Once Roanoke's Sleepy Blue-Collar Neighbor, Vinton Tries Making Itself a Hip Destination

Big things have been happening in Vinton, where $50 million of private investment since 2015 has filled once-empty buildings with restaurants, coffee shops and retail businesses. More downtown development is on the way. Above, East Lee Avenue in downtown Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Vinton. PHOTO BY SCOTT P. YATES FOR THE ROANOKE RAMBLER

VINTON — When Jason Boothe’s high school classmates came home for their 30th reunion during the summer, he took a bunch of them on a downtown crawl.

More than 100 people started on a Friday night by listening to music and quaffing beverages outdoors. On Saturday, the horde hit a couple of restaurants and then a brewery, walking to each nightspot that stood only a block or two apart.

This party parade didn’t happen in downtown Roanoke, where the City Market has long been the place to find weekend nightlife. No, William Byrd High School’s Class of 1994 spent their weekend of revelry in Vinton, Roanoke’s smaller neighbor, whose downtown has sprung to life in the past decade.