theory all life is worth saving. Ted Bundy, in Roanoke, would have been under house arrest and a years probation instaed of being executed as he was in Florida.
Otherwise, Roanoke is close to the Blue Ridge parkway and I-81 will take you to the greatest little ol' village-anywhere! That would be Lexington, Va.
A college town, Wash&Lee univ, VMI....that would be my choice if I had my druthers.

Erin1264 · 03-20-2007, 01:27 PM

There was a lot of talk in the city when that crime report came out.

The reporting of small city crime is different from big city crime. The type of crime that is getting reported may be different from those in big cities. Also murder rate is calculated using population and being a small city, the rate can get inflated with very few murders.

I work downtown and feel safe. I wouldn't walk around alone at night, however. But that is the case for most cities I think.

Don't let the crime rate deter you! People in general don't really believe it or let it bother them.

seanpecor · 03-20-2007, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kubbs17

Do people feel safe in Roanoke? Is it safe to be out at night? We come from St. Cloud, Mn where there are relatively low crime rates (more than half of what it is in Roanoke). Is there a lot of gang activity? Is it a safe, nice place to raise a family? Is it safer to live in the suburbs?

The Roanoke metro area is very large by land size and, to be frank, I'd have to say the vast majority of violent crime is concentrated in very small urban areas within the Roanoke city limits (postage stamp sized area relative to the entire metro area sq mile size). These areas have socio-economic challenges. The rest of the city and the surrounding counties are comfortably safe. I'd feel quite safe walking most neighborhood streets throughout the metro area, with a few obvious exceptions. A realtor would be able to tell you which areas to avoid, and which are up 'n coming, and which are currently quite safe.

There is gang activity in Roanoke. There is gang activity in every city in the country. It's a small problem in Roanoke in that Roanoke is a small city. Gangs aren't over-represented in Roanoke and I wouldn't consider it an issue to affect relocation.

I'd suggest if you are concerned with crime and violence, that a sensible approach would be to live in Roanoke, Franklin or Botetourt counties. You can get a short commute into Roanoke from any of those counties and enjoy suburban / small town living. With that said, there are just some really, really beautiful neighborhoods within city limits, that I would consider very safe. And with homes that start around $140K or so.

I live in Franklin County just south of Roanoke, and we frequent Roanoke daily, if you have specific questions I'd be glad to help here publicly or by PM.

Cheers,

Sean

seanpecor · 03-20-2007, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starcity

roanoke is an awesome place to raise a family. a little too religous for my taste but none the less it is a great place for kids.

You're going to hell for saying that.

Just kidding. I'm an athiest, I have no idea where you're going

Sean

kubbs17 · 03-21-2007, 08:58 AM

Thank you everyone for responding. Your responses are very helpful. If anyone has anything else to offer on this subject, I would love to hear it.

snowlandcook · 03-21-2007, 09:47 AM

How well are people with a "northern" accent accepted in VA?

Erin1264 · 03-21-2007, 12:54 PM

Just fine!

I have one, or rather, I have no accent (Northern or Southern) so people often try to figure out where I'm from! But it's all in good fun.

seanpecor · 03-21-2007, 01:01 PM

snowlandcook, my own experience, as a Vermonter living in Franklin County VA just south of Roanoke (western virginia), has been very positive. We moved down here in 2004. I'm a friendly outgoing person and folks down here seem to respond to that in kind. To be frank, I feel like folks are at least as friendly down here than they were back in New England. Sometimes I feel like they're even friendlier.

Roanoke, in the circles I find myself, is a good mix of people from all over, so a northern accent is no big thing. Yes, I'll get asked where I'm from once in a while, and when I respond that I'm from Vermont, it doesn't end the conversation, but rather it starts a whole new thread of conversation ("Oh, I've ALWAYS wanted to visit Vermont", "It must be so beautiful up there", "I played golf in Stowe and LOVED IT").

Sean