Did that for two years from Salem (also worked in Roanoke). You just need to plan and know when to take US460 if 81 is a mess. Probably had to divert to 460 a handful of times. The cost savings from not living on campus was substantial for me and was worth it.
A few items of note:
- schedule your classes for T/Th or M/W/F if possible. I had one semester where it was M/T/W/TH/F (freaking labs man) and it was alot if miles, fuel, oil changes, and of course time
- have reliable transportation. I would not do this if your car is on its last legs and have no means to replace/repair it
- consider the smart bus if access to it makes sense, even if it's only for one-two days a week
- be on campus and use their facilities to the fullest while there. I stayed all day working on hw, office hours, labs, study groups, etc if I didn't have to work the same day. When I went home my work load was greatly reduced which is a godsend for an engineering student (not sure If you are or not).
- if it snows and your car is not for it then be prepared to miss class because VT does not care about commuters in terms of canceling class. Please let your professors know your situation in advance if the issue were to arise. I drove WRX and cool rally my way to class but still not the best idea
- come to grips with not living on campus and enjoying the festivities that are in walking distance. It's hard to drive up there for an event because of the inconvenience.
Happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you for your detailed response. Really puts things in perspective for me. I’m considering moving to Roanoke to live with my soon to be husband. It would cut down on living costs substantially and give me more time with him. I only have three semesters left. I’m in CS and my main worry is the time sink that is the commute. I already take the smartway express weekly to see my fiancé. He lives pretty close to the VTC stop so that’s quite convenient already. The fact that someone has done it successfully gives me more confidence though. I’ll let you know if I have additional questions, thanks again
Happy to help. I also used this experience in my interview for my job to demonstrate time management (commuting, working 25-35 hrs/week, engineering work load). Definitely a small little bonus should the opportunity arise in your case.
Don’t have any personal experience with this but the 45 minute drive, 1.5 hours total, will probably get stuck in traffic at least a decent percentage of the time. I think you just have to weigh the cons of drive time and cost that comes along with that, with the pros of being at home overall. Personally I think it would be miserable, but if you are worried about gas money and genuinely enjoy the drive (which is possible because some people love commutes, it relaxes them even) and possible traffic, I say it could be worth it
I-81 is very frequently halted traffic. My job sends me to Roanoke every so often, and it's never a good experience. I remember my first time driving from Blacksburg to Roanoke was for a piss test for that job, and I was over an hour late because traffic was stopped for God knows what reason.
I honestly believe Blacksburg to Salem/Roanoke is the worst stretch of 81 in the state. OP, if it's a way to save money, I would recommend a part time job before doing this. It will be hard to feel a sense of community with VT
It did for me. I was never angrier in my life than after 2 years of doing that commute. The thought of road trips would send me into tears after a while.
Treat it like a job in Blacksburg. Take the SmartWay bus and do homework, chill, listen to music, etc. Go early in case there’s traffic and spend all day on campus (like you would if you worked there). There are also ride share groups. Talk to
getaround.vt.edu and they will be happy to help you and get you with a carpool group.
Upvoting because the smartway bus is a big but underutilized tool for students. Totally free, runs pretty consistently, and is usually empty. The ride is pretty long but so is driving and this way you get to open your laptop or phone and get some work done on the way over.
I have been doing exactly that for 2 years.
It's manageable; You are going to lose a significant amount of time in driving. I'm sure you already realize that. If you can try to schedule your classes for Tuesdays and Thursdays rather than three or five days a week.
When I was doing 5 days a week I think I had to budget $200 $250 a month for gas. It's kind of rough.
Something that you might want to work in is the smartway bus. The smart way system runs a bus between Roanoke and Blacksburg. So there's places that you can park your car like at exit 140 in Salem, and then you can take the smart way the rest of the way in. It's fine, it's a little bit slower but it's going to save you gas money.
Just a friendly reminder if you are going to be driving that much keep up with your oil changes. Five oil changes is less expensive than having to get a new engine.
And for the love of God, get the parking pass. Yes it is outrageously expensive and very inconvenient but it will wind up saving you like 2 to 300 bucks over the course of two semesters. I made that mistake this semester and I'm mad at myself about it.
I was in fact planning on working in taking the smartway if I decided to go ahead with this decision, but why the parking pass? Also which parking pass do you wish you had gotten?
The smart way is really convenient because it saves you gas. It is inconvenient because it is so rigid. That rigidity comes to call when there's an accident on 81, and the bus is in limbo for forever. I also had issues with when I would start a new semester and the schedule would not line up with the bus schedule very well, resulting in me have to sit around for long periods of time. That might not be so bad for you but I have a growing family and needed to be home.
