Michelle Robertson has five children, a job at Tanglewood Mall and no money to spare. She is bored in Roanoke, but life won't allow her to leave.

"Roanoke is still stuck in the backwoods," said Robertson, 36, adding that if people are not into the bar scene or Mill Mountain Theatre, they won't find much to do here.

But she hasn't lost all hope. Seeking better prospects in the city, Robertson joined scores of Roanokers and people from out of town at Thursday's Roanoke Holiday Career and Lifestyle Fair.

The fair, held at the Roanoke Civic Center's exhibition hall, was part of an initiative by the city of Roanoke to both retain young professionals locally and draw back the many who have chosen to leave.

"Everybody I knew in high school has moved away," said 23-year-old Sara Guerry, who represented the nonprofit event organizer Event Zone at the fair.

Young people will, indeed, go off in search of better career opportunities -- but they might be putting even more emphasis on their prospects for a social life. That's why Stuart Mease, the city's special projects coordinator, included Event Zone and several other lifestyle organizations on the fair's list of nearly 50 presenters.

"Statistics show that 75 percent of young adults are choosing location first," based on cultural preference and lifestyle, said Mease.

They will move to their preferred city before even finding a job, he said, and these are usually places such as Richmond, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, because people don't realize what's available at home.

"I know there are a lot of people who come home for the holidays and we want to show them there are professional and social opportunities in the city," he said.

Jessica Poore, 23, has been in Roanoke a week, back from the University of Central Oklahoma, where she had been pursuing a master's in forensic science. She wants to try, instead, to get a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Ferrum College, where she previously studied.

Poore was looking for a part-time job, and said she is happy she can live close to her family again.

"Roanoke is home and I like it here," she said.

Michelle Rutherford has also just recently moved to Roanoke, but for the first time, and from Washington, D.C. She came looking for a different environment, fewer crowds and a cheaper lifestyle.

On the other hand, her boyfriend, Willmon Baytops, grew up here and finds it just plain boring.

"It's more for retired people," said Baytops, 27, who went to the fair to seek a job in real estate.

He might not be wrong.

Statistical data on the Roanoke Metropolitan Area point to a decrease of more than 11 percent in the 25-34 age group between 2000 and 2005, while the 35-39 population declined by almost 20 percent. In contrast to that, the 55-59 demographic had the largest increase: almost 33 percent.

For the same period, the 60-64 and 80-plus age groups both saw an increase of more than 21 percent.

"When you look at the age of the city of Roanoke, it's becoming older and older," said Mease, 31. "You need to build a succession plan."

Mease has been working hard on that mission, getting the word out through digital, broadcast and print media, as well as getting support from local organizations also interested in the ages 20-40 demographics. He has set up an Internet networking database, an account on the Web site Facebook -- a favorite among college students -- and a video advertising the fair on the wildly popular Web site YouTube.

"A big issue of dealing with this generation is the different communication channels," Mease said.

The massive advertising effort for the fair included ads with every water bill issued in the city and e-mails he asked about 50 people to send to their friends -- because people are more likely to read messages from addresses they know.

The fair attracted between 800 and 1,000 people, but only a little more than half of them were young adults, said Mease. Wachovia Bank representatives reported talking to 78 people within two hours, many of them middle-aged, and of both genders and various races.

"This [diversity] is really good to see," said Wachovia's Assistant Vice President Kathy Ratliff, as she sought bilingual people to fill 150 positions available at the bank's Roanoke call center.

Marjorie Lewter, who is in her late 40s, attended the fair to find assistance for her small veterinary practice in Craig County, and said there were "some leads" she could follow up on.

"I think there's huge potential in the New River Valley for a lot of business," she said.

Mease, who attended and worked for Virginia Tech, said he is also planning a career fair in Blacksburg for Tech students.

"We have a lot of local talent -- we just have to figure out how to tap into it," said Kelly Greer, human resources director for the city of Roanoke.

While Greer gave candidates the chance to look through a book with dozens of job openings, Guerry, at the Event Zone booth, encouraged people to spend New Year's Eve at Midnight on the Market. For the first time this year, the organization's annual bash downtown will be geared at the 21-40 age group; there will be live music, prizes and drinks, spiked up by an '80s theme.

The name of the bash: "The Future is Back."