At the end of October, a blue Amtrak train pulled into downtown Roanoke, Virginia, to the sound of a
At the end of October, a blue Amtrak train pulled into downtown Roanoke, Virginia, to the sound of applause. This was a big moment. For the first time in nearly 40 years, a passenger train was rolling into this city founded on railroads.The last time Amtrak carried passengers here, in 1979, Roanoke was a different city. Then, the so-called Star City at the eastern gateway to central Appalachia was a blue-collar New South city built around the Norfolk & Western railroad. The city core was decaying as businesses and residents moved outward to suburbs and adjacent counties.But in 2017, Roanoke is transformed. It has become what many cities of its size, geography, and history want to be. It started by bringing housing to a deserted downtown.The Small Appalachian City That’s Thriving[Photo: Mason Adams] -- source link
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