At least twice a week I enjoy getting out and doing some bicycling around town.

During warmer months I’ll meet some friends and head down to one of Roanoke’s greenways. Each visit to one of the greenways is usually an adventure in itself (as I’ve written about here when exploring them).

But, when it’s colder outside and daylight is limited I just take out the bike and ride around my own Virginia Heights neighborhood. As it often turns out, Sunday afternoon is one of the days of the week when I go for a ride.

(It helps to keep me active. I tried using a stationary bike but there was something that seemed subconsciously unproductive about peddling and peddling and getting nowhere.)

As I’ve ridden around the neighborhood I’ve noticed that Sunday is a popular day for doing laundry, myself included by the way.

And I came to this realization while riding around not because I look for clothes hanging and drying on the line. It’s way too cold for that now anyways.

I realized it because the smell of laundry detergent fills the air along various stretches of the neighborhood. So much so that when I pass by certain areas I even remember the scent! I don’t know the brands, but it sure is better than smelling and breathing just plain old air.

Maybe I’m crazy, but it’s the little and simple things like this that I seem to notice much more often now as I get older.

Have a great Monday!

A few weeks ago I received a comment from a reader who lives up North and is considering moving to Roanoke. They asked me to write about Roanoke and what I think about living here. What are some of the pluses and minuses of Roanoke? What to expect and what not to expect? And, overall talk a little about the quality of life here.

With the next few posts I’ll do my best to answer these questions from my perspective, and generally so that they can apply to all ages. These posts hardly aim to cover everything about Roanoke, and I encourage you to leave comments below and add your own perspective. 

When I think about Roanoke there are a couple aspects that come to mind which I believe are a large part of the ambiance of the city. I say and know this because when I have on occasion traveled elsewhere, these are the aspects I noticed the most as missing from daily life.

Mountains

The mountains provide a background to just about everywhere I travel around town. They are always off in the distance, sitting quietly while providing scenery and a sense of protection.

As the season changes, so does the mountain’s foliage. I’m partial to the green that begins to appear in the Spring. Of course the pure white from after a moderate snowfall is quite a sight also.

Beautiful Mill Mountain as Seen from the Elm Avenue Intersection with Route 220/I-581 (5-18-08)

When I travel to other places I often feel like something is missing. At first I can’t put my finger on it, but then I realize: I have grown accustomed to the mountains. To me, a city seems much more vulnerable without them.

The mountains have become a part of my life as a Roanoke citizen, and I tend to prefer it that way.

Trains

I’m not sure if there is a spot in Roanoke that can escape from the sound of a train whistle. From my house in the City I occasionally hear the sound, as well as the gentle roaring of a train passing by along the tracks.

The railroad system in Roanoke as seen from a bridge on 10 Street SW

The railroad is very much a part of Roanoke. And if you are a Roanoke resident it will be difficult to avoid crossing a set of tracks from time to time.

A few weeks ago I received a comment from a reader who lives up North and is considering moving to Roanoke. They asked me to write about Roanoke and what I think about living here. What are some of the pluses and minuses of Roanoke? What to expect and what not to expect? And, overall talk a little about the quality of life here.

With the next few posts I’ll do my best to answer these questions from my perspective, and generally so that they can apply to all ages. These posts hardly aim to cover everything about Roanoke, and I encourage you to leave comments below and add your own perspective. 

I work and probably earn somewhere in the neighborhood of the median or average income for a US household. Ocassionally, I pick up another 1-2 part-time jobs when I want (not including this blog).

I’m not rich and I don’t live my life in such a way to encourage people to falsely believe I’m rich. I dislike debt and live within my means. I say this not to brag or anything of that sort, but to say that, relatively speaking, money seems to go a pretty far distance in Roanoke. Especially for those that are conscious of their budget, save appropriately, and don’t live outside of their salary range.

The beauty of it is that Roanoke is fairly laid back to the point where one doesn’t have to live extravagantly just to fit in with the rest of society.

Now, there is poor and homeless in Roanoke. In fact, there seems to be more homeless downtown recently than I have ever seen before. I mean maybe a half-dozen instead of 1 or 2 that I used to see. There is probably more than that but it doesn’t seem like Chicago or DC where on nearly every corner there was a homeless person.

But as for me, I can make all of my payments and still eat out infrequently or go to the mall every few weeks and splurge on some new clothes. At the end of the day I’m not struggling to pay bills, and I have plenty to save for retirement (or to pay for child expenses if/when that occurs). Money seems to go farther is my point.

In short, I live OK on an income that would probably be considered the low end of the spectrum if I did the same work in a bigger city. So, in Roanoke, I realize I make less, but it’s just a cheaper place to live overall I think so it evens out.

