Don’t just take it from us! The Roanoke Region has been mentioned numerous times by national and regional media as a place that you want to be. The localities that make up the region have also been noted for some pretty high honors as well, including Roanoke earning more All-America City Awards than any other U.S. city from the National Civic League.

Regionally, the area has been named a top outdoor town by Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine multiple times and has been noted as a top Place Millennials Can Afford and Actually Want to Live In (Penny Hoarder) and one of the Best Cities for New Grads (GoodCall).

2023 Media Mentions & Accolades

  • CNN: 25 Best Hiking Cities
  • Roanoke.org: Roanoke Regional Partnership Executive Director Named to North American Top 50 Economic Developers List
  • Virginia Business: Growing the Talent Pool: Roanoke Region aims to retain students, attract workers.
  • Cardinal News: Employment and labor force surge past pre-pandemic levels, reaching highest level in over nine years (Op-Ed)
  • Roanoke Times: Young Professionals are Flocking to Roanoke. Here’s What All the Fuss is about.”
  • Garden & Gun:  A Look Inside Fire Station One, a Roanoke Hotel With Three-Alarm Charm
  • Blue Ridge Outdoors: Best Place to Raise an Outdoor Family
  • Travel + Leisure Magazine: Virginia’s ‘Lake Tahoe of the East’ Is One of the Best Places to Buy a Vacation Home in the U.S.

2022 Media Mentions & Accolades

2021 Media Mentions & Accolades

2020 Media Mentions & Accolades

2019 Highlights

  • The Penny Hoarder: 25 U.S. Cities That Millennials Can Afford – and Actually Want to Live In
  • Virginia Business: Roanoke Outside Events Director named to “100 People to Meet in 2020” 
  • Runner’s World: These Are the Hardest Races in the World (Blue Ridge Marathon #7) 
  • Blue Ridge Outdoors: Top Adventure Towns — Roanoke (large) and Clifton Forge (small)
  • CNBC: Virginia Named Top State for Business
  • The Roanoke Times: Recruiting Talent the New Target for Economic Development
  • Virginia American Water Works Association: Roanoke Region Water Judged Best in the State
  • Livability: Top 100 Best Places to Live – Roanoke
  • The Beer Runner: 51 Destinations to Run and Drink Beer — Roanoke/Blue Ridge Marathon
  • TravelZoo: 20 Best Places to Travel in 2020 (including the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Roanoke Region of Virginia)

2018 Highlights

  • Blue Ridge Outdoors: Best of the Blue Ridge Winners Includes Blue Ridge Marathon
  • Women’s Running: “Hiking the Appalachian Trail’s Triple Crown”
  • Outside: Roanoke Named One of “America’s Smartest Towns”
  • Virginia Living: “Roanoke is a Serious Food Town” (What’s Old Is New)
  • Men’s Journal: Roanoke has one of “7 Most Epic, Secret Mountain Bike Trails in America”
  • Bicycling: Roanoke Highlighted in “The Top 6 Secret Mountain Bike Destinations in the U.S.”
  • Runner’s World: Blue Ridge Marathon Among “Hardest Races in the World”
  • USA Today: Roanoke Named a Top Market for Jobs
  • Matador Network: Roanoke is 1 of 20 Cool Cities You Should Check out Before Everyone Else
  • IMBA: Region Earns Silver-Level Ride Center Status; First Location on East Coast
  • Governing: Beer Boom: How One City Used Suds to Brew Up a New Economy
  • The Washington Post: Roanoke is Fit For Whatever Kind of Vacation You Have in Mind
  • Forbes: Big Lick Brewing Named to 50 Fastest-Growing Craft Breweries in the United States
  • Expedia: Roanoke is a Favorite Destination
  • Singletracks Magazine: 10 Best U.S. Mountain Bike Towns with Lowest Cost of Living
  • American Trail Running Association: Featured Trail Town
  • Livability.com: Best Affordable Places to Live
  • TripAdvisor: Great American Small Cities to Visit in 2018
  • VacationIdea: 25 Most Beautiful East Coast Destinations
  • HealthyWay: Get Lost (And Find Yourself) On America’s 6 Best Hikes (featuring Dragon’s Tooth)

2017 Highlights