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Old 06-16-2011, 01:06 AM
 
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My wife and I have young kids and we'll be moving to Northern Virginia next spring. We'd prefer a mountain community for raising our children and keep finding the most reasonable housing in western Loudon County, specifically Bluemont, Hamilton, Purcellville, and to a lesser degree Leesburg. I may be working in Reston or Chantilly and my wife may work in Leesburg. Does anyone have extensive time visiting or living in Bluemont, Hamilton, or Purcellville who can comment on these locales? We'd prefer a mountain home (or one with good mountain views) that has 4 bedrooms, 3000+ sqft, and 1-2 acres for $475,000 or less. We are intrigued by Bluemont and Hamilton foremost because apparently they're closest to mountains and we're sick of city hustle and bustle 24/7. Are elementary, junior high, and high schools servicing Bluemont and Hamilton any good? Do Bluemont and Hamilton have enough local commerce for families; if not, are Purcellville and Leesburg close enough for entertainment plus larger grocery and shopping runs? Are Bluemont and Hamilton family friendly areas with enough options for kids to thrive? We'd strongly consider Purcellville if Bluemont and Hamilton were too boring for young adults; we're impressed by small town charm but understand Bluemont and Hamilton have little infrastructure. We've taken notice of the Apple Mountain Lake neighborhood in Linden, too, and are wondering how it compares to Bluemont and Hamilton in terms of scenery, schools, outdoor activities, commute time to Reston/Chantilly/Leesburg, and overall family quality of life. Welcome the wise counsel of locals when time allows. Thanks very much!

Last edited by jeweiseman; 06-16-2011 at 01:32 AM..
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Old 06-16-2011, 08:01 AM
 
Location: among the clustered spires
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Grew up in Linden, live in Leesburg now.

Bluemont and Hamilton will have excellent public schools.

Apple Mountain Lake is across the street from where I grew up. It'll be cheaper, to be sure, but the schools in Warren aren't as good as western Loudoun's.

Have you considered Berryville and environs, or Marshall/The Plains? (Clarke's schools are better than Warren/Fauquier IMO, but not as good as western Loudoun).

Given your jobs, I'd even consider Middleburg.

As for activities for young folks, it all depends on how your kids turn out. How old are they now? If they're older they may be more resistant to such a radical move.
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Old 06-16-2011, 01:21 PM
 
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I know that the schools in Hamilton feed into the junior high and high school in Purcellville. Living in Bluemont or Hamilton you will need to come to Purcellville to do your grocery shopping. Hamilton doesn't have much and neither does Bluemont in the way of stores.

I live in Purcellville and have two young children. My DH and I are planning on staying in this area if we can find a house that has almost everything we want. My office is in Reston (near RTC) and it's about an hour drive for me if I leave at 8am. My co-worker who also lives in Purcellville leaves around 7:10 or so and it also takes her an hour.If you take the Greenway/toll road it usually will take less time, but that gets expensive if you take it everyday. Purcellville to Leesburg is about 6-8 miles. Not bad at all.

I can tell you that Purcellville is very family (and dog) friendly. It's a quiet place and I think it would have pretty much everything that you are looking for.
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Old 06-16-2011, 03:43 PM
 
Location: Spartanburg, SC
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Western Loudoun has plenty of beautiful mountain views. Remember, though, outside of the towns (Purcellville/Round Hill/Hamilton), it gets very rural, very quickly. The houses are spread out on acreage and many, many dirt roads. Loudoun loves their dirt roads. That can create some issues when the weather turns ugly.

Also, there are two high schools for a very large geographic area, two middle schools and each town has an elementary. If you get too far out into Blumont or the outreaching areas of Round Hill, Lovettsville etc., your children could have a very long bus ride. Be sure to check that before buying. It you look at a map of Loudoun, pretty much everything west of Route 15 and Route 9 go to the two high schools.

And, I hate to be Debbie Downer, but you might have trouble finding a 3,000 square foot home on a couple acres for your price range. In the towns, there are numerous subdivisions in that price range; it's the acreage that will run your price up.

Linden is very rural and pretty isolated from everything.

Regarding Clark County, remember that you'd be going over the mountain (on the line between Loudoun and Clark). It doesn't look like much of a hill (and has gorgeous views) but it is a nasty, nasty road when the weather turns foggy, snowy or icy. If there is an accident on Route 7, you have to go miles and miles out of the way to get around it (remember those dirt roads, too). The schools are not as highly ranked as Loudouns.

Good luck, Loudoun's a lovely place.
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Old 06-16-2011, 09:04 PM
 
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Default Re:

Wow, thanks to all for the excellent perspective. A rural setting (within reason) very much appeals to us; my wife and me used to put chains on the SUVs when we lived in Colorado, so mountain driving isn't a show stopper. At the same time, any town with minimal fanfare beyond housing is concerning. Our kids are young (3 yrs and 1 yr, respectively) so we'd have to weigh the longer term ramifications of moving into a fairly small and isolated mountain community like Bluemont with little for young kids against trading away acreage for a more lively subdivision. Purcellville and Hamilton seem enticing--apparently both small scale towns with more commerce than Bluemont--so we'll definitely look into both. We'll keep an eye on Bluemont, too, for now. An hour commute or less is advisable, and seems like Bluemont, Hamilton, and Purcellville all offer that, traffic depending.

