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I don't want to hijack this thread but I'm going to jump on board for some info. What does each have to offer? Which area is most happening as far as festivals, restaurants, bars, big box store, community events? Cool downtown where people hang out and have music events, etc. Friendliest? Work isn't an issue nor are schools.
Retail is better in Roanoke and continues to grow as well. Downtown is better in roanoke too that keeps growing. Music scene probably better in Bristol. The job market is specific in Roanoke. Medical and technology is rising while others fall. Low wages are usually the result of low COL. You may make less here hut you pay less to live as well.
Retail is better in Roanoke, but the Tri-Cities are quickly catching up. Johnson City has always had decent retail, and now with the ongoing explosion of chain businesses on Exit 7, Bristol is getting there too. I was always underwhelmed with the independent business scene in Roanoke. Roanoke by far has the edge on restaurants, but that also seems to be the only area in which there is much growth. I read about yet another restaurant venture in Roanoke and ask, is that really what the city needs?
I disagree about the downtowns. I always have more fun in downtown Bristol than in downtown Roanoke. IMO downtown Bristol has better bars, thanks at least in part to its live music scene. They also feel more like bars; there's a foo-foo pretentious quality to a lot of what's in downtown Roanoke. Downtown Bristol also has the Paramount and now the Country Music Museum, which also has a CD store--I don't believe there's even a chain CD / music store in Roanoke any more? Downtown Roanoke has chocolatepaper, the Taubman, and a few good restaurants, but also a lot that never interested me. I was very underwhelmed with the opening of the Market Building. Due to the annoyance of parking without enough to entice me to deal with it, I didn't go downtown often in Roanoke.
I have not found that places with low cost-of-living stats are actually experientially cheaper to live in. I didn't feel any more strapped in the NYC area where my rent was 55% of my income than I did in Roanoke, because there were more free and inexpensive things to do and because there were more options when it came to shopping for the basics. Depressed wages and a slow economy mean fewer options. There are a lot of crappy rentals in Roanoke in poor condition. We pay less in cold Wisconsin to heat our better insulated home here, groceries cost about the same, we spend less on gas because there are more transportation options and things are less spread out. IME better wages and a more robust, competitive economy go further for QOL and affordability than low COL.
You say you did not go downtown often in Roanoke but then try to say that it does not have much? The Jefferson center? 12 art galleries including the Taubam. Center in the square, western VA history museum, VA museum of transportation, science museum of western va. Mill mountain theater, Elmwood park, o Winston link museum. The city market. 72 mostly unique restaurants that range from Indian to Thai, sushi to BBQ and everything in between. The downtown food tour? Or maybe the beer tour? Hotel Roanoke. And the most important thing IMO a large growth in residential spaces that fill as soon as they open for lease. That is what sets the downtown of Roanoke apart from bristol is it actually feels alive again. Bristol is trying to get that feeling back but it's not there. (Not yet at least). As far as retail goes you have exit 7 in bristol, but you must remember valley view continues to bring in new tenants that is not seen in SWVA. There is also the open land across from VV, but I'll believe that when I see it. We can agree to disagree. Roanoke had a lot to work on just as bristol does, but I just feel Roanoke has the base to make a move when new people are allowed to help run this city.
Nomad I know you got really really disenchanted with your work in Roanoke, and you have made some very thoughtful posts...but in this case I really appreciate the perspective offered by cam4vt and sregorat3.....
I learned SO MUCH about Roanoke from this board that helped me make a decision on where to do a life relocation for pre-retirement and then retirement.....and then lately there has been a little spell of negativity from a few sources that makes this to be a dreary, violence-filled hellhole.
I guess that is to be expected - there's a point-counterpoint on every geographical area I have read about on this board!
I think I will be working on a "Here's what I have learned about Roanoke after 20 months here" post. Maybe it will help somebody like so many of the posts have helped me!
Guys, keep in mind the OP was looking for a place where she had a good chance of finding a two bedroom for less than $700 and isn't looking for a downtown, urban experience. Based on what the OP said, I figured she might get more bang for her buck in Bristol. If she'd said, "I'm a mountain bike aficionado who works in healthcare and loves going to art galleries," I wouldn't have hesitated for a minute to recommend Roanoke over Bristol.
And I must say it's nice to have an occasion to express some hometown pride, because I have been really bowled over by what I've witnessed there over the last ten years. Growing up in Bristol, I hated it. Hated it. My teenage self, who ended up going to boarding school after researching ways I could get out before I turned 18, would have never imagined my adult self defending Bristol. At all. I'm well aware of its limitations, and a lot of the things I didn't like about Roanoke are worse in Bristol.
I have been impressed, surprised, shocked, amazed, at what Rhythm and Roots has done for Bristol's downtown and for the entire city. Certainly, Bristol is a smaller, more working class city, with a smaller downtown; it's not going to impress someone looking for urban sophistication. But the honest truth is, I like it better than downtown Roanoke. I have more fun there. That was true even when my thoughts about Roanoke were almost completely positive. Bristol has a very unique vibe right now, and an energy that Roanoke doesn't have. Perhaps Bristol has a clearer sense of its own identity. It breathes and exudes a love of music. Now, not everyone is going to get into the music scene there. You have to have some appreciation of country and bluegrass to get the most out of it. But a lot of young artists are doing incredible things with folk, country, and bluegrass influences. I follow some local acts from the Tri-Cities--Amythyst Kiah, this mountain--that I first saw at Rhythm and Roots, that I think are just as good as a lot of national-level acts I first saw there and now follow. National acts that I've seen at Rhythm and Roots--Old Crow Medicine Show, Blitzen Trapper, Sturgill Simpson--are aware of and commented on Bristol's musical history and legacy, and it casts a positive light on what could otherwise be seen as just another small Southern town.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cam4vt
You say you did not go downtown often in Roanoke but then try to say that it does not have much? The Jefferson center? 12 art galleries including the Taubam. Center in the square, western VA history museum, VA museum of transportation, science museum of western va. Mill mountain theater, Elmwood park, o Winston link museum. The city market. 72 mostly unique restaurants that range from Indian to Thai, sushi to BBQ and everything in between. The downtown food tour? Or maybe the beer tour? Hotel Roanoke. And the most important thing IMO a large growth in residential spaces that fill as soon as they open for lease. That is what sets the downtown of Roanoke apart from bristol is it actually feels alive again. Bristol is trying to get that feeling back but it's not there. (Not yet at least). As far as retail goes you have exit 7 in bristol, but you must remember valley view continues to bring in new tenants that is not seen in SWVA. There is also the open land across from VV, but I'll believe that when I see it. We can agree to disagree. Roanoke had a lot to work on just as bristol does, but I just feel Roanoke has the base to make a move when new people are allowed to help run this city.
