many thanks for additional info - I’ve been to Roanoke - a slice of Heaven, beautiful area
Yes, this area of the state is simply beautiful and the people are typically good, honest, conservative folks. With Smith Mountain Lake property becoming more & more expensive, we have had our share of infiltration by liberal northerners, though.
There has been a meticulously deliberate absence of reporting locally about the “white flight” from Roanoke proper. The City itself is so mismanaged and ineffective that many of these folks moved to outlying areas with more common sense and better administration. There is supposed to be a new city manager soon...I hope (s)he can fix some of the problems, but the problems do seem to be deeply entrenched. Anyone curious about Roanoke’s problems can go here and have a look-see:
http://www.theroanoker.com/queen/index.php/roanoke/darlene-burcham/