Stay out!
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9/28/2017
I'd like to start out with the positive, what little there is. The city and surrounding environs are beautiful. The are lovely hills and mountains in the area. Hiking, biking, and other outdoorsy activities are common. If you like being outdoors and don't mind humidity, these are highlights for you. On the other hand, there are very distressing problems here that never seem to be solved.
First there's the weak job market. The area has an abundance of 7 and 8 dollar an hour jobs. Many offer only part time work, and little job security. If you're going to work a higher paying job, then you'll probably work for Carillion Medical. That company usually brings in professionals from other areas though, and even then with significant pay cuts from what they would earn elsewhere. Larger employers, and those paying higher wages have pulled up and left, this includes Norfolk Southern which has been with the town for almost a century. The company pulled out of the town very suddenly, leaving 500 people without jobs.
Second, there is a serious and growing problem with drugs in the area. Although, it would seem odd that such a small area would have problems with drugs, it's happening here. Meth, heroin, bath salts, and prescription medications are heavily abused in this area. My doctor is preparing to leave the area due to the drug problems occurring here.
Third, there is a growing problem of vacant commercial real estate in this area. There are two primary shopping malls, Valley View and Tanglewood. The latter is in its death throws. Most of the shops have closed, and the mall is left largely vacant, a dead mall. Valley View had fared a little better, however, many of the stores in the mall complex are closed or closing leaving dark, ugly, holes where store fronts used to be.
Last (there's so much more, but I'll cut it short), there's the people. This is the deep south, so one experiences plenty of open racism. Everyone carries a gun. There is poor dental hygiene in the area, typical of poor southern towns, so many people are missing some or all of their teeth. Others have teeth so blacked and rotten you'd swear they are on meth. There is an undercurrent of ignorance and ineptitude here, trash is dumped out of speeding cars. If there is litter on grass, people will simply mow right through it spreading filth everywhere.
The area is cheap to live in, and with good reason. There is little entertainment, or economic opportunity here. The homes are cheap because they generally don't have garages, and your neighbors are pigs. The area is prone to flooding. Even mild rainstorms can knockout power for weeks in some areas. I've heard more that one person describe Roanoke and being 10 years behind the rest of the country. Not in a positive way, and it shows.
I have two degrees and have gotten stuck in this quagmire due to difficulty finding work. I have an acquaintance with three degrees, but cannot find anything outside of food service. All in all, the area is a beautiful place to visit, but not to live unless you're a retiree. I'm looking for a better city, probably Richmond or Virginia Beach, I hope to see you there.
Ian | Roanoke, VA