Moving questions, Please help!!! (Roanoke: home, neighbourhoods, school districts)

[troutlover]

My wife and I are seriously considering the possibility of relocating to Virginia, possibly the Roanoke area. We are both outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy fishing, wind-surfing, hiking, back-packing and sailing. From what I have been able to ascertain via the web and anecdotally, the Roanoke county area seem replete with this type of activity. As new parents- we have a one year old daughter- we are very concerned regarding school districts, good neighbourhoods and extra-curricular activities for our daughter. Can anyone recommend areas, zip-codes, suburbs or towns that would fulfil these criteria? Incidentally, we are hoping to spend approximately 250,000.00- 300,000.00 for a house. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[onthemove]

I lived in the Roanoke area from 1993-2005...wish I hadn't left!

As for outdoor rec, Virginia has the best State Parks! There's quite a few of them within a 1-3 hour drive from Roanoke which was great for weekend camping trips!

I lived in North Roanoke County (near Peters Creek Road) and in the area of Botetourt County off of 460. You'd be able to find a 4 bedroom home in a nice subdivsion for your price in either area.

As for schools, I'd check greatschools.net I moved from Roanoke County to Botetourt County before we had children so I am most familiar with schools there. We were pleased with the school curriculum and the staff.

Roanoke has at least 3 chapters of the MOMS Club which is a great way to meet other families with young children. www.momsclub.org

Please let me know if you have any other questions!