Roanoke Region

The Roanoke Region is economically diverse, providing excellent market access and the infrastructure and resources to attract a range of industries, coupled with a low cost of living and doing business as well as unparalleled outdoor amenities.

Roanoke Regional Partnership

 

 

McAfee Knob, Roanoke County

Key Companies in Roanoke Region

PowerSchool, Roanoke
PowerSchool, Roanoke

Regional Highlights

The Roanoke Region is the largest metropolitan area in western Virginia and home to more than 330,000 residents. Composed of five counties (Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig, Franklin, and Roanoke) and three cities (Covington, Roanoke, and Salem), Roanoke is the cultural and business hub for western Virginia. As a budding hot spot for a variety of sectors, including transportation manufacturing, life science, and food and beverage, the region provides strategic market access for businesses and draws talent from a 25-mile radius from the Roanoke Region border with an extended labor area population of nearly 700,000.

Botetourt County
Botetourt County

Eldor Finds Talent and Partnership in the Roanoke Region

An important component of Eldor’s search for the home of its U.S. production facility was a sustainable talent pool that could supply hundreds of skilled employees. With multiple automotive and manufacturing companies already clustered in the region, Virginia Western Community College (VWCC) had a training curriculum in place that could serve Eldor’s current and future workforce needs. VWCC’s mechatronics program gives hands-on instruction in mechanical, electrical, and computer systems to create Siemens-certified engineers who can master complex automation systems. This training starts in local high schools, with a mechatronics program offered at Botetourt County public schools.

Location

The Roanoke Region in western Virginia is in the midst of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains and serves as the transportation hub of the area, with an integrated interstate highway, rail, and air transportation network.

  • I-81 runs through the Roanoke Region with direct connections to I-64 to the north and I-77 to the south, providing convenient access to major markets.
  • I-40, a major east-west interstate running through the south-central portion of the United States, is 47 miles from the region.
  • Freight rail service is provided by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern.
  • Passenger rail service is provided by Amtrak from downtown Roanoke, providing daily trains to and from Washington, D.C., New York, and beyond.
  • The Virginia TradePort, located at the New River Valley Airport in Dublin, is 44 miles south, and The Port of Virginia in Hampton Roads is 182 miles east of the region.
  • Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) offers commercial air service, served by four airlines with approximately 40 arriving and departing flights per day and nonstop service to eight cities, as well as frequent connecting service.
Mack Trucks, Roanoke County
Mack Trucks, Roanoke County

Regional Talent

More than 100,000 undergraduate and graduate students are educated each year from 25 higher education institutions located within an hour’s drive, including Virginia Tech, Roanoke College, and Virginia Western Community College. As a budding hot spot for a variety of sectors, including transportation manufacturing, life science, and food and beverage, the region provides strategic market access for businesses and draws talent from a 25-mile radius from the Roanoke Region border with an extended labor area population of nearly 700,000.

The Roanoke team is passionate about driving PowerSchool’s mission to improve the K-12 education experience by developing and implementing innovative software solutions that help students achieve success. Expanding our workforce in Roanoke will allow PowerSchool to continue to provide best-in-class solutions to school districts around the world.

Hardeep Gulati CEO for Powerschool

Living in the Roanoke Region

The Roanoke metropolitan area serves as the medical center for the region and Southwest Virginia. Anchored by Carilion Clinic, one of the largest health care companies in Virginia and the region’s largest employer, the life science sector is one of Roanoke’s strongest clusters, and residents have access to leading-edge medical care.

The region’s diverse communities can feel small and friendly while being bustling urban centers. Roanoke is the cultural and recreational hub, boasting the world-class Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and museums like the renowned Taubman Museum of Art, Center in the Square in the midst of the open-air farmers market downtown, and the Virginia Museum of Transportation.

The Roanoke Region has been named a top outdoor location by Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine. It is bordered by the Blue Ridge Mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway and crossed by the Appalachian Trail. The area has 600 miles of trails, 22 miles of urban greenways, 24 rivers and creeks, 300,000 acres of national forest, and the second-largest municipal park in the United States for families to enjoy.

Fall Foliage in the Roanoke Region
Taubman Museum Of Art, Roanoke
Anthem GO Outside Festival, Roanoke