Relocating to Roanoke ? (Salem, Franklin, Vinton: appointed, to rent, houses)

[seanpecor]

Originally Posted by whereto

Maybe... and then again, maybe not. Most realtors I've known don't bother showing their clients FSBO properties because their commissions are not as high. But 4-6months on the market is the average for a non-hot housing market, or so I thought.

Hrm, well, Franklin County isn't "hot" but the population has grown 8.5% since 2000, which is one of the highest rates - if not the highest rate - in Western and Southwestern Virginia. Most homes move in a few months; some in just weeks. Some exceptions stay on the market for > 6 months but the reasons are usually obvious (overpriced relative to similar homes on the market etc).

Sean

[Fixture]

Wow!! It is so great that so many new people seem to be moving to the Roanoke area. My husband and I are moving there as well.

I don't know alot about the area, I lived in Charlottesville for awhile before deciding to relocate.

I do know that if you have children you may want to consider the salem area or South West County. The school districts are much better. I looked up the test scores for the city of Roanoke and they were horrendously low!! The County was much better. Of course it cost more to live in the County but may be a cost worth counting.

I have heard that the city schools have been trying to improve their test scores and I have not yet seen any updated polls.

As far as a dominant religion, it is definately what I would consider "the Bible belt" area. But you don't get the sense that people are shoving it down your throat.

What I would like to know is if anyone knows of any things for mom's with small children to do? So far, I haven't found a thing.
In Charlottesville, there were great little hang out spots where the stay at home moms could go for some adult conversation!!! Anyone?

At any rate, we are so excited to move to Roanoke and make new friends!!
Good luck to those of you who are also considering it.

[pammybear]

Hi Fixture! I am a mom of a 6 year old and 10 month old twins. We are so busy it seems. There is lots to do and lots of summer camps. For young children, there is Melody Makers music in the Oak Grove Plaza, reading/story time at the library, swim lessons at Carter Athletic Center or the YMCA or the Roanoke Athletic Club, there are family programs at Mill Mountain Zoo, my daughter is in Chinese childrens choir ( and we're not Chinese! she just likes Chinese things!) There is a Chuckee Cheese and an awesome outdoor park in Salem (sorry can't remember the name but it's on Main St.) There is a roller skating center in Salem/Roanoke on Apperson which turns into Brandon as you get closer to Roanoke. There are lots of activities at the Brambleton Center---there is just so much! Please email me with your childrens ages and your interests and maybe I can be more helpful!

Best wishes, this is a great place to raise a family. We just moved here one year ago!

Pam

[Robin Young]

We are visiting Roanoke next month & considering relocation (my husband is a physician & interviewing with Carilion). It looks like Salem & the Southwest County area is the area to focus on? Does anyone have any information about North Cross and Community School to share? (I am somewhat concerned about all the testing done in the public schools there because of No Child Left Behind & the VA state standards). Is the air quality really bad in those areas? Also, we live in Portland, OR now-there are alot of trees & plants & flowers here-I wonder if the foliage there is any worse than here for allergies? Any insights on the schools in particular would be very appreciated!

[seanpecor]

Hey Robin, I'm sorry not to have caught your post sooner. We were on a Disney caribbean cruise with our two girls (ages 4 and 7) and were gone since the 2nd.

Both our girls attend North Cross and I can't recommend it enough. It's simply an amazing school and the support among the teachers and fellow parents is fantastic.

I can't compare flora between Portland and the Roanoke Valley. We get over 40" of rain annually and it's pretty lush. I've got serious allergies but I've got an impenetrable wall of pharmaceuticals (Allegra, Advair and Rhinocort!) and even owning a horse farm in Boones Mill, and doing all the things that come with the job (bushhogging, mowing, trimming, construction, treecutting, etc) I have no problems.

I'm an internet entrepreneur and North Cross has - not surprisingly - a high concentration of parents who are physicians). We live in Boones Mill, about a 25 minute drive south of North Cross but still in the Roanoke MSA. We have friends in Boones Mill who are also horse people who are also North Cross parents and physicians. We hosted a social mixer for JK parents at the beginning of the school year and there were nearly a dozen physicians in our house

Personally, I'd recommend you also consider the Boones Mill area. There are beautiful new homes, along with homes soon to be finished, ranging from $300K to $650K with at least 1 acre in our area. In fact there is one virtually complete gorgeous 2 story craftsman style home situated on a small hill that just went on the market for $525K. It's built by a local builder and his team, to very high quality standards. In fact you just don't see homes built like this anymore so it's refreshing to see him building at this level.

Franklin County, specifically the Boones Mill area, has the unique distinction of being a relatively pleasant commute to Carillion, with really good public schools, and lots of family activities (like a state of the art YMCA 15 minutes away in Rocky Mount on a 40 acre preserve). It also has less than half the property tax rate which I suspect in your case will likely save you thousands annually.

Anyway, I'll copy this message to you in a PM in case you don't check back to the public forum.

Sean

[corkdork]

This is just the info I have been looking for. My husband and I are relocating in May of 2008 from Panama City Beach, Fl. (originally from Vermont though Sean) and we are coming up in a few weeks to look at schools and housing. Any recommendations? I have an elementary ager and high school ager. I also teach high school so any info on good ones would be much appreciated. My husband is an Engineering consultant and originally from the area but hasn't lived there in 10 years. It sounds like there is starting to be a population of people our age which would be great since we love to socialize!
CorkDork

[seanpecor]

Hey CorkDork, sorry for the delay. I was in Vegas for an internet publishers conference from the 2nd until the 8th and I'm playing catch up.

If you love to socialize and want to live in a "village" then I'd look first in the Grandin Village or Raleigh Court area. There are some very nice houses in most budget ranges with lovely side streets and sidewalks and many folks with kids in the K-12 grades. There are a number of high schools looking for teachers; we have two that board at our farm and one was just talking to me about an upcoming shortage due to boomers reaching retirement age. Of course as a North Cross parent I'd recommend you check them out also, even for teaching positions (which I understand would imply free tuition for your kids). A teaching position at North Cross is coveted (the teachers/parents community is simply awesome) and I suspect it pays better than other area schools. Hope this helps!

Sean

[happygal0000]

Originally Posted by corkdork

This is just the info I have been looking for. My husband and I are relocating in May of 2008 from Panama City Beach, Fl. (originally from Vermont though Sean) and we are coming up in a few weeks to look at schools and housing. Any recommendations? I have an elementary ager and high school ager. I also teach high school so any info on good ones would be much appreciated. My husband is an Engineering consultant and originally from the area but hasn't lived there in 10 years. It sounds like there is starting to be a population of people our age which would be great since we love to socialize!
CorkDork

Hi there,

I agree with Sean that the houses are darling in Grandin Village or Raleigh Court but the city schools just can't compare with the SW co schools. The city school test scores are abysmal and there's lots of fighting and bullying in the city schools. For your high schooler,

While you will lose some of the architectural charm, SW Co is better for raising kids; and you can always drive downtown or the Grandin Rd area.

Check out the 24018 zipcode area at Realtor.com and you can see what's available in your price range.

Also, be sure to join the Newcomers Club (776-7808 voice mail and http://roanokevalleynewcomers.org/Welcome.html on the web) -- they have lots of activities for women new (and not so new) to the Roanoke valley.

Several churches offer Mother's Day Out so you can meet other mothers with children your children's ages.

See you in May! Let me know if you have any other questions.

[kaptn35]

Is North Cross a private school???? I looked at the website and it has tuition per yearly fee's.

[j1n]

Originally Posted by kaptn35

Is North Cross a private school???? I looked at the website and it has tuition per yearly fee's.

yes, private school.