After decades of slow population decline, Southwest Virginia is seeing the gap between the number of people leaving and those staying shrink.
“I think the overall shift really is remarkable.” Hamilton Lombard, a demographer at the University of Virginia, said.
A new study from the Cooper Center at UVA shows that while the region has seen a massive imbalance between those dying and those being born, people are steadily migrating to more rural areas. one major reason for this shift has been the rise in popularity of remote jobs based out of metro areas like Washington.
“You can live in Roanoke, maybe take a train or drive up occasionally, but have that D.C. salary,” Lombard said.
The pandemic has also contributed to the shift, according to Lombard. Housing and cost-of-living expenses have steadily risen, making areas of Northern Virginia unaffordable for some.
“A lot of big metro areas where you have a lot of the job centers, places like D.C., already were really unaffordable before the pandemic. Even if you had a six-figure salary. Prices shot up 50 to 60 percent,” Lombard said.
Locals 10 News spoke to had glowing things to say about the region when asked why they moved here and are continuing to stay.
“There’s the Blue Ridge Parkway, a lot of hiking,” one resident said.
“It’s definitely a lot more affordable than certain other places you can go to,” another said.
“I love the diversity of the stores, the inclusivity aspect of downtown Roanoke. I just like coming here,” a local added.
“It’s big enough that there’s a lot of options whether you like music or food or sports,” said another.
Between 2010 and 2013, about 4,500 more millennials left the region than moved to it. Between 2020 and 2023, the number was 764. A region once slowly fading is seeing a new breath of life.
