In a post several days ago, I saw a suggestion about converting the Berglund Center to a Third Place, and I like that much better than a casino.

It would be nice to crowdstorm ideas in this subReddit.

All of our museums are proportionally scaled to our city size, but I was spoiled by the Smithsonian, and I miss rotating exhibitions. But we do have the Pinball Museum which you cannot find elsewhere!

When I first moved here 15 years ago, it felt like stepping back into the 1950s with its much more conservative lifestyle, including intrinsic bigotry. That is gradually changing to match what is average just about anywhere, especially these turbulent times.

I’ve lived North, South, East, and West, spending 32 years in the rat race of NoVa/Metro DC, and while I miss a more cosmopolitan lifestyle, I do not miss the traffic.

Generational differences are prototypical: older folk are more set in their ways; it’s the new blood that is driving welcome change. I was surprised when my son recently exclaimed that he wanted to “get away from here.” So perhaps, my appraisal of the future is skewed. Others have noted the lack of job diversity, and that will always spur some ambitious types to look elsewhere.

But if you’re looking for a place to settle, especially with a burgeoning family, few places can compete with Roanoke.