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  #1  
Old Posted Dec 11, 2006, 5:10 PM
ChicagotoRoanoke ChicagotoRoanoke is offline
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Roanoke - downtown and the Market

Here are some pictures I've downloaded over time. I can't take credit for any of these.

We'll start with the image of the art museum currently under construction.


Some pictures of downtown














The Market downtown which is open daily year round but is busiest in the summer of course.
















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  #2  
Old Posted Dec 11, 2006, 5:57 PM
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Thanks for the pics.... what a beautiful setting for a city.
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  #3  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 2:54 AM
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Never heard of this place...
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  #4  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 5:09 AM
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Interesting - my brother met a chick on the internet from Lynchburg and married her. He moved down yonder, had a kid, and commutes to Roanoke.

Nice to see where he drives every day. After he moved down there, he converted to southernism, and won't step foot in city limits of Wilmington or Philadelphia.
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  #5  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 5:10 AM
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Absolutely gorgeous!!!
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  #6  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 12:27 PM
ChicagotoRoanoke ChicagotoRoanoke is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joey D View Post
Interesting - my brother met a chick on the internet from Lynchburg and married her. He moved down yonder, had a kid, and commutes to Roanoke.

Nice to see where he drives every day. After he moved down there, he converted to southernism, and won't step foot in city limits of Wilmington or Philadelphia.
Sorry to hear that. However, that says very little about the "South" and a whole lot about your brother. Shockingly, we actually have airplanes and freeways that are full of people actually going to other big cities!!

I am not native. Lived in Chicago through most of my 20's and came here at the age of 30. Never heard of the place until I came here as an intern. Thought I would be here a year but due to landing a great job and a great woman who actually agreed to be my wife, I have now been here eight years. There has not been a year that has passed that I have not been back to Chicago. I love the place. It will always have a big piece of my heart.

Roanoke was actually not established until 1882 as an industrial railroad town, well after the civil war. I really like the south and have visited almost all the major cities, even lived in Chapel Hill a couple years. I would describe the culture here more as appalachian. Probably has more in common with cities in western Pennsylvania that our neighbors to the south.

Be careful of sweeping generalizations. They really won't serve you well and will lead people to conclude you are rigid and bigoted.
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  #7  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 12:43 PM
ChicagotoRoanoke ChicagotoRoanoke is offline
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Originally Posted by Sacto View Post
Never heard of this place...
Neither had I until I moved here (see post above). It is the cultural center of the western part of the state. Hub for the arts and transportation and medical care. Metro population is about 300,000 according to the 2005 standards. City proper around 100,000. The actual draw is larger than that though as people do come from Lynchburg and New River Valley especially which have their own metro areas. I suspect Roanoke and NRV will merge in the not too distnant future as there is a lot of partnering with Virginia Tech on many economic development projects here. VT is about 30-35 mile down I-81.

Used to be a railroad town and NS still has a presence here, but the largest industry is healthcare. Lots of small biotech companies are starting to develop like just about everywhere else I suppose.

I think Roanoke is waking from a long slumber. My first impression when I moved here was interesting little city with huge unmet potential. For the first five years I came to understand why. This place was in it's heyday in the 50's, built around the railroad, and the residents, and thus the powers that be were trying to keep it in a time capsul. As I say, if you resist change too hard then the change you will get will be decay. That's was what was happening here as every new idea that came up got enough oppostion to shoot it down. In the last three years there has been a real shift in thought and a complete change in elected officials. As a result, opposition to new projects has been losing left and right. One of the most encouraging changes has been the new art museum mentioned. The architect was actually an apprentice of Gehry and you can tell. His work has also recently been chosen for a new museum in Edmonton. His name is Randall Stoudt and the building is in the first image on this page.

Another good piece of news has been the development for the Riverside Center for Research and Technology. A multi-acre site downtown that is a joint project between Virginia Tech and Carilion (a not for profit healthcare company that employs 10,000 people in the valley). The park now houses Luna Technologies and Carilion Biomedical Institute. The Carilion Clinic is a $100 mil, 250,000 sq foot bulding in the works for the site. Cambria Suites is also planned for the site. Recently it was revealed that Virginia Tech in conjuction with Carilion wants to open a medical school on the site. It has tremendous potential to transform our economy and appears to be chugging along, especially in the last year. Plans for a multiacre multipurpose park adjacent to the complex are also in the works. Additionally, there is a proposal for streetcars to make a comeback linking Riverside with the Market area downtown.

There were also some gems here to beging with. The mountains give natural beauty that is hard to beat and the outdoors and all the activities that go with it are very easily accesible. The downtown Market is very nice to have. Hotel Roanoke is a great historic landmark and first class hotel and convention center. Old buildings with good bones are being rehabed into condos and people are moving downtown. I like it here now and feel like it is moving in a very positive direction.

Finally, here is the neighborhood where I live with my family within walking distance of downtown. I walk to work. I love it. I have been able to maintain a good urban lifestyle here.







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  #8  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 12:47 PM
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Beautiful town.
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  #9  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 4:12 PM
ChicagotoRoanoke ChicagotoRoanoke is offline
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Glad people are enjoying the pics. Anyone have a good picture of the giant flourescent star that sits atop Mill Mountain and gives us the nickname the star city? You can see it for miles. Cracked me up the first time I saw it but now it symbolizes home. I guess that means I've been assimilated!
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  #10  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 5:01 PM
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..........
 
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I've never seen this city before, good post.
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  #11  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 5:29 PM
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Good ol' Rollatoke. Everybody I've ever known from Roanoke has been a total stoner!
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  #12  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 6:14 PM
ChicagotoRoanoke ChicagotoRoanoke is offline
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Originally Posted by skylife View Post
Good ol' Rollatoke. Everybody I've ever known from Roanoke has been a total stoner!

Interesting...... that segment of the population seems to have escaped me. Floyd county is a throwback hippy enclave near here.
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  #13  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 6:34 PM
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I have always thought of Roanoke as very pretty, but I have never had the chance to explore the city. Well shown!
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  #14  
Old Posted Dec 13, 2006, 3:52 AM
dharper6 dharper6 is offline
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Originally Posted by flar View Post
I've never seen this city before, good post.
I had no idea this city was so large and in such a beautiful setting. I hope we see more!
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  #15  
Old Posted Dec 13, 2006, 5:41 AM
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That art museum looks amazing! What is it called? And Roanoke has a beautiful setting with the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop, and it's not far from Washington DC.
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  #16  
Old Posted Dec 13, 2006, 12:46 PM
ChicagotoRoanoke ChicagotoRoanoke is offline
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Originally Posted by BG918 View Post
That art museum looks amazing! What is it called? And Roanoke has a beautiful setting with the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop, and it's not far from Washington DC.
It's the Art Museum of Western Virginia. How's that for creative?! Here's a link to their website. http://www.artmuseumroanoke.org/
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  #17  
Old Posted Dec 24, 2006, 12:03 AM
Roanokerichmonder Roanokerichmonder is offline
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Originally Posted by skylife View Post
Good ol' Rollatoke. Everybody I've ever known from Roanoke has been a total stoner!
I used to be one but quit for better career opportunities...there are plenty of weed heads around this city

Great pics of my home town ChicagotoRoanoke
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