Roanoke as a retirement destination

[Rtom45]

[quote=Jimrob1;18216942]Did you also look into NC by any chance? If so what advantages does Roanoke and Virginia have over that state. In my view NC might be growing way to fast, and with that the problems that take over. Otherwise I think its a beautiful area also.

We started our search in North Carolina. We've eliminated quite a few, but in NC we're still looking at either Morganton or Waynesville, and along the coast we're looking at Morehead City.
One thing that has influenced our search is one of those surveys that ranks states as retirement friendly or not. Our home state (PA) ranks 38th, NC ranks 43rd and Virginia ranks 6 (the lower the number the better).

[roanoker 4]

Roanoke is a good choice due to the medical services available to the senior population. We have a huge VA medical center, medical school, 2 large hospitals. Also, tons of retirement living options either in town or at Smith Mountain Lake. Downtown is quite vibrant with a heavy support for the Arts, which is something older people can fund and appreciate. Roanoke is "land locked" in other words it can't sprawl like nearby cities with endless freeways going nowhere. We are in a valley that is all urbanized. That feature makes us unique, "homey" and not rushed. The compactness means getting around is not
difficult. Now, if the area does start to "over populate" in the future like some nearby cities it might not be an attractive place to live, in my opinion.