Thanks a million for taking time to help a newcomer out, your kindness is appreciated and my family looks forward to joining you in NOVA. If I'm missing any other angles you think important, do kindly share your thinking. Kind regards from Miami.

Last edited by jeweiseman; 06-16-2011 at 09:16 PM..
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Old 06-19-2011, 02:36 PM
 
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I have lived in Purcellvile for 11 years. I have lived and worked in different areas around the country and find Western Loudoun a great place to live and raise a family. Purcellville is the hub of activity in Western Loudoun with the most stores, restaurants, recreational opportunities, etc, but the surrounding communities including Bluemont, Round Hill, and Hamilton are close enough to take advantage of Purcellville's larger town features and all are nice places to raise a familly. I think it's a matter of personal preference and requires a visit to all of those areas, including checking what is available in housing, to make your own decision. The previous comment about the difficulty in finding something in your price range in Western Loudoun that meets all of your requirements is accurate. Suggest you find a real estate agent to help you in that regard.
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Old 06-19-2011, 06:56 PM
 
Location: Northern Virginia
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don't forget Round Hill...that is the small town between Purcellville and Bluemont. Be aware that some of the homes in Bluemont, generally those with acreage and lower prices, are actually in Clarke County and there is a significant drop off between schools in Clarke and Loudoun.

In your price range, it will be hard to find acreage, but there are some houses out there in the range...that was our range when we moved to Round Hill almost two years ago, we have everything on your list but only a half acre.

Oh by the way, Hamilton is not "closest" to the mountains...Hamilton is a little country town between Leesburg and Purcellville. The "mountains" run north/south through the Lovettsville, Round Hill, Bluemont areas. There are some gorgeous mountain views here in Round Hill.
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Old 09-22-2011, 10:05 AM
 
Location: Leesburg
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeweiseman View Post
Wow, thanks to all for the excellent perspective. A rural setting (within reason) very much appeals to us; my wife and me used to put chains on the SUVs when we lived in Colorado, so mountain driving isn't a show stopper.
I've lived in Colorado. Dealing with weather and bad roads there is a different universe. But in Colorado, it is usually you versus the road conditions. Here in NOVA, it is you versus a bunch of other drivers. I would discourage you from looking west of the ridge.

Speaking of Colorado, Round Hill and Bluemont remind me the most of mountain/foothill towns you find there. However, I think Vermont towns are a better analogy. I recommend looking at subdivisions in Round Hill. You can get the mountain town lifestyle along with a house/neighborhood that can accommodate the needs of young children.

Given your balance of needs, I'd also recommend a longer look at Leesburg. I find it to be an escape from the 24/7 city hustle and bustle.
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Old 09-22-2011, 11:32 AM
 
Location: Saint Petersburg, FL
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Hamilton is literally right outside of Purcellville to the east and is fairly small, as is Round Hill. Round Hill however is the one that is much closer to the mountains (almost at the foot of them). Keep in mind that the mountains in this part of the state top out and under 2,000 feet (usually around 1,600 feet or so) so they are small mountains.

Leesburg is a BIG city compared to Purcellville. Leesburg has a population of around 50K now. The last official count put it at 42K, but I would venture a guess its a bit higher now. However, Leesburg still has that smaller town charm as it is very OLD with a very identifiable historic district, unlike most other cities/ towns around it to the east. I personally LOVE Leesburg. However if I were you, and I was going to move there I would spend time there first. You will find that almost all of the most desirable places to live are inside of Catoctin Circle.

Another option to consider is Hillsboro, VA which is just north of Purcellville. It is located on route 9 (Charles Town Pike) in the Hillsboro Gap of Short Mountain. There is a direct route into Purcellville, which is about 7 miles or so to the south via state road 690, Hillsboro Road. It is a tiny town, with a population of less than 100. You would definitely need to go into purcellville for almost all of your needs, or have them delivered. However, the trade off is beautiful mountain (small mountains) scenery and possibly slightly lower property prices (though I,m not certain of this). I think a place like Hillsboro offers a very rural feel and mountain feel, while still being fairly close to Purcellville, the hub of Western Loudoun county.


Linden VA, while beautiful, is also extremely rural, and not much there other than houses on mountains. You would need to go into Front Royal, VA to do almost all of your shopping. Linden is in Warren and Fauquier counties, and is fairly far south of Purcellville / Leesburg / western Loudoun co. Your commutes into Leesburg / Reston or those areas would be substantially longer. Linden is straight out I66 west of D.C. Leesburg / Purcellville are more northwest, and out 267. If you look at them on the map you will see they are not very close together. Now, were I working in Front Royal, or telecommuting I would definitely consider living in Linden. I do like it out there, but based on where you are traveling to every day the commute would be on the long side. That said, there are plenty that live out there and commute into downtown D.C. every day. The commute is a subjective and personal thing. Its all about what you personally find tolerable. Some people find sitting in cars 2+ hours per day for a commute worth it. For me, I like my commute under an hour and preferably mostly on trains.

Last edited by United_Caps_Skins_Fan; 09-22-2011 at 11:41 AM..
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Old 09-22-2011, 04:18 PM
 
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Note that while this is all useful advice, note this somewhat older thread was updated first by an inappropriate post. It does not appear that the OP has returned since first posting over four months ago.
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