Reviews & Comments
Roanoke, VA
Stars for the terrain, none for the people -
12/17/2019Roanoke (aka "Roll-'N-Toke), Virginia has geographic features that rival many of the greats in the country. The Blue Ridge Parkway in fall color is beautiful; the hiking trails (Appalachian Trail runs very close by) are wonderful; mountain biking trails are numerous; mountain views of sunrise and sunset; and a four-season climate, etc.) Then, there are the residents of this lovely place. While there are (limited) exceptions, the non-local view is often heard: "Q: What do you get when you cross a hillbilly with a redneck? A: A Roanoker!" The locals of SW Virginia have managed to make the region the buckle of the Bible Belt with absolutely no tolerance for any other religion but what they call "Christian" (and, one must attend the 'right' church); the region ranks high in crime; racism is blatant and open; the 'good ole boy network' rules around these parts; women are treated like second-class citizens; the locals retain the worst of the worst of stereotypical "Southern" attributes from syrupy-sweet "hi ya'll" to saying anything they think you want to hear but rarely if ever, telling the truth about much of anything; and opiate abuse ranks extremely high for good reason: Any reasonable person facing 'life' in SW Virginia actually needs the assistance of drugs, just to make it through the day. The schools are horrible with hundreds of high school students in the city living in cars and homeless. Hundreds! Only the college-bound students are deemed worthy of the education system's efforts. Nepotism, who you know, what you wear, your specific address, especially where you go to church, and declaring all Democrats as puppets of Satan are all part of everyday life in Roanoke and all of SW Virginia that I have seen. In general, people of color and/or those with 'outsider' perspectives will be openly discriminated against and never be allowed to get out of a rut that leads nowhere. Do not let the beauty of this part of the country fool you: SW Virginia is no place you want to exist (there is no 'life' here) and most definitely no place for a family with children. They claim to be Christian, but Jesus 'walked the walk that Jesus talked'. That said, I have never met a true Christian in all of SW Virginia. The very best thing around here is the interstate and airport, both able to get you the heck out of this place. Roanoke: The colon of the country. As a Fed, I have worked all over this country. Roanoke was my last assignment for three years. I got to choose my location and thought I would retire there. The best thing I ever did was to get out of there just as soon as my time was up.