In closing, I can only speak for myself. I went to college, learned a desirable skill, work hard, and live on a modest income. Roanoke helps to provide me this life and hopefully will continue to do so for years to come.

I see Roanoke helping to provide the same or better life for others, and see no reason why it can’t to do the same for anyone else willing to take advantage of the relatively low cost of living here.

A few weeks ago I received a comment from a reader who lives up North and is considering moving to Roanoke. They asked me to write about Roanoke and what I think about living here. What are some of the pluses and minuses of Roanoke? What to expect and what not to expect? And, overall talk a little about the quality of life here.

With the next few posts I’ll do my best to answer these questions from my perspective, and generally so that they can apply to all ages. These posts hardly aim to cover everything about Roanoke, and I encourage you to leave comments below and add your own perspective.

With this post I’m going to write a little about the weather in Roanoke.

Weather

Overall, the temperatures in Roanoke are rather mild and pleasant for each season respectively. Aside from a few days out of the year, we usually don’t freeze too much, or suffer from the heat too much either.

This is not to say Roanokers are immune from some a few unbearably hot August afternoons, nor some icy filled mornings in late January or February. But, by and large things are rather calm around here in the weather department.

If you have children they will be happy to know that when we get any (and I mean any, even a bit over a dusting) of snow on the roads then schools promptly close for the day.

Hardly measurable snow Roanoke received back in November, which quickly melted by mid morning.

After the cold months, and for several weeks starting in late Winter and through early Spring, I shut off the thermostat and open the windows for some natural (and much cheaper) temperature regulation.

During the warm months it’s a daily scene to view the green mountains in the distance as you drive around town.

Mill Mountain (home of the Mill Mountain Star) as seen from the Jefferson Street Bridge.

In upcoming posts, more on the basics of living in Roanoke including crime and cost of living.

A few weeks ago I received a comment from a reader who lives up North and is considering moving to Roanoke, I believe as a place to retire. They asked me to write about Roanoke and what I think about living here. What are some of the pluses and minuses of Roanoke? What to expect and what not to expect? And, overall talk a little about the quality of life here.

With the next few posts I’ll do my best to answer these questions from my perspective, and generally so that they can apply to all ages. These posts hardly aim to cover everything about Roanoke, and I encourage you to leave comments below and add your own perspective.

Before I can even begin talking about Roanoke I feel inclined to give a brief background on how I came to call it home. And why I still live and work within minutes from the hospital where I was born.

My dad was born and raised in Roanoke. My mom moved here from the mid-west when she was young as a result of my grandfather being transferred while working for Norfolk-Southern.

Both of my parents (now divorced) still live in or in the vicinity of Roanoke. Well, my mom actually still lives in the same house where I grew up.

And those of my grandparents still alive also live in Roanoke, with several other relatives scattered throughout Virginia from here to Richmond.

I was born at Lewis-Gale Hospital and grew up in Roanoke County.

I went to college at Virginia Western and Radford University and then came back to Roanoke looking for work and my place in the world. Sometime later I purchased my first home in Roanoke City, found a rewarding career, and never had a chance or consideration to look back.

I suppose I could be called a “young professional” that Roanoke is looking to attract, or keep. And I plan on hanging around here for the long-term.

I don’t think it’s entirely accurate to say that we choose the city where we live.

Sometimes the city chooses us.

Next up, Living in Roanoke - The Basics.

I’m optimistic at the start of a new presidential term, but I also realize that these are tough times. And they may get tougher before they get better.

Even Roanoke has felt some of the effects of the weakened ecomony:

Circuit City Going Out of Business

I was genuinely saddened by this news. I’ve always liked Circuit City and shopped there many times going back to when it used to be over at Crossroads. I’m in the market to finally upgrade from my old tube TV to a new HDTV set so I may have to make a stop there and see what they have left. I drove by on Sunday and it looked very busy. Nothing like a store closing down to drum up business I guess.

Mill Mountain Theatre to Shutdown

I was frustrated by this news, mostly at myself. For years I kept telling myself I was going to take in a performance at the theatre, and it just never happened. Now, the time has run out.

Ukrop’s Picking up Some Business?

Since I read a Roanoke Times article about Ukrop’s not having enough business, it seems that they have had at least a little increase in business the times I have been there. I hope so. I’m doing about 99% of my shopping there now.

Many Deals at Some Stores Still Around

I was in need of some new shoes and clothes so I went to Tanglewood Mall this past Sunday. Belk had sale signs splattered all over the place. After several minutes I had picked out a pair of jeans, pants, and a few shirts. Based on what I could gather from markdowns and sales I estimated the total price to be about $115 for everything. Good deal I thought. When I got to the register it turned out being only $85, so I just smiled.

