I grew up on a farm near Abingdon, Virginia – a small town that is near the Virginia/Tennessee border. My entire family still lives in Abingdon, and I knew I didn’t want to move too far away after graduating from Virginia Tech in 2004. I was attracted to Roanoke, which is about two hours away from my hometown, when searching for my first job because I felt the city provided opportunities and plenty of things to do for people my age, yet still fostered a sense of community and felt a little like home.

I have found that Roanoke is a great place for a young person to start their career. There are job opportunities here, but rent and other living expenses are much more affordable than other urban areas in Virginia. We don’t have to deal with the long commutes and traffic either! I also like the way that Roanoke Valley neighborhoods form their own communities. I love to participate in my neighborhood’s events! It makes me feel like I am living in a small town within a city!

After living here for four years, I have some great friends and loved ones. Roanoke feels like home as much as the place where I grew up, and I don’t expect to be moving any time soon!

• Natasha’s Occupation: Student Activities Coordinator, Virginia Western Community College
• Natasha’s Hometown: Abingdon, VA
• Natasha’s Social Profiles: Facebook

I consider myself very fortunate to live in the beautiful Roanoke Valley. My husband and I were born and raised here. I was brought up in Roanoke County and went to Northside High School. He was from Salem and graduated from Andrew Lewis. We were both very lucky to get good jobs when we graduated. I went to work for GE and he went to Carter Machinery, where he is still employed with 36 years service.

Growing up as a child in Roanoke I never lacked for things to do. There was Lakeside Amusement Park, concerts at Victory Stadium, rides on the Blue Ridge Parkway and big snows in the winter. One of my favorite memories was sharing a chocolate milkshake with my dad at the counter top bar at the local drug store. I loved to sit on the stool and go round and round!

After Mike and I got married and started our family, we moved to Botetourt County where we remained until our children were grown. We never considered moving anywhere else because we knew there was no better place to raise our children than the Roanoke Valley. We had great schools, lots of activities to keep us busy and a peace of mind that our children were safe.

We moved from Botetourt to Roanoke County 4 years ago. We enjoy all of the conveniences we have but we especially love the traditional neighborhood with sidewalks and front porches. It reminds me of the Roanoke neighborhood I was raised in.

In the work place, it has definitely been a plus to have my roots in the Roanoke Valley. Working as a business consultant in marketing and advertising with Online Advantage and Roanoke Biz2Biz, my heritage has served me well. Over my fifty plus years, I know a lot of people, I have a lot of connections and I know how to get anywhere. Just ask me!

• Patsy’s Occupation: Operations Manager, Roanoke Biz2Biz, JobzCafe, OSAdvantage
• Patsy’s Hometown: Roanoke, VA
• Patsy’s Social Profiles: Facebook, LinkedIn

I’ve worked in live entertainment and sports for over 20 years in Greensboro (my home), Detroit, and Atlanta. Once upon a time I was married and lived in Asheville, NC for over five years. When I divorced, I needed a change and began looking at opportunities in venues in the mid-Atlantic area. I was offered a position at the Roanoke Civic Center and I’ve been there for over ten years, first as Director of Sales & Marketing, and for the past few years as Assistant Director of the facility. My move to Roanoke was perfect because not long after I got here, my grandmother was diagnosed with dementia/Alzheimer’s and since she lived in Bassett, I was able to be close to her during the last years of her life. Over the past decade, I’ve made so many great friends, met a legion of wonderful people, and have grown to love many things about the area.

• Robyn’s Occupation: Assistant Director of Civic Facilities, Roanoke Civic Center
• Robyn’s Hometown: Greensboro, NC
• Robyn’s Website: www.robynschon.com
• Robyn’s Social Profile: Facebook, LinkedIn

After spending 36 years in Wisconsin, the desire to be closer to our young grandson is what ultimately led us to look at cities along the east coast. Though North Carolina proved beautiful and very appealing, we found very few properties that allowed easy access to a lake, where we would naturally want to dock our boat. Discovering Smith Mountain Lake in a magazine and its proximity to Roanoke, where Judi’s best childhood girlfriend lives, led us to investigate areas around the lake and to the 14-acre Franklin County property that today we happily call home. Nestled among trees, streams and wildlife, the idea of having space to hike, garden, build and entertain family and friends fit us well. Having been in the area for almost two years now, we enjoy volunteering for local organizations such as the Rescue Mission and the Presbyterian Community Center, as well as taking advantage of local activities such as the Salem Avalanche games, and of course, watching the leaves change colors from our back deck.

Growing up in rural Southside Virginia near Smith Mountain Lake, we would often came to the “big city” of Roanoke for shopping and entertainment. My dad would reminisce about driving his dad to Roanoke down Jefferson Street where the retail mecca of the region resided. That was the 50s and today we are seeing tremendous revitalization of the downtown district for not only retail, but dining, housing and entertainment.

I began working for the City of Roanoke two years ago to work on addressing the region’s brain drain. We have created numerous programs and events, generated awareness for this important issue, and tried to instill hope, encouragement and a positive attitude for the next generation to call Roanoke its home. Many champions of this movement have emerged and we are grateful for everyone’s work on this issue. We are closer to the tipping point, but must continue innovating, shifting the paradigm and telling the offline and online communities how wonderful Roanoke is.

Just like my wife, who grew up in Roanoke and has stayed, I hope my child will want to stay or return to the region and sincerely know many opportunities exist for her to prosper and impact others. Please share with your friends from college, friends who live in other areas, chat about Roanoke online, do something to tell other people about this region and
let’s make it great for generations.

• Stuart’s Occupation: Special Projects Coordinator, City of Roanoke
• Stuart’s Hometown: Sandy Level, Virginia
• Stuart’s Website: stuartmease.com
• Stuart’s Social Profiles: Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn