How someone born at the San Diego Naval Hospital ends up settling down in Roanoke might sound like an exciting story, but its really pretty boring. I grew up in and around San Diego, regularly visiting family in San Bernardino County (including my grandmother, who lived and worked at a forest service station and proudly claimed Smoky Bear as her boss), hiking in the desert scrub and occasionally visiting the beach. Just before high school, my father’s company moved their base of operations to the opposite coast and we moved, ending up in Roanoke on the other side of the world.

Starting high school at Cave Spring was quite a culture shock for someone who grew up in the southern California suburbs, but I eventually adjusted and even settled in. I knew I had become assimilated into the Roanoke Valley when, upon returning to San Diego for the first time in over 13 years, I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, this is awfully flat - and where are all the trees?”

I started college with a computer science degree at Virginia Tech but ended up finishing with an English degree from Roanoke College, and recently wrapped up my Master’s from Hollins University. I’ve worked in data analysis, published some science fiction, an now work as a transportation and air quality planner at the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, including running the RIDE Solutions alternative transportation program. I’ve become dedicated to maintaining and improving the Valley’s already wonderful quality of life through responsible use of its natural resources, and am proud of the many individuals and organizations - including our local governments - who are putting Roanoke on the forefront of sustainability.

I have become so dedicated to Roanoke, in fact, that I married a native and have two wonderful stepsons - one of whom will be attending Roanoke College - and a beautiful daughter. I can think of no better place to raise a family.

• Jeremy’s Occupation: Transportation Alternatives Coordinator, Roanoke Valley Alleghany
  Regional Commission; Program Director, RIDE Solutions
• Jeremy’s Hometown: San Diego, CA
• Jeremy’s Social Profiles: NewVa Moves blog, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr

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

My wife and I moved to Roanoke after graduating from James Madison University and The College of William and Mary, respectively. Both from Bristol, we wanted to live in southwest Virginia, and were in search of professional and personal opportunities. Now, fourteen years later, we simply can’t imagine living anywhere else.

I teach in Roanoke City at Crystal Spring School. Roanoke is home to an incredibly diverse population, and our schools certainly reflect that. Our classrooms are buzzing with technology, cutting edge teaching and learning methods, and administrators, teachers, and staff that continually strive to improve and grow.

Robbie works with Pfizer, Inc., and can speak firsthand about the world-class medical community that calls Roanoke home. Previously, she worked in the hospitality industry here in town; she knows firsthand that the business community here is connected and progressive, and never seems to stand still.

Our children, Jack and Gracie, both attend fantastic Roanoke City elementary schools. As a parent, I couldn’t be happier about the education they are receiving, or about the care they receive during the school day. Attending a true neighborhood school is special, and they simply love it.

We also enjoy the vibrant cultural and entertainment opportunities that abound in the Valley. From the various festivals that cover the City calendar to visual and performing arts exhibits and performances, there’s always something going on. And I get an extra peek at the music scene by playing in two bands, The Jiving Five and The SwayKatz.

Every time family or friends visit our home in Raleigh Court, they comment about the small town feel and accessibility that Roanoke offers. Our church, Raleigh Court Presbyterian, is just down the street from our home, as is the Grandin Road shopping district, which includes shoppes, restaurants, the Grandin Theatre, and our favorite place, Pop’s Ice Cream. When we take around town, they’re amazed at the variety of big city resources that Roanoke offers. In the end, it’s this combination – the best of both worlds – that we treasure most about the Star City.

• Wade’s Career: Teacher, Crystal Spring School
• Wade’s Hometown: Bristol, VA
• Wade’s Website: www.wadewhitehead.com

As a lifelong resident of Roanoke my goal after graduating high school was to move to the big city and get out of Roanoke. I felt the city was too small and did not provide amenities and opportunities for a 20-something. I decided to stay a little longer by going to Roanoke College and after one thing (or another) kept me in this town I grew to love it. I found that Roanoke did have the amenities and I eventually created my own opportunities. I bought a small franchised business headquartered in Roanoke. I found my wife Samantha in Roanoke and we currently live in Old Southwest. We love living and working in downtown and making an impact on the inner city. We see a bright future for the area and hope the governments can continue to work together to make Roanoke an even better place to work and live (and play!).

• JJ’s Career: Executive Director, Dale Carnegie Training
• JJ’s Hometown: Roanoke, VA

I grew up in Baltimore, MD and was first exposed to Roanoke on my way to Virginia Tech. I had a blast enjoying outdoor activities in the Blue Ridge area while earning my undergraduate degree in civil engineering. What I noticed first was the glow of lights you can see from I-81 while driving back to Tech late at night but I didn’t really venture into Roanoke until returning to the region five years after graduating.