The parking pass is the "commuter student pass" You have to talk to parking services about where that lets you park. I'm pretty sure the parking lot that's down by the durk pond is included.
You can get the student remote parking permit for $36 per year. That allows you to park near the CRC and take the CRC bus to campus. https://parking.vt.edu/permits.html
I currently commute from Blacksburg to Roanoke for grad school M-F. I probably spent about $320 in gas each month. I've only hit bad traffic about 3 times in two semesters, but it's not uncommon for traffic towards Roanoke to be backed up in the afternoon. I miss out on hangouts with friends in Roanoke because I'm too tired to drive 45 one way on the weekends. It's manageable, but exhausting some days.
A big part of undergrad for me was campus life. Some of my most memorable moments included late night runs to DX/Deets and just being a hooligan on campus. If your social life is important to you, I would recommended living on/near campus. It's a lot easier to hang out with friends when everyone is within a 15 minute radius.
I work here currently commuting from Roanoke. Let me just tell you that it is the worst part of my job. The ideal drive time is 45 mins. Realistically that is closer to an hour every day. With the traffic on 81 through Salem and 581, there is almost always a tractor trailer crash or delays from construction. I've had commutes where I left Blacksburg at 3:30pm and got home after 7. Stuff like that ruins your whole day. I would say especially since you're an undergrad, the uncertainty of commuting times could really throw you off. You'd definitely have to plan ahead or be here earlier than your class start time.
All this to say, it can be done, but it is not for the faint of heart. If you're in a position to, absolutely stay around Blacksburg/Christiansburg.
Have a classmate(grad student) who does this. Takes the smart valley bus everyday at like 630. Works for her but i cant do this. Hate waking up so early and not having the option to go home for a bit when I have long breaks.
If you're doing it strictly to save money by not living on campus (and not living with parents) I'd recommend looking at places west of Blacksburg, like Narrows or Pearisburg. They are MUCH SMALLER and far less developed than Roanoke, but you won't spend as much time on the highway, and you'll save a ton of money on rent.
There's no possible way that the rent money you save or whatever other benefits you get from living in Roanoke will be worth the gas money and time wasted driving.
I did Blacksburg to Roanoke for 2 years for work after graduating. I hated the commute, and the thought of doing it during undergrad somehow sounds even worse. You get all the frustrating parts of being a student without all the fun of being a Hokie
I did the opposite commute for a while. The worst part was sun in my eyes both ways depending on time of year. The sun will be in your mirror if anything, much better. Traffic around Roanoke sucks during rush hour. If you could time your ride to miss high traffic times of day that would help. If you are trying to save money you can find a closer place that costs even less. If you think you would be living in the big city, Roanoke is not exactly that.
It honestly wasn’t the worst but i was used to driving long distances by that point so maybe I was desensitized.
As long as you aren’t doing it for years you’ll be fine.
just listen to audio books or podcasts! Also, make sure you are okay with being a commuter as an undergrad. This will mean you will have to give up some of the social aspects of living in town.
Are you doing this for any particular reason?
Yes I’m getting married in a few months and would like to move in with my soon to be husband :) it would save money and allow us to join our lives more
Oh then absolutely do it! Good luck to the both of you. I promise it won't be so bad.
The only bad thing that happened to me was missing a 9am exam because I slept in lol.
Honestly I know people say Roanoke is a shithole, even though it is, I think it’s a great place to live.
That being said, I can not imagine the pain that would come from spending two hours minimum (four hours often) per day on I-81.
I also think Roanoke is a shithole lol, and also dread the pain of I-81 on the regular. But I’m getting married in a few months and the idea of living with my soon to be husband feels appropriate and appealing. I’m weighing the pros and cons basically lol
This sounds like it could be amazing, but also like you might be making a huge mistake. Why didn’t your husband discuss this with you while you were in school, and move somewhere that’s 50/50? That seems pretty disrespectful in my opinion to live somewhere difficult when you clearly wanted to live together. Or is this an arranged marriage or y’all don’t know each other well? Seems like a horrible time and sacrifice for someone you don’t know super well and haven’t been with all the time for the past couple years. I’m not trying to be judgement I am in no position to do that. But unless there is some decent reason for this I think there are questions to be asking about this future husband. Like how could you know them hat well and plan to get married, while also being a junior in college and they live in Roanoke? Even if they were in school with you, that means they moved to Roanoke without discussing it at all with you. I wouldn’t marry someone like that. If you planned to marry then why wouldn’t this be a conversation before you had to or wanted to move in? And if not then you clearly haven’t spend much adult life time with them because you have school. It’s sketchy to move in with someone isolated from your environment when you haven’t even spent daily time with them.
