Next stop was Roanoke, where I lived for several years. It’s a small city, surrounded by mountains, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian Trail. Traditionally a railroad town, it has a casual blue-collar feel, though slowly getting a little more high-tech and artsy. Norfolk Southern’s buildings are prominent features of downtown, and the railroad slices the city in half.
Norfolk Southern
The next picture shows Roanoke’s progression: you’ve got the railroad in the foreground, with the First Union tower looming over it, and finally, the brand new modern art museum on the left side. Let’s just say there was (and still is) a little controversy over the new museum!
Roanoke in Transition
Entering downtown Roanoke
These pictures don’t really do the town justice – it was rather overcast with a light drizzle. Roanoke has a very traditional downtown filled with older brick buildings. It’s a very green city with lots of trees and beautiful mountains surrounding it. And it is very easy to get out into some great countryside!
Not far outside Roanoke
Farmhouse outside of Roanoke
Nice photograph! I have lived in the New River Valley all of my adult life. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. My husband, Clyde Kessler, is a self-taught naturalist from Ferrum, VA and he has been studying this region his entire life. He is working to publish a CD on Butterflies of the Blue Ridge. My artwork is a celebration of life and most of it is a celebration of this beautiful mountain region.