What about Radford? (Roanoke, Blacksburg, Christiansburg: fit in, house, neighborhoods)

[dogluver]

Moving out of Chicago and traveling to the area in a few months, we found a house on a realtor's website we want to look at in Radford but know very little about the town. I'd appreciate any pros/cons, information about this area. Thank you.

[roanoker 4]

Originally Posted by dogluver

Moving out of Chicago and traveling to the area in a few months, we found a house on a realtor's website we want to look at in Radford but know very little about the town. I'd appreciate any pros/cons, information about this area. Thank you.

The words I can think of are quiet, scenic, college kids, college sports, next door to Va Tech and more college kids, sports. About an hour from Roanoke via I-81. The Christiansburg area is probably a more Happening area than Radford, in my opinion.

[Teebyrd86]

A friend of mine lives out that way. We work together here in Roanoke. I wouldnt say its an hour away from Roanoke actually its more like 35-40 mins. My friend said you get use to the drive after awhile. And it may be worth it to you to be out that way. In Radford you get more bang for your buck housing wise and it is a very nice area. Not all of Radford is college town, just like every place that has a college parts of the town are more concentrated on family. If Radford wasnt so far from my work (im not willing to be that far) then I would look into it myself. Good Luck!

[Jerry_Williams]

I have been to Radford many, many times.
I would say that the town is split in two parts.

You have the university with it’s students and teachers. Radford University used to be Virginia Tech’s nursing/girls school but is today it’s own institution. Being that close to Tech makes it constantly fall in Tech’s shadow though.

Then you have the other 50% of Radford and it is very much confederate flag waiving, NASCAR watching, deer hunting territory.

[dogluver]

Thanks for all your replies. As far as a drive, that's not bad. I drive almost an hour to work now every day and have done that for 15 years!

[sharpeyes]

Look at the Radford City website City of Radford and see if it appeals to you. I like that the town is on a bend of the river, with trails to some of the neighborhoods and along the river. Right now the city is encouraging the parents to read bedtime stories to their children. That's my kinda town!

[mothmonsterman]

Originally Posted by Jerry_Williams

I have been to Radford many, many times.
I would say that the town is split in two parts.

...

Then you have the other 50% of Radford and it is very much confederate flag waiving, NASCAR watching, deer hunting territory.

That's a very ignorant statement. There are plenty of lovely homes & people in the west end of Radford. I lived in Radford almost my entire life and can't think of a single confederate flag sighting in the city.

Originally there were 2 towns, which combined & called itself Radford. West-End just maintains more of the "small town" aspects whereas East End is more centered around the University, so the people you see in that area are typically involved with RU in some way. West end is a nice, safe, family oriented place to live, even with the occasional redneck.

Considering it's surroundings Radford is high class. Take a look at any of surrounding Pulaski county or Montgomery County outside of Blacksburg & the mall, you might find a flag or two.

[oleo]

Radford = college kids + lower class southern folk/redneck

I would not advise moving there, only if you have to.

[cheerbear]

I'll try to give you a balanced list of pros and cons

Pros:

It's a very scenic area, situated on the New River (it's a fun place to go tubing in the summer).

There are three nice parks in town, with a playground for parents of small children.

It's small and very easy to find your way around in.

Decent selection of restaurants, stores, etc.

Their library is decent for a small town, and it was just renovated.



Cons:

The student district--Do not live on East End (near the college) if you like to sleep at night. The kids are very destructive and leave lots of trash in the streets.

Not many jobs available in Radford itself (even the school isn't a good place to look because there have been lay offs recently).

Although it's easy to find your way around, some of the streets aren't well laid out, and since the population primarily consists of students, there are lots of reckless drivers.

I wouldn't say that people here are Confederate flag wavers, but with the exception of the university population, people here tend to be traditional, conservative churchgoers. Around election time, there were a number of McCain-Palin stickers on people's homes and cars. If you fit into this category, you will love it here, although you can be a liberal and still get along here if you are polite. I tended not to tell people about my areligious leanings because I didn't want them to judge me negatively based on that.


So overall, the pros and cons balance themselves out. Your choice will depend on what you're looking for. I think it is a nice town, but the students and their trash detract from its beauty. If you'd really like to live here, then live on West End or on the outskirts of town. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.