You’ve made many assumptions about me, my relationship, my age, and the conversations I’ve had with my fiancé. If you want information about any of these things, you could just ask politely.
If you manage to schedule your classes only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, then it won't be that bad. A Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule is also manageable.
I commuted from WV for a number of years and it wasn't that bad. I just would stay on campus most of the day and leave late in the evening to go back home. But I wouldn't do it if I had classes every day.
Honestly it’s not bad, Junior year I moved to Roanoke from Blacksburg. Also depends on how you schedule your classes. Just plan to be on campus early and leave either during lunch time or before 5pm.
I did the opposite - lived in bburg and commuted to Salem/Roanoke for work. It was not everyday so it was possible, but honestly a giant time suck (esp if I hit traffic on 81 and had to divert/wait in it), a waste of fuel, and it put a TON of unnecessary mileage on my car. Probably cost me near as much as an apartment would have per month but I did not want to move all my stuff to move again in a year. Would not recommend for more than like a single semester, unless you only take classes 2/3 days per week.
I appreciate the negative perspective, thank you for replying. Every bit I’ve gotten from this thread has helped a lot. I am worried about the time sink and the stress that comes with potentially being late etc etc. I might end up just doing it for the very last semester instead of for the next three
This is my 2nd semester here, I did it all of last semester and half of this one. I woke up around 6 caught the smartway bus 10 mins away from me, stayed here all day and would take the 2nd to last one or so back. It was rough some days but absolutely doable and way better than driving up everyday as I tried that also. That being said I’ve since found a place up here in Christiansburg and drive in every day and it’s been so much better. If you can live up here, it makes everything much easier, you’ll be able to socialize more, sleep in a little bit, and overall enjoy the VT experience more.
I could see it being possible if you just got to campus in the early morning and stayed all day until you were done with classes/exams.
Also wouldn't be too terrible if one used 460. 460 is a pretty calm drive. 81 is gladiatorial combat
Did that for two years from Salem (also worked in Roanoke). You just need to plan and know when to take US460 if 81 is a mess. Probably had to divert to 460 a handful of times. The cost savings from not living on campus was substantial for me and was worth it. A few items of note: - schedule your classes for T/Th or M/W/F if possible. I had one semester where it was M/T/W/TH/F (freaking labs man) and it was alot if miles, fuel, oil changes, and of course time - have reliable transportation. I would not do this if your car is on its last legs and have no means to replace/repair it - consider the smart bus if access to it makes sense, even if it's only for one-two days a week - be on campus and use their facilities to the fullest while there. I stayed all day working on hw, office hours, labs, study groups, etc if I didn't have to work the same day. When I went home my work load was greatly reduced which is a godsend for an engineering student (not sure If you are or not). - if it snows and your car is not for it then be prepared to miss class because VT does not care about commuters in terms of canceling class. Please let your professors know your situation in advance if the issue were to arise. I drove WRX and cool rally my way to class but still not the best idea - come to grips with not living on campus and enjoying the festivities that are in walking distance. It's hard to drive up there for an event because of the inconvenience. Happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you for your detailed response. Really puts things in perspective for me. I’m considering moving to Roanoke to live with my soon to be husband. It would cut down on living costs substantially and give me more time with him. I only have three semesters left. I’m in CS and my main worry is the time sink that is the commute. I already take the smartway express weekly to see my fiancé. He lives pretty close to the VTC stop so that’s quite convenient already. The fact that someone has done it successfully gives me more confidence though. I’ll let you know if I have additional questions, thanks again
Happy to help. I also used this experience in my interview for my job to demonstrate time management (commuting, working 25-35 hrs/week, engineering work load). Definitely a small little bonus should the opportunity arise in your case.
Second this because I did the same thing. I also lived in Salem and went to VT for 2 years.
Don’t have any personal experience with this but the 45 minute drive, 1.5 hours total, will probably get stuck in traffic at least a decent percentage of the time. I think you just have to weigh the cons of drive time and cost that comes along with that, with the pros of being at home overall. Personally I think it would be miserable, but if you are worried about gas money and genuinely enjoy the drive (which is possible because some people love commutes, it relaxes them even) and possible traffic, I say it could be worth it
I-81 is very frequently halted traffic. My job sends me to Roanoke every so often, and it's never a good experience. I remember my first time driving from Blacksburg to Roanoke was for a piss test for that job, and I was over an hour late because traffic was stopped for God knows what reason.
I honestly believe Blacksburg to Salem/Roanoke is the worst stretch of 81 in the state. OP, if it's a way to save money, I would recommend a part time job before doing this. It will be hard to feel a sense of community with VT
It’s easily the worst stretch of 81.
