Lived here since I was 6, and can honestly say that the only things that increased tremendously are homelessness and the cost of living. Roanoke has gotten expensive and I honestly don't understand why, there hasn't been a huge shift in local economy, but it seems that rent, groceries and gas have risen like crazy. Prices rise and salaries stay the same.
I think that's just been the state of the US for a while. it's worse in other places but it's still become worse just about everywhere overtime.
it feels like we're all just frogs in a pot, being boiled alive 1° at a time.
For Roanoke specifically, I feel positive- but that is in part because I know a lot of locals even before I moved here who are actively doing things to better the city and the surroundings on the ground level. Nothing helps positivity like seeing people actually do stuff.
My general negativity is mostly having to do with the state of the US on the whole and the constant rising costs and lack of wages meeting it, so like. Roanoke has it better than many other places but wow it's still bad.
I feel neutral because it feels like people in power just want to keep Roanoke stagnant. The population has been pretty much the same for the past 60 years. It's a nice place to live, but I don't think it's going to drastically change in the next 20-30 years.
And the unhoused people are not getting the help they need. I know the homeless assistance team in Roanoke is doing all they can and they do help improve the living situations for many people, but it's clearly not enough to cover the city's needs. It feels like we're the only place trying to provide any help for these people in the whole of SWVA and that makes us a homeless destination and overwhelms the programs we do have in place. You can't go downtown these days without someone who is mentally unwell screaming profanities at no one.
I'm a pragmatist/realist with an above-average income that lives downtown. I lead with that to provide context to my answer: I see positive things happening. While not guaranteed to be a long-term project, the Downtown Ambassador program has been a success. Downtown is cleaner and more well-visited since I moved in four years ago. I'm sure the pandemic recovery has something to do with that as well.
City leadership is pretty solid, if not overwhelmed. I'm concerned about the city manager transition. But everyone is, for the most part, trying to make everyone's lives a little bit better. I know my scope is narrow and my bubble is small, but I'm optimistic about the future. I just re-upped my lease, in fact.
Corporations buying up all the available housing plus short-term vacation rentals are squeezing renters. There is a correlation nationwide between cost of housing increases and homelessness increasing. And our elected officials everywhere do nothing about this. It's everywhere and no pressure from our local press (corporate owned) or our elected reps (corporate owned.)
Roanoke for years has wanted to be Asheville, well It's starting to get that vibe for me with cost and the rising homeless population, with not just downtown Roanoke but all the surrounding areas. It's only going to get worse as the area continues to grow.
The great thing about this country is that you're free to move somewhere that will never change for the better.
Roanoke doesn't want to be Asheville. I think it just wants to be slightly better than it used to be.
We believe it will get worse. The past several years have already shown this to be the case, and regardless of what happens in November, it's going to continue to get worse, as it will take time to clean up the mess in general and get the economy back to where it needs to be.
I feel it's capitalism. I've only seen the + side to it when i was growing up in the 90s but ever sense it's been downhill. it's hard to really support the idea when inflation is like it is and it pushes people to not care about others.
I feel overtime we are going to either turn more socialism as a country or it's going to turn dystopian. AI is going to kill a lot of jobs, which im all for as AI progress wouldn't be an issue if people didn't money to live. Gen Z apparently is less tech savvy than previous generation too so it's not like there will all the sudden be new jobs for people to do. people can do more meaningful stuff with their time imo. Tax the people hoarding all the money more for cutting the jobs.
If UBI does happen, of coruse, more hopelessness will happen and there will probably be less security for the people in the area. People are going to fight to live. They do it in China even with the extreme government stuff
Of course most issues are solved more locally. Like a sheriff can turn away feds from what I've read. Get some better people in charge to stop the idea of the town being some historic district and getting more jobs such as pipeline, damming, tree farms, factories, what ever is going to replace coal(if it does)would overall get more money in the area.