After college I moved out west to fulfill my dream of working with children in therapeutic wilderness programs and living the ski town life in Utah and Colorado. Lucky for me, while living in Aspen a friend from Tech encouraged me to meet another Virginia Tech Civil Engineering graduate who was living in Denver at the time. We hit it off, moved to Vail and were engaged.

While in Vail, Sarah and I planned our wedding and honeymoon and decided there was no better time to quit our jobs, sell what worldly possessions we had, and travel the US to find a place to settle down. We were married in Virginia, to make it easy for our families, and then spent the next five months driving from coast to coast checking out all the cool towns. We visited the likes of Burlington, Bend, Boise, Boulder, Seattle, Portland, and many more. Along the way we honed in on what we wanted. We wanted a small city to allow for cultural amenities and professional career options. We wanted a region surrounded by National Forest land, affordable housing and good mountain biking. When we drove into downtown Roanoke in the summer of 2001 we found all that and a vibrant downtown teeming with pedestrians shopping on the open air market. We found home.

We moved to Roanoke that fall, reconnected with our friends from college and proceeded to import my brother, two other classmates from Tech who had left the region and Sarah’s parents. In Roanoke we’ve found great friends, great jobs and great recreation.

I highly recommend Roanoke as a place to call home!

• Jeff’s Career: Southwest Virginia General Manager, SyCom Technologies
• Jeff’s Hometown: Baltimore, MD

I was born in Washington, DC but grew up in Roanoke, VA. After being graduated from Cave Spring High School in 1995 I completed my undergraduate education from Radford University 1999 and obtained my MBA 2003 from the University of Phoenix. I have always considered myself a dreamer and have always had a drive to do something with my life.

I decided to leave Roanoke for DC when I was 22 and said I would never come back. I knew I was going to be a career man and Roanoke didn’t seem to have what I wanted at the time. I spent almost 5 years in Washington and rarely came back to Roanoke to visit. After living in the city and working as a financial planner at a few different banking institutions, I decided I didn’t want to deal with the rat race, high cost of living, and horrific traffic. I was barely getting by and wasn’t very happy with my situation after a few years. At 27, I came back to what I call home and after some soul searching I started work as a Mortgage Banker with Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group. We are an innovative Mortgage company open to new ideas and it was a perfect fit for me.

The rest is history. All of my struggles and humbling experiences in the city made me stronger. I feel very comfortable in Roanoke and enjoy the way of life here. I have made a dynamic career from scratch in just a few years and I am very thankful for the people of this town who have helped me make that happen. If I wasn’t a professional athlete I would be a mortgage banker so I really can’t complain about anything. Thank You Roanoke! The people of this town are very good people and I appreciate you.

• Jason’s Career: Senior Mortgage Banker, Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group
• Jason’s Hometown: Washington, DC
• Jason’s Website: JasonBialek.com

My wife, Cortney, and I met during college up the road at James Madison University. After graduation we lived for several years in Charleston, SC where we enjoyed the beach, the history and the climate (apart from hot & humid summers, that is). Cortney was born and bred in the Roanoke Valley; when we began our family with the birth of our oldest, we decided it would be best to move close to her parents and stay within reach of mine in Northern Virginia. Leaving Charleston was difficult, but we’ve come to know that Roanoke truly is home. The quality of life in our region, the pay in my industry (technology) vs. the cost of living, and our proximity to things we love (including a half day to the beach, less than half a day to Washington DC, minutes to the mountains, Smith Mountain Lake, the New River and more) seem likely to keep us here for life. Since coming to Roanoke in 2001, I’ve been happy to work downtown, we’ve owned houses in Raleigh Court, Roanoke County, and settled in downtown Salem, and we’ve become active in our church and community. We can’t imagine a better place to raise a family and build a career.

• Tom’s Job: Senior Account Manager, ABS Technology Architects
• Tom’s Social Profile: Facebook

I was born in Roanoke, but spent most of my life in North Carolina. After college at UNC Chapel Hill, I settled in Asheville, NC, and met my future wife, Jill Arliss. She was attending an OB-GYN medical residency in Asheville, where we spent four great years. Once she finished, we decided that we were ready for a new city to start our careers in. Our options were essentially unlimited and we looked at cities all over the east coast. Finally, our search led us to Roanoke. Since I still had family in the area, I told Jill that we should check it out. On our first visit here we stayed at Hotel Roanoke and toured downtown and the surrounding area. Once we saw the urban vitality and the awesome proximity to great hiking, biking, camping, and whitewater - we were sold. We both found great jobs, myself with the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, and Jill with Physicians to Women. Now we have a thriving 2-year old son named Rowan, who also loves living in Roanoke. Can you say trains, trains, and more trains. We’re here to stay!

• Jake’s Hometown: Roanoke, VA
• Jake’s Employer: Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
• Jill’s Employer: Physicians to Women