1st Time visit -need to cover a lot of ground in 2 full days - help (Roanoke: where to stay)

[livetolive]

Looking to possibly relocate to Roanoke - visiting soon and we have 2 full days to drive around and get a feel for the area. Staying in town, and would like some help mapping things out. Looking for - not real rural, but not in town living. Prefer a newer neighborhood, family freindly area. Also would like to drive near some schools. Nice family, do not have any contacts in the area at all, and we are counting on meeting other nice people who are open minded to transplants. Where do we start?

I have read through many posts, it is getting overwhelming so I thought I would start this one for some point blank direct advice and opinions. We are excited to pick up and move, but not knowing anyone is a bit scary.

[mccamp]

That was us a mere eight months ago. First, let me say that you have no worries. If you have two days, you can get a feel for Roanoke. You'll know whether this is the place for you within a day, I promise. (Most transplants we meet say the same thing.)

Where to stay: Downtown. Definitely. Stroll through the city and watch the people. Do they look you in the eye? Do they say a friendly 'hello?'

Visit: Center in the Square. The Taubman Museum of Art. The quaint and inspirational galleries dotting the downtown landscape. Mill Mountain (where the star is). Take in a concert at the Jefferson Center. That's for starters. There's much much more to do. Take a short drive (5 minutes) to Grandin Center and stroll the Raleigh Court and Virginia Heights neighborhoods. Charming doesn't begin to describe it.

Drive: The Blue Ridge Parkway. You'll find those semi-rural communities you've been looking for. If you want to look at semi-rural housing, contact a realtor and have them show you properties in Southwest County (the outskirts are rural), Botetourt County (pronounced BOAT-A-TOT--don't ask me why) and Franklin County. Lovely communities, good schools and nice people.

Shop: Check out the local grocery stores for prices. There's a super wal-mart close the airport. Kroger and Food Lion are at every corner it seems. UKrop's is my favorite.

You can do most of this in two days. We did. Fell in love with the place and moved. Haven't regretted it since.

Let me know if you need any other information.

[Diamond Dave]

Originally Posted by mccamp

Botetourt County (pronounced BOAT-A-TOT--don't ask me why)

All good info, except that real native Botetourt Countians say BOTT-EEE-TOT and the rest of us say BOTT-UH-TOT.

[cooncatJR]

McCamp and Diamond Dave,

Who knew?? I was way off on the pronunciation I thought it was

French and was running around making good use of the "r" in it.."t" silent.

Thanks for the info.

[Erin1264]

Hello,

Two full days is certainly enough time to get to know the area.

I think your time would be best spent with a realtor. Make some calls, see if anyone is available to show you around. Letting someone else drive who knows the area will be much easier. Even if you spent one day with a realtor and the next day driving around yourselves, I think that would be better than 2 days completely on your own.

We moved here in 2006 for a new job for my husband, so I did the whirlwind weekend tour to give my stamp of approval or disapproval on the area. Well, I approved because we're here!

For newer neighborhoods and good schools, I'd recommend concentrating in Roanoke County and Salem. In terms of mapping things out, Roanoke City is concentrated in the middle of the city. Roanoke County is shaped like a doughnut and surrounds the downtown area. Salem is the next city to the West if you drive long I-81. Botetourt is to the North, Franklin County to the South and Vinton to the East. All good places that you could look as well.

Perhaps when you call a Realtor, they can send you a relocation guide with a map. I think you'll find that everything is pretty close together and it's easy to get around.

Another tip- if you do any house hunting, beware of roads with the names "knob" or "gap" or "winding" because they may be mountain roads that may be narrow/steep/curvy. Not sure where you are coming from, but when I first moved here, the steep driveways and curvy roads scared me. But over time, I've gotten used to them!

[livetolive]

Erin1264 ~ Thanks, more good info. I really appreciate the misc. tidbits and suggests. I am glad to hear 2 days will be enough, we are not coming from a neighboring state, so frequent trips are going to be hard.

We are used to mountain roads, but thanks for the good heads up on knob, gap and winding being part of a road name. One of the things we will research also are any areas that have a risk of flooding. Both homes we had built so far, were in a higher elevation so there was no risk of ever having water in your home.

[j1n]

Originally Posted by livetolive

Erin1264 ~ Thanks, more good info. I really appreciate the misc. tidbits and suggests. I am glad to hear 2 days will be enough, we are not coming from a neighboring state, so frequent trips are going to be hard.

We are used to mountain roads, but thanks for the good heads up on knob, gap and winding being part of a road name. One of the things we will research also are any areas that have a risk of flooding. Both homes we had built so far, were in a higher elevation so there was no risk of ever having water in your home.

Definitely spend some time in the Roanoke City neighborhoods. Downtown Roanoke is safe, small, and walkable, and you might like being close enough in to not have to get into your car for everything. There are lots of affordable older homes in good neighborhoods with tons of character, sizeable yards, mountain views, etc. And much of Roanoke City is not in a flood zone. Thats easy enough to figure out even if you are not too familiar with the city. The Roanoke River is the problem there, so just be aware of where you are in relation to where it is, and stay above it.