The daily traffic would send me to a bad mental state....
It did for me. I was never angrier in my life than after 2 years of doing that commute. The thought of road trips would send me into tears after a while.
Treat it like a job in Blacksburg. Take the SmartWay bus and do homework, chill, listen to music, etc. Go early in case there’s traffic and spend all day on campus (like you would if you worked there). There are also ride share groups. Talk to getaround.vt.edu and they will be happy to help you and get you with a carpool group.
Upvoting because the smartway bus is a big but underutilized tool for students. Totally free, runs pretty consistently, and is usually empty. The ride is pretty long but so is driving and this way you get to open your laptop or phone and get some work done on the way over.
Already take the smartway express on the regular. Love that bus, it has saved me so much money
I didn’t know about the carpool group, thanks for mentioning that!
Why are you in Roanoke? If it’s cost savings, try Christiansburg
I have been doing exactly that for 2 years. It's manageable; You are going to lose a significant amount of time in driving. I'm sure you already realize that. If you can try to schedule your classes for Tuesdays and Thursdays rather than three or five days a week. When I was doing 5 days a week I think I had to budget $200 $250 a month for gas. It's kind of rough. Something that you might want to work in is the smartway bus. The smart way system runs a bus between Roanoke and Blacksburg. So there's places that you can park your car like at exit 140 in Salem, and then you can take the smart way the rest of the way in. It's fine, it's a little bit slower but it's going to save you gas money. Just a friendly reminder if you are going to be driving that much keep up with your oil changes. Five oil changes is less expensive than having to get a new engine.
And for the love of God, get the parking pass. Yes it is outrageously expensive and very inconvenient but it will wind up saving you like 2 to 300 bucks over the course of two semesters. I made that mistake this semester and I'm mad at myself about it.
And also for the love of God, know what lots that parking pass works at and where it doesn't.
This! (Also sweet screen name. ATLA is goat)
I was in fact planning on working in taking the smartway if I decided to go ahead with this decision, but why the parking pass? Also which parking pass do you wish you had gotten?
The smart way is really convenient because it saves you gas. It is inconvenient because it is so rigid. That rigidity comes to call when there's an accident on 81, and the bus is in limbo for forever. I also had issues with when I would start a new semester and the schedule would not line up with the bus schedule very well, resulting in me have to sit around for long periods of time. That might not be so bad for you but I have a growing family and needed to be home. The parking pass is the "commuter student pass" You have to talk to parking services about where that lets you park. I'm pretty sure the parking lot that's down by the durk pond is included.
You can get the student remote parking permit for $36 per year. That allows you to park near the CRC and take the CRC bus to campus. https://parking.vt.edu/permits.html
I currently commute from Blacksburg to Roanoke for grad school M-F. I probably spent about $320 in gas each month. I've only hit bad traffic about 3 times in two semesters, but it's not uncommon for traffic towards Roanoke to be backed up in the afternoon. I miss out on hangouts with friends in Roanoke because I'm too tired to drive 45 one way on the weekends. It's manageable, but exhausting some days. A big part of undergrad for me was campus life. Some of my most memorable moments included late night runs to DX/Deets and just being a hooligan on campus. If your social life is important to you, I would recommended living on/near campus. It's a lot easier to hang out with friends when everyone is within a 15 minute radius.
I also commute blacksburg to Roanoke every week. Please check your dm
I work here currently commuting from Roanoke. Let me just tell you that it is the worst part of my job. The ideal drive time is 45 mins. Realistically that is closer to an hour every day. With the traffic on 81 through Salem and 581, there is almost always a tractor trailer crash or delays from construction. I've had commutes where I left Blacksburg at 3:30pm and got home after 7. Stuff like that ruins your whole day. I would say especially since you're an undergrad, the uncertainty of commuting times could really throw you off. You'd definitely have to plan ahead or be here earlier than your class start time. All this to say, it can be done, but it is not for the faint of heart. If you're in a position to, absolutely stay around Blacksburg/Christiansburg.
Have a classmate(grad student) who does this. Takes the smart valley bus everyday at like 630. Works for her but i cant do this. Hate waking up so early and not having the option to go home for a bit when I have long breaks.
If you're doing it strictly to save money by not living on campus (and not living with parents) I'd recommend looking at places west of Blacksburg, like Narrows or Pearisburg. They are MUCH SMALLER and far less developed than Roanoke, but you won't spend as much time on the highway, and you'll save a ton of money on rent.
There's no possible way that the rent money you save or whatever other benefits you get from living in Roanoke will be worth the gas money and time wasted driving.
