MA > DC > Roanoke; Another "Will I Like Roanoke" Thread (Arlington: apartments)

[lukec]

I am moving to Roanoke for the duration of the election cycle to work on a campaign. Looking for insight, info, and like-minded people.

I am from Massachusetts, but am not a liberal. I actually come from a very blue collar background and consider myself a conservative. I can do both; live in cities like Boston and DC or live in more conservative areas and be happy. I like variety, lots of stimulation and mixing things up. Im 37 single and not concerned about schools or long term housing.

I do love the amenities of East Coast cities. Like food, people watching, lots of history, old architecture, good walking neighborhoods, places where there is some buzz late at night and early in the morning.

I like a good pub, and not knowing people tend to rely on local watering holes for social stimulation. Coming from Boston, this is usually one of my greatest disappointments traveling around the country, especially in more evangelical areas; local pub culture stinks.

I've been around VA and love Fredericksburg/Spotsy. Nice mix. I dont feel like an outsider or Yankee; yet its not like liberal and tacky as Northern VA, which I hate. Cant stand Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax. And I get bored in the smaller towns and cities.

I think I might so okay in Downtown Roanoke, but need help with neighborhoods to live, places to rent, and places to socialize.

[roanoker 4]

If you didn't like NoVa then you may like Roanoke as the two places are worlds apart! Roanoke is a livable city with greenways, little traffic, a vibrant downtown and stuck in the middle of the mountains which offer incredible
outdoor adventures. A co:worker of mine who moved here from Boston commented on the people as a mixture of retired people, country types and an
an unusually large number of gay folks. It is still the South so churches play a big part in the community but there are other social venues such as a lively
Arts community due to the "old money" folks and the more creative types who support Arts/Theater. Va Tech and the many colleges/universities in the area also chip in. I think you will find Roanoke a unique sort of place that is still
relatively isolated from the rest of the state and plans to stay that way!

[titaniummd]

Look at visiting Downtown and even Grandin neighborhood. Nice thing about downtown is that there is always something to do or see.

The Greenway is not as expansive as the W&OD trail for biking but it is a good trail for a short run/bike.

[cbl1]

You would probably like a loft in the downtown area near the market. There is also Grandin village as noted above which has a few places and then there is Crystal spring area. There are some apartments in Crystal spring and it is only a few miles from downtown. The little bar at Crystal Spring "Fork in the Alley" even has a little free shuttle that runs between it and their downtown location "Fork in the City". Both Crystal Spring and Grandin Village will have a small town feel to their areas. If you like a bigger city feel you will want to be primarily in the market area of downtown.

If you want to learn more about the social scene in Roanoke and especially downtown you may want to check out one of the young professional groups such as "The Square Society" which host a lot of summer events and I think you will enjoy meeting a lot of their members. They have monthly meet and greet type happy hours at select downtown bars. Plus their activities benefit the local Center in the Square museum (right downtown on the market) which is currently under a complete renovation.

yea - pub wise its not like the north

some popular places downtown market area are:
Cornerstone - younger crowd kinda dive with cheap beer
Metro - more yuppie crowd and a little cramped
Blue 5 - very laid back with many different drafts (you may like)
The Quarter - I have heard good things but haven't been
Corned Beef - meat market club atmosphere
Blues Barbeque - very small little BBQ pub
202 Market - upscale bar but becomes a very crowded club scene on weekend nights
Awful Arthurs - open concept type bar not bad to run in for quick drink
Flanary's Pub - wanna be Irish pub but the people there are usually nice

As I don't live in Roanoke any more I'm sure I've missed some other ones that come and go.