Winchester, Leesburg...similarities & contrasts? (Chesapeake, Lynchburg: how much, home, to buy)

[Bigfoot424]

I would go for Winchester anytime over Leesburg. Leesburg is a nice area but it's traffic is just an extension of NOVA. Winchester is my choice of towns if my job situation ever changes and I can move from NOVA.

[cdmurphy]

Originally Posted by tylerSC

But on the other hand, Leesburg has 2 very good Roy Rogers. Great roast beef, and very good burgers and fried chicken. So on the Roy's scoreboard, Leesburg - 2, Winchester - 0. Although there is a rumor that Roy's is looking to return to Winchester.

That is true. I do love Roy's. If only we could get them to team up and open up a joint Roy's/Sonic in both towns... a girl can dream.

[bridgerider]

I have been reading that the mountain can be treacherous in bad weather. If I wanted to avoid that it would mean crossing Winchester off the list, & I'm not ready to do that yet. Just seems there are so many towns worthy of consideration. My work will have me going in different directions often; I'm not opposed to 45 minutes to or from home in any radius, but wouldn't want to be on deadline behind a closed mountain.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by bridgerider

I have been reading that the mountain can be treacherous in bad weather. If I wanted to avoid that it would mean crossing Winchester off the list, & I'm not ready to do that yet. Just seems there are so many towns worthy of consideration. My work will have me going in different directions often; I'm not opposed to 45 minutes to or from home in any radius, but wouldn't want to be on deadline behind a closed mountain.

You've never been in this area have you? People cannot drive in poor weather around here no matter where they are. Besides. Winchester is near the mountains but is not in the mountains itself. You have some erroneous info regarding Winchester.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by bridgerider

I have been reading that the mountain can be treacherous in bad weather. If I wanted to avoid that it would mean crossing Winchester off the list, & I'm not ready to do that yet. Just seems there are so many towns worthy of consideration. My work will have me going in different directions often; I'm not opposed to 45 minutes to or from home in any radius, but wouldn't want to be on deadline behind a closed mountain.

t

You are correct, there will be approximately 2-4 random days in a year where you would not want to make the trek into DC. But those are also the same days that you wouldn't want to make the trek into DC from Arlington. The "mountain" is only a (possible) concern if you commute daily.

[bridgerider]

No Bigfoot, as I've said, September will be my first in-depth look into that area. I have been to VA often, have good friends that live closer to the beltway, but that's not an area I want to settle in. As far as erroneous info, I have only myself to blame. I am reading everything I can - a lot from CD posts....gotta start somewhere. I realize seeing it for myself is the only way to decide; but I am hoping that others' posts will help as I narrow the list of towns to visit. So enlighten me!

[michgc]

Winchester is a stand-alone city. It really is separate from Washington, DC. Leesburg, while it is the county seat and has its own "downtown," it is a DC suburb. As there is more growth in the Dulles Corridor with regards to jobs, Leesburg is only going to become more congested and built out. If I were commuting to DC, I would choose Leesburg, hands-down. If I wanted to live in a quaint city but close by to DC for infrequent visits, then I would choose Winchester. Furthermore, Winchester has to be significantly cheaper than Leesburg.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by bridgerider

No Bigfoot, as I've said, September will be my first in-depth look into that area. I have been to VA often, have good friends that live closer to the beltway, but that's not an area I want to settle in. As far as erroneous info, I have only myself to blame. I am reading everything I can - a lot from CD posts....gotta start somewhere. I realize seeing it for myself is the only way to decide; but I am hoping that others' posts will help as I narrow the list of towns to visit. So enlighten me!

You can't go wrong with either Leesburg or Winchester IMO. But Leesburg, to me anyway, is just a continuation of NOVA and its traffic. Winchester is off I 81 so that area sees some traffic but for the most part it's much lighter than NOVA. It really depends on what exactly you are looking for.

[billscamaros]

Originally Posted by spencgr

t

You are correct, there will be approximately 2-4 random days in a year where you would not want to make the trek into DC. But those are also the same days that you wouldn't want to make the trek into DC from Arlington. The "mountain" is only a (possible) concern if you commute daily.

Ditto this .......

[LynchburgLover]

Originally Posted by bridgerider

I have been reading that the mountain can be treacherous in bad weather. If I wanted to avoid that it would mean crossing Winchester off the list, & I'm not ready to do that yet. Just seems there are so many towns worthy of consideration. My work will have me going in different directions often; I'm not opposed to 45 minutes to or from home in any radius, but wouldn't want to be on deadline behind a closed mountain.

You are correct about "The Mountain". That reference is to Mount Weather which is on Route 7 at the Clarke/Loudoun county line, just west of Round Hill. It is really just a very large foothill but it can be wicked in bad weather. The fog, ice and snow really mess up traffic because there is really no alternate route. If there is an accident, it will be MILES to go around.

Also, I don't live in Winchester but know a good number of people who do. Winchester is a completely separate place from Northern Virginia. It has a completely independent economy with several large manufacturing companies (National Fruit--White House apple products, Trex, Rubbermaid, American , for example).

Winchester is at the top of the Shenandoah Valley with emphasis on farming (primarily apples) and manufacturing. It is truly Mayberry with a quaint, rather large, well-preserved Historic District. There are a lot of long-time families that still maintain very active participation in all aspects of City life. The sense of community is very strong. Be sure to use the search function to read other threads about Winchester.

Best of luck.