Roanoke Virginia 4K Driving Tour Downtown & Surrounding Neighborhoods

Travel with us as we explore the Roanoke Virginia Downtown area as well as the surrounding neighborhoods as we drive through the city.
From Wikipedia:
The Roanoke Valley was originally home to members of the Siouan-speaking Tutelo tribe. However, in the 17th and early-to-mid 18th centuries, Scotch-Irish and later German American farmers gradually drove those Native Americans out of the area as the American frontier pressed westward. In 1882, the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) chose the small town of Big Lick as the site of its corporate headquarters and railroad shops. Within two years, the town had become the City of Roanoke. With a 2,300% population growth rate in the decade from 1880 to 1890, the young city experienced the advantages and disadvantages of its boomtown status. During the 20th century, Roanoke's boundaries expanded through multiple annexations from the surrounding Roanoke County, and it became Southwest Virginia's economic and cultural hub. The 1982 decision by N&W to relocate their headquarters out of the city, combined with other manufacturing closures, led Roanoke to pivot to a primarily service economy. In the 21st century, a robust healthcare industry and the development and increased marketing of its outdoor amenities have helped reverse prior declining population trends.

[@johnchristianjr]

It always strikes me how empty Roanoke seems to be in terms of people/traffic. Beautiful city, nice buildings, nice scenery -but like missing half of the people it seems it should have. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@leonation89]

Is Roanoke bigger than Greensboro or about the same size

[@TNCsAmericanRoadTrip]

I think it's about the same

[@Weepster14-uf5is]

Greensboro is much larger today, Greensboro passed Roanoke up around 1970 I think. Roanoke was the larger of the two prior to that. Greensboro got large by annexation and Roanoke has not annexed in nearly 50 years. NC annex laws are less stricter than Va.

[@jamesvanover82]

I liked Roanoke. Im originally from the dmv lived there back in 2017. Right on Arbutus ave; basically right below mill Mountain

[@Lynell540]

Haha. So you didn’t want to drive thru NW or NE?

[@iceberg220]

Oh wow! I was just thinking almost the same, but NW and SE; I moved to Roanoke, from NY in 2000 and as soon as I started looking for a house I was told to avoid exactly those areas; they probably already knew about it, when they shot the video; sad reality for us, here

[@JOHNDT4]

Would be a lot better without the creepy “music”

[@Goldenhammer8]

MATT FLYNTs Lonoke TACOMA

[@nikkipacheco6835]

Fools in Roanoke be blasting 247!! Don't be caught slipping

[@leshelton]

Cmon now it’s not Chicago or Compton

[@nikkipacheco6835]

@@leshelton definitely not but they shooting almost every other night it got like that now

[@joemomma1968]

It's just roanoke bro lose that stupid music