Roanoke’s welcoming community and diverse opportunities attract new residents, fostering connections and a vibrant, engaged population.
Neil Fox
Max Murphy moved to Roanoke in 2022. He found his tribe quickly, he says, going to off-the-beaten-path punk rock concerts. He gathers with a local drum circle. He hopes to organize his own Design Thinking group to solve common problems. He’s looking for creatives.
“There’s an emphasis on the community and trying to make it unique … whatever type of passion that you have,” Murphy says.
From pickleball pairs to pub-crawling clubs and everything in between … if you can imagine your circle, you can find it here. And if you can’t find it, you can create it.
“Roanoke is a community where you can have an impact,” says Doug Jackson, Roanoke City Arts and Cultural Coordinator. Roanokers are creating the place they want to be, the places and groups where they want to belong. People intuitively know that they can shape this region — they can see it and feel it, he says.
“Roanoke is not distinct from its people. We are the place we can create,” Jackson says.
New Growth
Since 2020, a net total of 1,700 new residents have moved into the region, according to data from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.
Many of Roanoke’s new residents are relocating from northern Virginia/Maryland and Hampton Roads, says John Hull, executive director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership (RRP). They’re coming from larger metros, seeking a quieter life with less traffic and a lower cost of living.
“The signs are all positive in the Roanoke Region,” says Hull. “The region’s labor force is at all-time peak levels, migration is positive and announced job growth is making records.”
In 2023 and 2024, the region announced the creation of 1,735 jobs and $270 million in capital investment from businesses including Wells Fargo, Mack Trucks and New Belgium.
Brian Corde is an expert in labor and site selection. He knows what entices people to move to a new city. In 2022, Corde presented an appraisal of the region’s best assets at an RRP investor meeting.
“You’ve got places that people can actually live for reasonable amounts of money,” Corde says, regarding Roanoke. Younger generations are looking for small metros that offer affordable costs of living, he said. Roanoke’s cost of living is less than that of Washington, DC, Richmond and Greensboro. Housing costs less here, too, according to realtor Cyndi Fletcher of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.
In 2021, Lauren and Chris Marve moved to Blacksburg. They came for a job — he had been hired as a Hokie football coach — and they stay for the community. “Seeing just how welcoming people are and then just how nice they were … that just makes you feel at home, makes you feel comfortable,” Lauren Marve says.
Last summer, the Marves opened Roanoke’s first Hotworx fitness studio, offering hot workouts in semi-private saunas at Towers Shopping Center. “You go to big cities and you see Hotworx. We can have that,” she says. “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t.”
“We chose to open here because Roanoke has a large population and so many options for places we could locate,” Lauren Marve says.
Neil Fox
She says she received a lot of help from the City of Roanoke’s Economic Development Department. “This is my first time opening a business. So there’s a lot that I don’t know, and there was a lot that [Lisa Soltis and Brady Lawrence] did,” she says.
Under the leadership of director Marc Nelson, that department has over 100 years of combined lived experience in the Roanoke Valley. That expertise enables the team to guide new business owners to resources across the city, says Lisa Soltis, Senior Economic Development Specialist.
“We’re like ‘8-1-1, Call Before You Dig,’” Soltis says. “If they can contact us first, we can direct them into the avenues that they should take to be more successful in their business.”
The Reschkas, both small business owners, have lived in Roanoke for seven years. Stephanie Reschka owns Dessert Bar, an event catering business. As a photographer/videographer, Taylor Reschka owns Taylored Images. They have advice for new business owners: get involved. Show up at Chamber of Commerce events. Stick your neck out there and keep doing it. “Sometimes all you need is one brave day to go and discover that you like it,” Stephanie Reschka says.
For Taylor Reschka, belonging to the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce has cemented his sense of belonging in the Roanoke business community. “There were so many people at my ribbon-cutting. So many people I knew, people I didn’t know. The mayor was there,” he remembers.
“We have made more connections in two or three years here than we ever did in 20+ years in Michigan. That’s huge, not just for our businesses, but for our happiness,” Taylor Reschka says.
Mountain Metro Mix
With so many options tucked between the mountains, residents can custom-tailor their weekends to fit every lifestyle. Hike one of the area’s seven peaks in the morning, spend the afternoon at a farmers market or tubing the river and then enjoy a quiet dinner, some jazz or theater, all within a short drive of downtown. “That is one of the unique attributes of the region that makes it really special,” says Pete Eshelman, RRP senior director of creative strategies. He likes to mountain bike after work and can be out the door and on a trail within minutes.
Roanoke is more than its mountains, rivers and greenways. The people are diverse. The food is diverse. The music, art, culture and dance are diverse. Folks are noticing and they jump right in.
A Place to Call Home
Roanoke is welcoming. We declared it. We’re living it. We’re attracting new neighbors who stick around.
“We have that southern hospitality charm. Everybody is super friendly and helpful,” Eshelman says. Once you meet folks, you’re friends for life — they’ll always say “hey” in the grocery store, he says.
Getting involved in community helps people become invested, according to Julia Boas, RRP director of talent strategies. “The more they do, the more roots they plant and the more embedded they become.”
“People around here are mostly happy. It’s just easier here,” Eshelman says.
Why Virginia's Blue Ridge?
Skilled Workforce
- Talent Pool: Over 300,000 workers within a 60-mile radius; one-third have bachelor’s degrees.
- Educational Hub: Home to 25 colleges with more than 100,000 students.
- Workforce Growth: Roanoke ranks in the top 36% of all metros for prime workforce growth.
Cost-Effective Living
- Affordable Living: Ranked as the 54th lowest-cost metro in the nation, with the cost of doing business 18% lower than the national average.
- High Value: Provides all the amenities of a major metro area at a lower cost.
Thriving Business Environment
- Diverse Economy: Supports advanced manufacturers, biomedical and life science innovators, tech start-ups and knowledge industries.
- Regional Significance: Largest metropolitan area in Western Virginia, serving over 1 million people for jobs, transportation, entertainment and healthcare.
- Innovation Corridor: Home to the new VT Corporate Research Center on Jefferson, attracting international talent and fostering growth.
Recognized Excellence
Roanoke’s star is shining brighter than ever, landing the #2 spot in USA TODAY’s “5 Best Cities to Move to in the South!”
With its low cost of living, mild climate and a rock-bottom 2.1% unemployment rate, it’s no wonder people are flocking here.
- Awards: Multiple All-American City awards.
- National Recognition: Praised by Travel + Leisure, Blue Ridge Outdoors and others as a top outdoor town, affordable place for millennials and a great city for new grads.
- Welcoming City Designation: Roanoke is the only city in Virginia with this designation (and 23rd in the U.S. to get it), recognized for its inclusivity and community support!
Looking for a place that’s affordable, stable and weather-resilient? Roanoke’s got you covered!