Best place to people watch

Carpet or no carpet, the New River Valley Mall hands-down won the best place to watch people.

Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

Getting away from it all at the Virginia Tech Duck Pond.

Christine T. Nguyen | The Roanoke Times

Children play at Hand-in-Hand Park in Blacksburg.

Best place to go when you’re broke

When you’re short on dough, no place beats Virginia Tech’s Duck Pond.

Best place to take the parents

It all depends on what you want your parents to do, we guess. The Farmhouse, Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea and Mountain Lake all tied. So tell your parents to jump in the lake.

Best place to take the kids

Whether you call it Hand-in-Hand Park or Caboose Park, there’s no where better to take the kids. Adventure World was a distant second.

Best place to work out

In another tie, supporters of New Town Fitness and The Weight Club, both in Blacksburg, couldn’t outmuscle one another.

Best apartment complex

Foxridge Apartments in Blacksburg — is there anywhere else?

Best reason to move here

There are many words for it — outdoors, mountains, scenery and beauty, among them. Whatever it is, it’s why we’re here.

Best reason to move away

With all of the scenery, there aren’t many places to work — and that’s why many have to move away.