More Reasons the Roanoke Area is a Great Place to Live

According to Beth Doughty of the Roanoke Regional Partnership, Roanokers enjoy the following benefits:

- Cost of doing business 15% lower than national averages (source)
- Cost of living 5% lower than national average
- Ranked in Top 15 Most Affordable Places for Doing Business (source )
- Virginia’s most diverse economy (source )
- Within a day’s drive of 2/3 of US population
- More than 600 miles of trails and 22 miles of greenways
- Smith Mountain Lake is Virginia’s largest lake
- 120 miles of the Appalachian Trail winds through the Roanoke Region
- Carvins Cove Nature Reserve is the 2nd largest municipal park in the US
- Mountain bike trails ranked in Top 5 (Resort Sports Network TV)

The Roanoke Regional Partnership

Need information on the Roanoke area?  Check out the Roanoke Regional Partnership website http://www.roanoke.org/housingchoices 

Lots of good information on schools, business and the region in general.

Turks Cap Lily... Sultan of the Blue Ridge

The beautiful Turks Cap Lily is growing on a wooded path in Franklin County, VA.  This lily is a native wildflower and in the sun can grow to over 6 ft tall.  The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to many wildflowers.  Each different elevation creates a different micro-environment encouraging diversity in plant and animal life.

Bears Roaming North Bedford City

Early spring finds hungry bears on the move, searching for food.  Sometimes they take a wrong turn and end up in populated areas.  The main attractants are trash, bird food and pet food.  Feeding bears is often a death sentence for the bear, as it seeks human food it will inevitably become a nuisance and likely be killed.  Click on the following video for more info on bears in Virginia.

Brake Turn Accelerate: Tips for Driving on Snow and Ice

Brake Turn Accelerate: Tips for Driving on Snow and Ice