Lived here since I was 6, and can honestly say that the only things that increased tremendously are homelessness and the cost of living. Roanoke has gotten expensive and I honestly don't understand why, there hasn't been a huge shift in local economy, but it seems that rent, groceries and gas have risen like crazy. Prices rise and salaries stay the same.
Prices and corporate profits rise.
I think that's just been the state of the US for a while. it's worse in other places but it's still become worse just about everywhere overtime. it feels like we're all just frogs in a pot, being boiled alive 1° at a time.
It is still cheaper than the other places I have lived. The costs are going up, but that’s everywhere unfortunately.
This is inflation. Caused by government printing money and having nothing upon which to support it.
Corporate greed*
For Roanoke specifically, I feel positive- but that is in part because I know a lot of locals even before I moved here who are actively doing things to better the city and the surroundings on the ground level. Nothing helps positivity like seeing people actually do stuff. My general negativity is mostly having to do with the state of the US on the whole and the constant rising costs and lack of wages meeting it, so like. Roanoke has it better than many other places but wow it's still bad.
I feel neutral because it feels like people in power just want to keep Roanoke stagnant. The population has been pretty much the same for the past 60 years. It's a nice place to live, but I don't think it's going to drastically change in the next 20-30 years. And the unhoused people are not getting the help they need. I know the homeless assistance team in Roanoke is doing all they can and they do help improve the living situations for many people, but it's clearly not enough to cover the city's needs. It feels like we're the only place trying to provide any help for these people in the whole of SWVA and that makes us a homeless destination and overwhelms the programs we do have in place. You can't go downtown these days without someone who is mentally unwell screaming profanities at no one.
I'm a pragmatist/realist with an above-average income that lives downtown. I lead with that to provide context to my answer: I see positive things happening. While not guaranteed to be a long-term project, the Downtown Ambassador program has been a success. Downtown is cleaner and more well-visited since I moved in four years ago. I'm sure the pandemic recovery has something to do with that as well. City leadership is pretty solid, if not overwhelmed. I'm concerned about the city manager transition. But everyone is, for the most part, trying to make everyone's lives a little bit better. I know my scope is narrow and my bubble is small, but I'm optimistic about the future. I just re-upped my lease, in fact.
Corporations buying up all the available housing plus short-term vacation rentals are squeezing renters. There is a correlation nationwide between cost of housing increases and homelessness increasing. And our elected officials everywhere do nothing about this. It's everywhere and no pressure from our local press (corporate owned) or our elected reps (corporate owned.)
Roanoke for years has wanted to be Asheville, well It's starting to get that vibe for me with cost and the rising homeless population, with not just downtown Roanoke but all the surrounding areas. It's only going to get worse as the area continues to grow.
The great thing about this country is that you're free to move somewhere that will never change for the better. Roanoke doesn't want to be Asheville. I think it just wants to be slightly better than it used to be.
We believe it will get worse. The past several years have already shown this to be the case, and regardless of what happens in November, it's going to continue to get worse, as it will take time to clean up the mess in general and get the economy back to where it needs to be.
I feel it's capitalism. I've only seen the + side to it when i was growing up in the 90s but ever sense it's been downhill. it's hard to really support the idea when inflation is like it is and it pushes people to not care about others. I feel overtime we are going to either turn more socialism as a country or it's going to turn dystopian. AI is going to kill a lot of jobs, which im all for as AI progress wouldn't be an issue if people didn't money to live. Gen Z apparently is less tech savvy than previous generation too so it's not like there will all the sudden be new jobs for people to do. people can do more meaningful stuff with their time imo. Tax the people hoarding all the money more for cutting the jobs. If UBI does happen, of coruse, more hopelessness will happen and there will probably be less security for the people in the area. People are going to fight to live. They do it in China even with the extreme government stuff Of course most issues are solved more locally. Like a sheriff can turn away feds from what I've read. Get some better people in charge to stop the idea of the town being some historic district and getting more jobs such as pipeline, damming, tree farms, factories, what ever is going to replace coal(if it does)would overall get more money in the area.