thoughts on front royal and winchester? (Charlottesville, Harrisonburg: foreclosures, houses, neighborhoods)

[wickednoodle]

My parents are thinking of retiring to one of these two areas. There seem to be decent homes there in their price range. Any feedback would be really appreciated!

[Bigfoot424]

Given a choice I'd choose Front Royal. Beautiful mountains in the area and the scenery is just better overall. FR is closer to NoVA and better shopping, restaurants and advanced medical care as well as sightseeing. Winchester is busier with traffic due to I 81 but it's still nothing like No Va. For the 2 areas Winchester probably has more choices in medical care if this is important to your parents.

[RW333]

Front Royal has the more dramatic setting, hemmed in by mountains and the river, though it suffers from a lot of scruffiness at its edges and spottiness overall. Winchester has the larger and better corpus of good housing stock and historic neighborhoods, though it has more than its share of sprawl, although mostly of a more prosperous sort. In amenities, Winchester wins out, though as Bigfoot424 notes, Front Royal offers better proximity to other areas. Beyond the limits of either town there are some beautiful landscapes.

[oneasterisk]

My sister lives near Front Royal and I enjoy visiting. It's got a small town feel to it. We all went out to Winchester one afternoon and it felt like a larger town since it has the big box stores and the drive-thru starbucks.

[Rhett_Butler]

I actually live in Stephens City which is between Front Royal and Winchester. There are a lot of smaller towns in between that offer a variety of things so I guess it depends on what your parents are looking for.... Look at Strasburg, Middletown, Stephens City, etc... You'll find a little bit of a different flavor to each.

We've only been here two years and love the area.

Seriously do you know what they are looking for? A more rural feel? Is it most important that they be closer to a bigger town? I mean if they REALLY want to slow it down they could move to Flint Hill which is just over the border in Rappahannock County. BEAUTIFUL little town and only a 10-15 minute drive to Front Royal... Boyce and Berryville over in Clarke County are nice, but a little more expensive.

Lot's of choices around here, but I'm sure they can find something they like.... Good luck and feel free to ask if you have more questions.

[nwlv]

Front Royal was one of the first places to have an abundance of foreclosures and/or HUD homes. Some one told me that Manassas was like Paris compared to Front Royal. I would consider Harrisonburg (conservative) or Charlottesville (liberal). Harrisonburg does not have the meth head mentality that FR exhibits.

[CaseyMac]

I know this is another part of the Commonwealth, but what about Williamsburg? Closer to medical facilities but with great scenery. (Not that Winchester and FR doesn't have a nice backdrop....I just like the Tidewater area more).

[Rhett_Butler]

Originally Posted by nwlv

Front Royal was one of the first places to have an abundance of foreclosures and/or HUD homes. Some one told me that Manassas was like Paris compared to Front Royal. I would consider Harrisonburg (conservative) or Charlottesville (liberal). Harrisonburg does not have the meth head mentality that FR exhibits.

The closer you get to D.C., the more pricey and "upscale" things are going to get. Also the more congestion, population and traffic..... You have country mice and city mice and your "Some one" is obviously more of a city mouse.... (I'm assuming the comparison to Paris meant he/she preferred Manassas).

Also, please define "Meth Head Mentality" because Front Royal has a couple of "bad areas" that actually look like club med compared to "bad areas" closer into NoVA and D.C. .... Last I heard Loudoun, Prince William and Fairfax Counties all had drug issues as well, so I'm not sure where Front Royal is getting the comparative smack-down from regarding drug problems...

That said, shoot..... Charlottesville is definately a place to consider.... Cannot say a disparaging word about it... Harrisonburg?? Eh..... I don't really see how it's any better than Winchester honestly..

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Rhett_Butler

The closer you get to D.C., the more pricey and "upscale" things are going to get. Also the more congestion, population and traffic..... You have country mice and city mice and your "Some one" is obviously more of a city mouse.... (I'm assuming the comparison to Paris meant he/she preferred Manassas).

Also, please define "Meth Head Mentality" because Front Royal has a couple of "bad areas" that actually look like club med compared to "bad areas" closer into NoVA and D.C. .... Last I heard Loudoun, Prince William and Fairfax Counties all had drug issues as well, so I'm not sure where Front Royal is getting the comparative smack-down from regarding drug problems...

That said, shoot..... Charlottesville is definately a place to consider.... Cannot say a disparaging word about it... Harrisonburg?? Eh..... I don't really see how it's any better than Winchester honestly..

I'm in Manassas and I'll only say this. As soon as the housing market improves I'm moving as far away from Manassas as possible. I've been in this area since 73 and can't wait to leave.

[Grey K]

Manassas has really gone downhill. I want to get out of expensive crowded Fairfax and was warned away from the area. Drugs,crime, vacant houses, you name it. I'm looking for a quiet less expensive place within 50 miles of my job in Fairfax.