Ryann-Rebecca Montgomery

Data Visualization Specialist, Duke Energy

Native of Lafayette, LA

Industry: Utilities

Ryann-Rebecca Montgomery came to Rowan County two years ago by way of Charlotte, where she found the tall buildings, traffic, and “lots and lots of people” too much. “I wanted something a little more country,” she says. “I love Salisbury. There’s a country feel but access to stores and community and people. It was luck that I wound up here. I wasn’t particularly looking at Salisbury, but I am so glad that I did. I would love to stay here forever.”

Ryann-Rebecca was working for Duke Energy in Charlotte as a data visualization specialist when she drew a 45-minute radius from her office to figure out places where she could move. “I’m not a city person,” she says.

One of those places was Rowan County. She had goals: No HOA, six acres of land, zoned for livestock (she has three alpacas and chickens) and in her price range. “First, I found the perfect house here,” she says. “I went to Mean Mug for coffee and wandered around downtown. I fell in love with the area. It was cute, quaint, and historic.”

Today, she works from home most of the time in the perfect house that she found near Salisbury and has met friends through the Rowan Young Professionals and joined the Spencer Jaycees. “Making friends in your 30s is a challenge,” she says. “The Young Professionals made a huge difference. Meeting a group of women my age was absolutely wonderful.” She participates in the Young Professionals’ team in the Dragon Boat Festival on High Rock Lake and calls it her favorite event of the year. “It’s a unique festival and multiple groups have their own teams,” she says.

Rowan County is great for families, she says. When her sister visited with her two-year-old, she entertained them at Dan Nicholas Park, Patterson Farm Market and Tours, and Bell Tower Green Park. Bell Tower Green is her favorite outdoor space. “It’s a flexible meeting space … a community-centered space,” she says. “It has really done a lot for the community.” 

She grew up in Lafayette, IN, and went to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN, where she earned her undergraduate degree in civil engineering. She earned a master’s degree in applied data analytics at Appalachian State University.

“It’s really a fun time to be here,” she says. “I feel Salisbury is undergoing a lot of changes for the better, as far as supporting local businesses. I think I moved here during a time of growth when people are looking to build up the community atmosphere. People are actively looking for ways to support each other and to support local businesses. People want to be a community.” 

She appreciates the county slogan, Be an original.™ “It means that I can be myself and pursue the lifestyle that I want while still making friends who live different lives,” she says.

She encourages newcomers to advantage of all the opportunities here, especially the free activities. She suggests that they “walk downtown, meander through the shops and get a good feel for Salisbury.”