Then, it was off to JC Penney for a couple pair of shoes and they were quite busy in particular. I even ended up driving out to the Valley View store to get the shoes because they didn’t have my size at Tanglewood.

I plan on going back and buying more when I get my tax refund.

Final Thoughts

The state of the economy of course concerns me, but it doesn’t control me. I still work as hard as I ever have. I’m spending less than I used to, but I believe before now I was in fact over-spending. If I go out to eat or get a haircut I still tip well over 10%. I’m more conscious about paying down debt and saving for the future in my 401k. Most importantly, I live within my means.

Some 3 or so years ago I reserved the domain name for this site. I thought the name was catchy, but I had no idea what to do with it. So, for the longest time over many months the website sat idle with “Under Construction” pasted on the homepage.

Then, sometime in late 2007 I was introduced to this whole blogging phenomenom. Blogging has been around for years, and I found myself starting to regularly follow various blogs on topics such as personal finance. Being able to read about stuff written by real, everyday other people was cool.

In some small fashion I wanted to do the same here in writing about my experiences in Roanoke.

For those of you already out there blogging you may have experienced some of the following already. For those considering starting a blog (on any topic of your choosing), I implore you to give it a shot. Here are some of my own personal experiences from the first year as a blogger:

That not only local area residents read your blog

I’ve received some friendly emails and comments from people who may have once called Roanoke home, but are now living in different parts of the nation. And they are still interested in some of the goings on in this quaint city of Southwest Virginia.

That I’m now more inclined to visit places around town I otherwise wouldn’t have

This site has given me the extra push to visit places and areas I may not have otherwise gone. For example, I never would’ve gone to Brown-Robertson Park, or ridden a bicycle along Lick Run Greenway if not for this site. I mean, they’re supposed to be “bad” areas, right?

That make no mistake, blogging is work

Blogging is really a fair amount of work and is basically a part-time job. At minimum I spend 5 hours during a typical week with all things Noke News, and sometimes as much as 10-20 hours a week going around and taking pictures, then writing up posts. But, I view it more as a hobby than work. Sometimes, since I usually keep my camera in the car, I just drive around for a bit and look for a great photo opportunity.

Other blogging opportunities

And finally, that after getting through a year with this site I’m persuaded to launch another blog sometime in the next few weeks. To get ahead of the game, I have written a few dozen articles for that blog so everything will be easier to manage. (The new blog will be on an entirely different topic and I probably won’t mention anymore about it here.)

Well, that’s it. Again, I encourage you to find a topic or topics you like or want to know more about and consider starting a blog of your own. And if you do, send me the link!

I hope ya’ll had a good holiday. To those of you also back to work this morning, I feel your pain.

Here are some of my thoughts from over the Christmas holiday:

Warm Holiday Weekend

Firstly, the past few days around Roanoke have been unseasonably warm, culminating with a Christmas Day which felt more like an early Spring day.The better part of yesterday was actually so warm I nearly broke a sweat wearing short sleeves.

I don’t particularly mind the more mild temperatures, but with the warmth also comes the bugs. They seem to come out of nowhere when we have a warmer day or two, and I had to dispose of a couple potato bugs (stink bugs) and a lady bug that had wondered into the house.

Paying Respects

A good buddy and myself spent a couple hours in the morning on Christmas Day visiting the gravesites of people we miss. We went to visit the site of his father and my grandfather, who are both buried in the Roanoke area.

I knew his father well, and he also knew my grandfather.

This is the first year we have done this, and hopefully it will be an annual trip of remembrance. I’m not a very spiritual person, but visiting the sites is the least I can do.

Opening Gifts and Gathering

I do admit, I’m terribly difficult to buy gifts for, so quite frequently I end up with gift cards and cash. I actually prefer this because I don’t like surprises. If someone must buy actual gifts for me, I tell them socks and t-shirts so they can’t go wrong.

This year we (meaning all local relatives on my mom’s side) gathered at mom’s house in Roanoke County. This is the house where I grew up. I visited dad and his wife at their home (near Bedford) on the 27th.

So, 2 gatherings, 2 dinners, 2 different events.

Even being over 10 years since the divorce, I still wish for being able to make a single trip and get it all done. But, that’s a topic for another day.

Relaxing on Sunday

In true post holiday fashion, I spent the final day before going back to work kicking back and relaxing.

Even with last week being a short week at the office, I felt as exhausted as if I’d worked 60+ hours. I call that needing a vacation from the vacation!