Roanoke Ranks as a Top Place to Live in Virginia

April 13, 2018

Are you looking to relocate to a city with fresh air, a vibrant culture, good employment opportunities, beautiful atmosphere and low cost of living? Consider Roanoke, Virginia, which recently ranked as one of the nation’s best places to live by Livability.com. Roanoke was also recently showcased in Expedia’s travel blog, on their list of favorite places to visit based on a poll of 1,000 Americans.

Each year, Livability.com looks at small to medium-sized cities to determine their LivScore, a measure of the strength of that area’s economy, healthcare, demographics, amenities, affordability and livability. Competing against over 2,000 cities, Roanoke ranked No. 3 on Livability.com’s 2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live. The online site noted that Roanoke residents spend less on healthcare, entertainment, transportation and food than the national average, and housing costs are low with the median home price of just over $135,000.

“We’ve always known how great Roanoke and the Roanoke Valley is to live, work and play,” said Bitsy Davis, managing broker of Long & Foster’s Roanoke office. “The outdoor amenities are endless and the beauty is unsurpassed.”

As Davis and her team of agents at Long & Foster shared, if you love the outdoors, Roanoke’s temperate climate, miles of walking trails, mountains and close proximity to Smith Mountain Lake provide endless recreation opportunities. If culture is your thing, you can catch a live Broadway show at the Mill Mountain Theatre, visit the Taubman Museum of Art or attend a performance by the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. The downtown area offers unique shopping and dining, all in a scenic setting among the Blue Ridge Mountains. The area also has many breweries or wineries with stunning views of the mountains and valley.

 “I am a lifelong resident of the Roanoke Valley and there is so much to offer here,” said Vickie Clarke, an agent in Long & Foster’s Roanoke office. “The beauty of our area, in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with its culture, educational opportunities, change of seasons, quality of life, affordable cost of living and proximity to Smith Mountain Lake and the beaches, make it a place I never wanted to leave.”

“The Roanoke region has consistently ranked at or near the top of ‘great places to retire’ lists,” said Valeria Alphin, also an agent in Long & Foster’s Roanoke office. “Among the many reasons is the world-class healthcare made available by Carilion Clinic, which has partnered with Virginia Tech to develop a growing academic health center that includes a medical school and research institute. The community was especially proud last year when Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital was the only hospital in Virginia that U.S. News and World Report gave the highest rating possible for all the procedures they measure, from heart care to orthopedics to cancer. So seniors in Roanoke feel confident that their health needs will be met as they age.”

To learn more about the area, visit the Roanoke community page on Long & Foster’s website.