
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, December 18, 1994                   TAG: 9412190077
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JEFF DEBELL STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

THREE WORDS MEAN PLENTY FOR A REGION

THE ROANOKE REGION'S "quality of life" often is cited as enticement by economic developers. But what does it really mean?

QUALITY of life is an expression with infinite definitions, each influenced by the tastes and needs of whoever does the defining.

As Colorado-based economic development consultant Ross Boyle puts it, "Quality of life is in the eye of the beholder."

It turns up in everyday conversation and in civic boosterism. Academics study it, applying the arcane formulas and jargon of their game, and it's a staple of popular journalism.

Mothers talk about the local schools and whether their children are safe on the streets. Young adults complain of having nothing to do. Chamber of commerce types, hoping to snag a new business or factory, allude favorably to local wage rates, the climate and the cost of living.

They're all talking about quality of life.

So is Money magazine when it anoints one community or another as the country's latest paragon of "livability."

The Roanoke metro area slipped to a less-than-lofty perch in the latest well-publicized Money ratings. It has fared better in other publications, which likewise have picked up on the small-town charm of Bedford's and Blacksburg's advantages as places to retire.

Quality of life is a topic of discussion in the Roanoke-New River region. In fact, it is sometimes said to be an economic asset in an area where other assets - a big airport, a big city, flat land for development, multiple interstate highways - are lacking. It's one of the topics being studied by the New Century Council, which hopes to come up with an economic blueprint for the region's future.

Today's Peril & Promise report in the Horizon section includes stories about the meaning of the term, which can be maddeningly subjective, and about its limitations as a tool in recruiting and holding employers and good workers.

Along with the stories, there are graphics on quality-of-life indicators and how the region's communities compare among themselves and with those in other parts of the United States.

by CNB