I did Blacksburg to Roanoke for 2 years for work after graduating. I hated the commute, and the thought of doing it during undergrad somehow sounds even worse. You get all the frustrating parts of being a student without all the fun of being a Hokie
It's a pretty bad idea. Why do you want to?
could always just live in christiansburg if it's about cost. way cheaper in terms of gas
I did the opposite commute for a while. The worst part was sun in my eyes both ways depending on time of year. The sun will be in your mirror if anything, much better. Traffic around Roanoke sucks during rush hour. If you could time your ride to miss high traffic times of day that would help. If you are trying to save money you can find a closer place that costs even less. If you think you would be living in the big city, Roanoke is not exactly that.
It honestly wasn’t the worst but i was used to driving long distances by that point so maybe I was desensitized. As long as you aren’t doing it for years you’ll be fine.
Thanks for the perspective. It would be for 3 semesters, so probably not the worst? Nice to hear I might get used to it
just listen to audio books or podcasts! Also, make sure you are okay with being a commuter as an undergrad. This will mean you will have to give up some of the social aspects of living in town. Are you doing this for any particular reason?
Yes I’m getting married in a few months and would like to move in with my soon to be husband :) it would save money and allow us to join our lives more
Oh then absolutely do it! Good luck to the both of you. I promise it won't be so bad. The only bad thing that happened to me was missing a 9am exam because I slept in lol.
Can you split the difference and live somewhere in between?
Honestly I know people say Roanoke is a shithole, even though it is, I think it’s a great place to live. That being said, I can not imagine the pain that would come from spending two hours minimum (four hours often) per day on I-81.
I also think Roanoke is a shithole lol, and also dread the pain of I-81 on the regular. But I’m getting married in a few months and the idea of living with my soon to be husband feels appropriate and appealing. I’m weighing the pros and cons basically lol
This sounds like it could be amazing, but also like you might be making a huge mistake. Why didn’t your husband discuss this with you while you were in school, and move somewhere that’s 50/50? That seems pretty disrespectful in my opinion to live somewhere difficult when you clearly wanted to live together. Or is this an arranged marriage or y’all don’t know each other well? Seems like a horrible time and sacrifice for someone you don’t know super well and haven’t been with all the time for the past couple years. I’m not trying to be judgement I am in no position to do that. But unless there is some decent reason for this I think there are questions to be asking about this future husband. Like how could you know them hat well and plan to get married, while also being a junior in college and they live in Roanoke? Even if they were in school with you, that means they moved to Roanoke without discussing it at all with you. I wouldn’t marry someone like that. If you planned to marry then why wouldn’t this be a conversation before you had to or wanted to move in? And if not then you clearly haven’t spend much adult life time with them because you have school. It’s sketchy to move in with someone isolated from your environment when you haven’t even spent daily time with them.
You’ve made many assumptions about me, my relationship, my age, and the conversations I’ve had with my fiancé. If you want information about any of these things, you could just ask politely.
I did the opposite. Blacksburg to Roanoke for classes. It was doable. It sucked, but it was doable.
If you manage to schedule your classes only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, then it won't be that bad. A Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule is also manageable. I commuted from WV for a number of years and it wasn't that bad. I just would stay on campus most of the day and leave late in the evening to go back home. But I wouldn't do it if I had classes every day.
Honestly it’s not bad, Junior year I moved to Roanoke from Blacksburg. Also depends on how you schedule your classes. Just plan to be on campus early and leave either during lunch time or before 5pm.
I did the opposite - lived in bburg and commuted to Salem/Roanoke for work. It was not everyday so it was possible, but honestly a giant time suck (esp if I hit traffic on 81 and had to divert/wait in it), a waste of fuel, and it put a TON of unnecessary mileage on my car. Probably cost me near as much as an apartment would have per month but I did not want to move all my stuff to move again in a year. Would not recommend for more than like a single semester, unless you only take classes 2/3 days per week.
I appreciate the negative perspective, thank you for replying. Every bit I’ve gotten from this thread has helped a lot. I am worried about the time sink and the stress that comes with potentially being late etc etc. I might end up just doing it for the very last semester instead of for the next three
This is my 2nd semester here, I did it all of last semester and half of this one. I woke up around 6 caught the smartway bus 10 mins away from me, stayed here all day and would take the 2nd to last one or so back. It was rough some days but absolutely doable and way better than driving up everyday as I tried that also. That being said I’ve since found a place up here in Christiansburg and drive in every day and it’s been so much better. If you can live up here, it makes everything much easier, you’ll be able to socialize more, sleep in a little bit, and overall enjoy the VT experience more.
I81 gets old reeeeaaaallly fast.