The young professional age group is not coming to the city (Richmond: apartment complexes, lofts)

[Watchful]

I think a young entry-level professional would be inclined to get an apartment - and a huge # of the apt. units are located in Roanoke County rather than Roanoke City - but very very close to the city - like all the many apt. complexes near Tanglewood.

We are here for 2 months and needed a furnished apt. (corporate rental) and so we are in ROA county for those 2 months.

There are some awesome condos being done downtown - pretty nifty price per square foot also. Those are a great niche addition to the market - but are not so numerous as to affect the overall numbers.

IIRC there was also a caveat that the 2009 demographics were pretty well based on established trends and that the 2010 census would be the first opportunity to see if there were any new trends to add as corrective factors - if that is true, it is not surprising that there is no population upswing.

[Watchful]

Originally Posted by seanpecor

Take one of the soon-to-be-closed Roanoke City schools and create a not-for-profit private school that is fully partnered with the city but that which is completely omitted from the SOL testing framework.

This would not only provide a marketing angle, it could actually be a huge help to some of the schools in economically challenged parts of town.

[cheerbear]

I think numbers 1 and 5 hit the nail on the head. I am in this age demographic and I even graduated from one of the area colleges, but there are not many jobs available, unless you're in the field of healthcare or computer science. I'm going to keep trying to find a job here for a little bit longer (thank goodness my partner still has a job), but after that I'm afraid I will have to move on, however reluctantly.

[highway29south]

Originally Posted by OuttaFlorida

We experience this as well and felt it was a major drawback to the area....we just got lucky. The Carilion system hired me pretty quick, but my girlfriend must have put in for over 50 jobs with 1 response, and she is VERY qualified in the social services field. We felt there was a tendancy to not hire out of towners and of course all our apps had a Florida address. I'd be interested to see if other have had this problem with an out of state or area address.

I agree, I wonder if there are many others on this site that have had the experience of living outside of Roanoke and trying to get a job there. Anyone?

[540_804]

Originally Posted by seanpecor

Take one of the soon-to-be-closed Roanoke City schools and create a not-for-profit private school that is fully partnered with the city but that which is completely omitted from the SOL testing framework.

Funny you mention that...my mother and I were talking about a very similar idea today and last night. My old middle school is one of the schools that will be closing...

[mccamp]

Originally Posted by highway29south

I agree, I wonder if there are many others on this site that have had the experience of living outside of Roanoke and trying to get a job there. Anyone?

We didn't have much of an issue finding employment. My husband found his job first. That got us here. My job took some time to find. But I found that I had to get away from the computer, out of the house and network network network. I showed up at Chamber events, job fairs, industry meetings. I called executive recruiters in the area and contacted folks through Linked In, Facebook and Twitter.

I landed a great consulting position. I'm not making what I was making in Boston, but I'm happy.

I know that Roanoke had the reputation of being hard for outsiders--especially when finding employment. But from my research, that attitude was turning in recent years. I wonder of hiring freezes and the recession is preventing people from landing positions? Or is it the outsider thing again? Remember, the recession has been going on for over a year now. Companies usually freeze hiring just before or at the onset of a recession.

Any thoughts from the long-time Roanokers?

[reddaisy]

I think it has a lot to do with pay because most people from larger cities don't realized just how much lower the cost of living is. Even when they do, they have a hard time imagining taking like a 50% cut.

The airport is also a big deal. My boyfriend has a job that sometimes requires him to jump on a plane at the last minute, and with 1 flight a day, and costing as much as it does, it's not possible for him.

Then there's the shopping. Don't get me started on the shopping.

I had the "can't wait to get out of Roanoke" mindset when I finished highschool also. When I returned, after being all over the country for years, I had no trouble finding a professional job, but I think it helped that I was a native, and said that I was happy to be home. The economy was also much better at the time. I would think though that companies would welcome the diversity of having someone with outside perspectives.

[roanoker 4]

I doubt if any of the ideas presented on how to increase the "young professional" will ever come to frution. The fact is Roanoke is on the list of
the nations' best places to retire. Its slower pace of life(vs Washington DC) and its working class roots don't seem to be in favor with many "young professionals". They tend to long for areas like Raleigh/Durham, Charlotte or Northern VA where there is already a surplus of such people. I'm not advocating everyone who moves to Roanoke must be elderly but if "young professionals" flock here, what happens to issues like overcrowded schools,
few public parks in the county areas, suburban cookie cutter sprawl like southwest county? The issue of traffic congestion hasn't been raised either.
If we could entice more Northeast retirees wouldn't that be a good thing for
Carillion or Anthem? Also, older people love the downtown market area, especially the cultural venues. The best part? They have MONEY to spend!

[seanpecor]

Yes, but who will take care of the old folks if there are no young folks

I'd hate like hell for Roanoke to turn into Charlotte Lite. But young professionals are an important population when there is an opportunity to attract new business investment in the region. Consider this scenario. A big company is shopping for a new headquarters where 250 new positions will be created. Two metros are in contention, with every factor being equal except one. One metro has a median age of 50, while the other is 45. The bean counters get to work, and deduce that the "younger" metro will save them 2 million a year due to lower group insurance costs...

Sean

[540_804]

Originally Posted by roanoker 4

I doubt if any of the ideas presented on how to increase the "young professional" will ever come to frution. The fact is Roanoke is on the list of
the nations' best places to retire. Its slower pace of life(vs Washington DC) and its working class roots don't seem to be in favor with many "young professionals". They tend to long for areas like Raleigh/Durham, Charlotte or Northern VA where there is already a surplus of such people. I'm not advocating everyone who moves to Roanoke must be elderly but if "young professionals" flock here, what happens to issues like overcrowded schools,
few public parks in the county areas, suburban cookie cutter sprawl like southwest county? The issue of traffic congestion hasn't been raised either.
If we could entice more Northeast retirees wouldn't that be a good thing for
Carillion or Anthem? Also, older people love the downtown market area, especially the cultural venues. The best part? They have MONEY to spend!

As seanpecor said, young professionals are definitely an important part of the make-up of any city that wants to be 'successful'...

The issues of overcrowded schools, public parts, sprawl and congestion can all be mitigated or eliminated with well-thought, appropriate urban planning (which just happens to be what I plan on going to graduate school for. )