Rocky Mount/Martinsville area (Roanoke, Franklin: townhomes, new construction, statistics)

[j1n]

Originally Posted by steve1077

Why in the world would someone think that a highly Caucasian population is negative.....diversity can well mean Irish, English, Scottish, German, Italian, French, Scandinavian. Does a community have to have Africans to be diverse......

almost all of those nationalities that you mentioned would be considered caucasian. I think roanoker4 meant "non-white".

[minibrings]

Originally Posted by j1n

almost all of those nationalities that you mentioned would be considered caucasian. I think roanoker4 meant "non-white".

from his other posts on other threads it seems that he feels that black equates to crime and that blacks are a problem....

[mysticsun]

I could not agree more.Rocky Mount is horrible. I have been planning to move to the metro roanoke area for 3 yrs,so I thought I would give all the areas a look,stayed in Rocky Mount for three days,felt like three years. If it was not some red neck,spinning his tires and driving like a red neck nascar wanabe,in the Applebee's parking lot,it was a group of black guys standing in the doorway of the Holiday inn drinking and smoking,and the attendant turning a blind eye. I should have read this thread first. I will confine my search to Roanoke,and weekend at the lake

[Redbeard56]

Hey yall,

I too am looking at relocating back to VA, this time to the "Greater Martinsville" area. I appreciate everyone's input.

The only question I haven't seen is about the health care system. I suspect it would be better to be closer to Roanoke or Greensboro, NC. All comments would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[carterharuka]

wait a sec two large grocery stores since when i was there in late july & they only have a small food lion where roses is, & two big kroger's one near wal-mart & the other just the other side of smith mountain lake.

[seanpecor]

My understanding that the health care system in Martinsville is in decline. I wouldn't retire there, personally. Housing is dirt cheap, but if you've got serious health issues that crop up, you've got to consider if commuting long distances for care will be too burdensome.

In Rocky Mount, there is the Food Lion, and the Kroger, and the grocery market in the Super Walmart. I wouldn't really count the SML grocery. In addition, there is a 40 acre commercial development now being built at the intersection of Wirtz Road and Route 220. The zoning plan includes an unnamed grocery store that - if memory serves - is around 60,000 square feet. It might be a Kroger, but the grapevine suggests a more upscale grocery since there is a Kroger and a Food Lion within 6 minutes of that location already.

The chief developer of that 42 acre Rocky Mount development owns the three large furniture stores nearby (VA Furniture Market, Blue Ridge Antiques, Just For Kids, etc. I understand he will be consolidating all three stores there into one massive furniture store, which will become the largest furniture store in Virginia. There will also be a restaurant, a day care, a bank, etc. The plan calls for 1,000 parking spaces so it's a sizable project. It's the chief reason why the Western Virginia Water Authority is rushing to get 16 miles of 12" water main put down from the Clearbrook area in Roanoke to that intersection. They've already made it past Yellow Mountain Road, so they're making pretty good time.

Sean

[Diamond Dave]

I was just in Martinsville last week and the one thing that struck me is there's nothing new. Every building and shopping center looked at least 25 years old, with the exception of the Wal-Mart shopping center.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Almost all of the industry of Martinsville has gone. Those who owned those industries have also gone. The best and brightest of the employees who worked in those industries have gone as well, Martinsville has never had much in the way of culture (most in petri dishes at the hospital). The Hospital is also in decline and it was never very good to begin with, presently it may be on par with a mediocre clinic. There seems to be little hope of re-industrialization, after all, why would you move any new manufacturing facility that far off the interstate highway system. The population is mostly aged with some young and middleaged in the trades that cater to older house renovations. Unless you enjoy watching a town decay around you, there isn't much going in its' favor.

[vafiddler]

It is not often that you find someone from outside the area seriously choosing between Martinsville/Henry Co. and Rocky Mount/Northern Franklin County because they are so different. As others have said, Martinsville has been a city in decline for decades while Northern Franklin County's population is exploding. Most people moving to the region, if they can afford it, prefer Northern Franklin County. And even long time Martinsville residents have moved to the surrounding counties. That said, I think you have stumbled on some of Martinsville's charm. Even though its a city, it has that small town feel. And as a retiree, it is an amazingly cheap place to live. Big houses are dirt cheap, and you will be amazed at what kind of meals you can get for less than $5. My wife and I still try to do some of our grocery shopping in Martinsville even though we now live a few hours away, it is that much cheaper. There are tons of local events/fairs/festivals. The churches and ruritan clubs out towards Basset and Philpott are always having public breakfasts, dances, etc. And since a lot of people don't generally move to Martinsville/Henry Co from outside the area, you would get to see in full glare (and for better or for worse) the local culture. In communities with lots of development (e.g. Boones Mill/SML/Wirtz/Rocky Mount), the view is much more blurred. All that being said, crime is bad and the hospital is really bad. But the surrounding areas are gorgeous (especially check out Patrick County), and I've always heard good things about the hospital in Eden, NC which is just as close as Rocky Mt.

[clem16]

I know a few people who live in Roanoke and they laugh when I mention relocating to either Martinsville or Rocky Mount. They tell me noone ever moves in anymore, everyone wants to move out so the locals will be thrilled to see us. We are still not sure what area we will decide on, but it's interesting you mentioned Eden, NC. My husband has been researching Rockingham County so that may be a possibility, too. All we know for sure is we want a low cost of living, life in the slow lane, but not too far from a small/midsized metro area.

Is crime really bad in Martinsville? Can you recommend a site where I can check out the stats?