A river city along a fall line, Roanoke Rapids gets its name from the rapids along the Roanoke River. The power of the falls sparked this city’s rise as a hub for textiles in the early 1900s. “It was a booming mill town back in the 1940s and 1950s, but then the textile businesses went overseas,” says Barney Watson, a Realtor with Lake Gaston Real Estate who’s lived in the area for nearly 30 years. The loss of the industry in the early 2000s led to an economic decline. Home to a little over 15,000 people today, Roanoke Rapids is on a path of redevelopment. The city’s top industries are healthcare and manufacturing. ECU Health North Hospital is in town, along with Smurfit WestRock, a worldwide leader in packaging. The river remains a power source, with Dominion Energy operating a hydroelectric power plant along the water.
Roanoke Rapids was once a town dominated by textile mills.
ECU Health North Hospital offers an array of medical and surgical services, including 24-hour emergency care, backed by the latest technology.
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Kit homes, mill workers’ housing and waterfront property
The median price for a single-family home is $184,000, well below the state and national median. However, waterfront properties along the Roanoke River and Roanoke Rapids Lake can top $600,000. The city’s architectural styles include small cottages, ranch-style homes, New Traditional designs and Colonial Revivals. The city has a notable collection of mill workers’ housing and kit homes from the early 1900s. As a city along a river, Roanoke Rapids has experienced flooding. In 2012, nearly 80 homes and businesses were damaged when roughly a foot of rain fell over several hours.
A sprawling waterfront property with a covered
There are many home types in Roanoke Rapids.
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Roanoke Rapids Lake in town, Lake Gaston nearby
Created by Dominion Energy’s Roanoke Rapids Hydropower dam, Roanoke Rapids Lake anchors the city’s recreational offerings. The Roanoke Rapids Lake Day Use Area is a summer hot spot for swimming and fishing, while the city boat ramp nearby provides an entry point for cruising around the water. The Roanoke River offers even more water-based adventure. The Roanoke Canal Trail provides cyclists and runners with several miles of dirt paths. The trail passes by the city’s original red brick power plant from the mid-1800s, now the Roanoke Canal Museum. Small neighborhood parks and playgrounds dot the city.
Lake Gaston, a regional vacation destination for watersports, is about 25 miles west. “The draw to this area is Lake Gaston. There’s not a lot of commercial development, but there are half a dozen restaurants you can reach by car and by boat,” says Watson, who adds that the lake is a popular second-home location for Virginians and North Carolinians.
The Roanoke Rapids Lake Day Use Area is a hot spot in the Summer, it's currently closed for winter.
The Roanoke Canal Museum sits at the trail head.
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Reviving Main Street Roanoke Rapids
National retailers and department stores sit near Interstate 95 for everyday needs. Roanoke Avenue serves as the city’s Main Street, hosting dozens of local businesses, including antique stores, dance studios and longtime restaurants. As a downtown in a rebuilding phase, some brick storefronts sit empty, but the Main Street Roanoke Rapids organization is renovating buildings and beautifying this historic district. Completed projects include a brick pedestrian crossing adorned with garden beds and a pocket park featuring murals and a sculpture.
While a small city, Roanoke Rapids serves as the home base for The Halifax County Arts Council. The organization’s downtown gallery is the centerpiece of the annual Arts on the Avenue, where the public can enjoy the works of area artists while hearing the latest tunes from local musicians.
The famous Rainbow Mural in Downtown Roanoke Rapids.
The Halifax County Arts Council is located in Downtown Roanoke Rapids.
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Roanoke Rapids Graded School District’s castle-inspired school
Roanoke Rapids Graded School District earns an overall rating of B from Niche. With about 2,900 students, this small school system has six schools. The B-minus-rated Roanoke Rapids High School rests in the city center and is unique for its Tudor Revival and Gothic-inspired architecture, which makes the building look like a medieval castle. Halifax Community College rests just outside Roanoke Rapids in the neighboring town of Weldon.
Roanoke Rapids High School is 1 of 2 high schools in the Roanoke Rapids City Schools.
Halifax Community College is a public community college in Weldon, a town in Halifax County in North Carolina.
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Quick access to Interstate 95
Roanoke Rapids is a car-dependent community. Interstate 95 runs along the city’s eastern edge, heading north to Richmond, Virginia, and south to Raleigh. Both capital cities are roughly 85 miles away. U.S. Route 158 is an east-west highway for trips to Lake Gaston. Choanoke Public Transportation Authority offers a point-to-point ride service throughout Halifax County. Raleigh-Durham International is the closest airport for a commercial flight, while Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport is nearby for private and business aviation.
Roanoke Rapids is easily accessible by several major highways.
Roanoke Rapids is known for it's historical sites and some occasional art.
After two great experiences in buying homes, she wanted to bring that same joy to as many people as she could; so, in June 2017, Takyla became a REALTOR®. In that short amount of time, she was able to help numerous individuals and families sell and buy homes (not just “houses” but homes). Most were First Time Home Buyers and providing that experience sparked a flame that she just could not let die down. It was through this fire and joy from helping people, that Key Realty Solutions eventually came to be.
For Takyla, relationships are key, and they are the foundation that the company is built upon. A native of New Jersey, Takyla has made Rocky Mount home since 1993, when she moved to Nash County, her grandparents’ hometown. She attended Nash-Rocky Mount Public schools and is a 2000 graduate of Northern Nash High School. She earned an associate degree in Business Administration from Nash Community College in 2000.
Takyla’s expertise extends beyond real estate. She has also been a local, independent insurance agent specializing in life and health protection since 2005. Under the umbrella of Key Insurance and Realty Solutions, LLC, Takyla can serve both needs in the community. She also is an active member of the Nash-Rocky Mount Rotary Club since 2009 and has served as the President-Elect and as the Publicity Chair. Takyla is a 2008 graduate of Leadership Rocky Mount; has served on the Community Fellows Advisory Committee for the Down East Partnership for Children; and has been a dedicated member of local PTAs.
Takyla’s maiden name is Smith, but she was married to Art Hill in September 2019, and they have a blended family of four children.
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