Any Roanoke Virginia area Mustachians?

[davisgang90]

Looking to retire to the area in 2 years.  I'd like to hear from anyone currently living in the area.

[davisgang90]

Echo, Echo

[bleumanchu]

Not from Roanoke, but may have some reasons in the future to be interested in what you have found/find about the area. From some cursory searching, seems like a lot of potential for walkable/bikeable areas, and a decent cost of living.

[smalllife]

Don't live there but have friends who do. What do you want to know?

[bleumanchu]

Don't live there but have friends who do. What do you want to know?

Was going to let OP start the questions, but since davisgang90 hasn't responded, I'll ask a few.

• How pedestrian/bike friendly is Roanoke?

• Any idea if the schools there are decent? (I have a daughter who is approaching 2 years, for context)

• Any thoughts/impressions on craft beer, dining scene?

I'm sure I have others, but these are some of the questions that I thought of when I should be getting work done instead. Thanks.

[KimPossible]

We lived there a few years ago, left in 2010.  My best friend still lives there.  I liked living in Roanoke, but I don't miss it very much. 

If you live in close in to the city, it's pretty pedestrian friendly.  There are some cool neighborhoods that have amenities within walking distance (Grandin Village, South Roanoke, Old Southwest). We lived in Old Southwest, and it was definitely walkable.  I'm not so sure about biking.

Our daughter went to the Community School for preschool when we lived there.  We loved CS, but it's a bit of a commute.  I'm not sure what we would be doing if we were still there.

I think the dining scene has improved quite a bit since we were there.  My best friend loves to go out to eat and is always telling me about new restaurants that have opened.  (That's good, because we weren't impressed with the options when we lived there.)

Let me know if you want me to ask her any specific questions.