Not a good place to work and live
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12/17/2015
Worked in my field in NYC for 15 years, have a Bachelor's degree and I cannot even get an interview for part-time low-level jobs in my field in Roanoke. I have applied time and again. Why even apply to for a county or city job when there is a wall of prejudice and nepotism no doubt(and a lack of transparency to cover it up)? The head of the county's Human Resources Dept. told me point blank that I should volunteer when I made an oath that I would make enough money to pay for my subsidized healthcare plan, plus I need to work to survive! The pay is low too if you can find a job and the benefits are none or pathetic, though this can't be exclusive to Roanoke. There is nothing to do in this small town, esp. if you are used to living in an exceptional, larger city. Old houses with character with sizeable yards are lacking too. The climate isn't great, lots of mold, the clay soil makes gardening very difficult and frustrating, and it is so far from the ocean (the man-made Smith Mtn. Lake is awful!). Unless you want to work in a supermarket, why come here to be stranded and isolated in the middle of nowhere, going stir crazy? The only thing of value here is the beautiful local wildlife, which natives sometimes shoot.
Marilyn | Roanoke, VA