Judi & Jerry Barnes
March 12, 2008
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.
Carol Seavor
January 30, 2008
Coming to Roanoke was never in my game plan. However, I have been here for six years, enjoying the best job I’ve ever had in a naturally beautiful environment. In addition, Roanoke provides a high quality of life with a moderate cost of living and all the amenities a small peaceful Southern city has to offer!
The extent of my knowledge of Roanoke prior to 2002 was its name on a big green sign on Route 81. During those years my husband and I were enjoying life in Knoxville but making frequent trips to Staunton to visit our daughter and her family. As luck would have it I was alerted to the availability of a wonderful new position in Roanoke. The potential for moving closer to my grandchildren AND growing in my profession was a force I could not resist and, in retrospect, we made a good decision. Roanoke has proven to be a wonderful place to live, work, and play. It has a vibrant professional population, a strong health care industry, great restaurants and entertainment, a symphony, an opera company, as well as good old country blue grass, jazz and gospel. Our adventure to Roanoke has proven to be one of our best even though we have lived from Maine to South Carolina with many stops in-between!
Martha Goodwin & Terry Apple
January 21, 2008
Perhaps it was fate, or a bad year for hurricanes, that brought us to Roanoke. Having initially wanted to retire close to the ocean, in a city such as Charleston or Savannah, the steadfast weather and easy-going pace of life quickly made Roanoke an appealing option for us to settle in.
Equally intrigued by the local top-notch health care facilities and plans for expansion, both with the new medical school and Art Museum of Western Virginia, the area seemed to have a good mix of young professionals, as well as an established reputation for being “one of the ten best cities to retire in.” In addition, compared to the high cost of living that we faced in D.C., we were thrilled to purchase a home for much less than we had anticipated. Though we are still hours away from the beach, we are happy to call Roanoke home, and to substitute our once-envisioned ocean view with that of the mountainous Virginia landscape.
Marion Bratton
January 11, 2008
I have been at home in Roanoke for the past 87 years. Hired as the first married woman by Appalachian Power Company during World War II; I worked there for nearly 15 years before joining the Virginia Western Community College staff as bookstore manager. Nineteen years later, I retired from the bookstore and began working part-time at the Towers Mall Heironimus until its closing in 2000. Today, my favorite Roanoke pastimes include shopping at Florabella, Present Thyme, Fink’s, and RSVP, and dining out at local restaurants like the Roanoker, Grace’s Place Pizza, and Carlos. Due in large part to the medical professionals at Carilion and Vistar Eye Center, I have also successfully undergone a hip replacement and corrective eye surgery, both of which make it possible for me to enjoy time with family and friends, and participate in activities such as the annual Roanoke Home & Garden Tour and the Saturday morning Farmer’s Market.
TK & Ron Sharpley
January 6, 2008
My husband, Ron, and I were both born in Roanoke, and after raising three children here, we can’t imagine living anywhere else in the world. From our high school days together at Patrick Henry, to a corner building on Grandin Road that has housed Ron’s dentist practice for the past 36 years, Roanoke has provided us with the security and satisfaction of affordable housing, a strong public school system, an incredible church family, and magnificent mountain views frequently observed from the front porch of the home we purchased 34 years ago. This summer, as our youngest daughter graduates from Roanoke College and prepares to get married in the same church as Ron and I, we will once again celebrate with nearby family and friends, and continue to make wonderful memories in the city we love and are so happy to call home.
- Ron’s Occupation: Dentist
- Ron’s Hometown: Roanoke, VA
- TK’s Hometown: Roanoke, VA