Not going often doesn't mean I never went. Jefferson Center = almost never saw anyone playing there I had an interest in seeing. They seem to focus on jazz, which is great if you're into jazz; I'm not. Taubman Museum: I'm a fan, I love the Taubman and saw some truly great exhibits there. Probably my favorite thing about downtown Roanoke. And it's free! Hotel Roanoke: One of the most beautiful hotels I've ever been in, and very decent room rates for what you get. Yes, worthy of being a point of pride for Roanokers.
History and O Winston Link museums: never went, can't comment on them. Transportation museum: nothing I would brag about if I were a Roanoker. I suppose I might have been more impressed if I was such a transportation buff that the actual cars / trains on exhibit got me excited. I never had a reason to go back or to take any visitors there. Science Museum of Western VA: oriented toward children and families, like so many things in Roanoke. I would LOVE for there to be a science / natural history museum that isn't so clearly geared toward children. I went to the Natural History Museum in NYC so often it was like going to church for me. Elmwood Park: I admit I never went after it got its facelift. Impression based on pre-facelift is it's a serviceable public space, more of an event venue than an actual park. And a magnet for homeless folks not wanting to stay at the Mission.
Mill Mountain Theater: how long has this even been back open? I almost never encountered any publicity for any shows they were putting on. Looking at their website now, I see their main stage productions are almost exclusively family-oriented, which means not particularly challenging for someone not looking to entertain some kiddos. But I see they put on some headier fare through collaboration with Hollins. To be fair, I overlooked Hollins in some of my earlier posts about Roanoke. I think they do a lot of cool stuff and have a great legacy. I liked their museum the couple times I went and have a lot of respect for their writing program. Annie Dillard is one of my favorite writers. Only rarely did I go do or see anything on their campus or that they were putting on elsewhere, though; maybe due to a lack of publicity or not looking in the right channels. Anyway, though, I would hazard a guess that the Barter in Abingdon is better than Mill Mountain, so a point there for the Tri-Cities region.
Restaurants: Yes, Roanoke has tons of great restaurants. Same with craft beer availability and visibility. Certainly head and shoulders above anything in a radius around it until you get to Charlottesville or Richmond. My favorites included Taaza, Wasena Tap Room, Local Roots, Pop's, Alejandro's, Isaac's (RIP), Lucky, Wildflour, Ben Gui. Pomegranate in Botetourt deserves a shout-out too. Roanoker's biscuits have a well-deserved rep though my favorite country cooking experience in the area was the Homeplace. Notice though that most of my favorites weren't downtown. A lot of the other downtown places I tried were alright but not enough to entice me back: Metro, the Cajun place, Thelma's. I had a couple good meals at Thai Continental.
In hindsight, one of the biggest things I disliked about Roanoke vs. Bristol is that there's much more visible class stratification and a lot more that caters to the wealthy. To some, this may be something neutral or positive. To me, it was a negative. I was frequently irritated by the besweatered, arrogant South Roanoke types I couldn't help but run into when we moved to be closer to RMH. Rude, entitled behavior everywhere. There was an arrogance and self-regard--including toward Bristol, which more than one person spoke of with a sharp degree of looking down their nose when I mentioned being from there--that was amusing to me as someone who had lived outside the region. To most anyone outside of the state, certainly outside the region, they hear banjos equally loudly whether you're talking about Roanoke or Bristol. No one who isn't local could give two flying ****s about the country club you go to or who your great-grandfather was. Old money Southern exclusivity makes me want to gag. Not that Bristol doesn't have some of it too. Just tends to sequester itself more in Abingdon and keep itself out of downtown Bristol.
I do not mind bristol. Have been there for work a few times. In response to the op question they did ask specifically between Roanoke Lynchburg and richmond.
Hello just trying to help for your price range look into nottoway co we have three small towns Crewe, Burkeville' Blackstone all with home's for rent in your price range. I live in Crewe my rent is $575 For two bedrooms my neighbors has a 3 bedroom for $600 and there is many more for this price why because there are few high paying jobs and no grocery market in Crewe or burkville
As for shopping we go to farmville about 15 minutes away. As for jobs we commute to Richmond for me 40 minutes in chesterfield.
Affordable small towns
According to ziprecruiters Roanoke is the no.7 best City in the South for jobs. Blacksburg is the no.10 best small
Metro for jobs in the U.S. Also, during the month of January 2015, according to the state of Va Roanoke produced the
Most jobs in the state after Richmond. Blacksburg had the most jobs in the state in the small metro category.
The job market is strong in Roanoke currently from local news reports and the area has a healthy diversified economy
And not dependent on government like our largest metro areas! Roanoke is well positioned for the future economy.
Those Norfolk Southern job losses were harsh. Hope Roanoke can replace them quickly.
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