Possibly Relocating to Roanoke Area (Charlottesville, Salem: for sale, houses, job market)

[touretteboy65]

Hello Everyone---New to this forum; most of my time was spent on the New Hampshire threads. My wife and I are within a year of moving from Florida and it's been an incredible debate on where to move to. I would prefer New Hampshire, but she wants nothing to do with it because of the winters and weaker (perhaps weaker?) job market. Initially, we did settle on Virginia and purchased some land outside of Charlottesville, some 45 minutes southwest of the city. Needless to say, we now have some buyers remorse and it's up for sale, namely because we feel it's too remote for everyday living, especially with two small children (6 & 4). So, with that in mind, I looked north to New Hampshire, mainly because of its reputation of a safe state and relatively low cost cost of living (high property taxes, but overall, one of the lowest tax burdens in the country). My idea is not flying, so it looks like we're back on track for Virginia. We would like to live in area that is safe, excellent schools, things to do, etc (you've all heard it before), but has a sense of Americana and small town feel. I'm interested in the Roanoke area, both to the east and west of the city. I've read some threads on the Bedford area, and the county seems like a good choice (?) I will be retiring from my job, but will need to work full time once we move to support my family with benefits and additional income on top of my pension. Does the area have a strong job market? I do believe Virginia does tax pensions ??? (any info, please advise). I feel more comfortable living outside a city that offers it all, but avoid its downfalls (crime, congestion, overdevelopment, etc). Also, we're interested in neighborhoods that are family friendly and have elbow room between homes (1/2 acre to 3 acres). Realtors, you're more than welcome to email me with suggestions. Thanks for any info you can provide; it is most appreciated.

[touretteboy65]

Gee, thanks for all the responses....

[OuttaFlorida]

I'll give you my personal descriptions of the Roanoke (where I live) and Bedford (where I work) area and you can see if that fits what you need.

Roanoke City- great dowtown market area with some neat shops and good restaurants, and an excellent farmers market open daily, usually some great family friendly festivals in the park.. Pockets of the city are very nice (ie, Grandin, Old Southwest, area near RMH and Fork and the Alley, SW areas) while other parts may be a little more ghetto or industrial, choose a good area before you move. Heard bad things about the schools

Bedford City- Neat little historic downtown area that stretches about 2 blocks. Some beautiful homes surrounding the hospital and downtown area, but fairly close together given your standards of acreage. I consider Bedford to be extremely boring, there are minimal restuarents, almost no bars, and its mostly a rural area despite the centertown area.

In terms of jobmarkets, I don't think either place is thriving, but Roanoke due its larger population is probably better than Bedford. The hospital districts are usually hiring and Carilion is the largest employer in the area.

Roanoke county and bedford county will have larger plots of land/homes, and i believe the schools are better. But there will be less to do in these areas due to being more rural.

I really enjoy Salem the most. It borders Roanoke to the west and seems to have a great family feel to it. Neat little downtown, Salem Sox games, festivals, farmers market, very safe, very little trashy sections. Good luck.

[orlandoyankee]

Originally Posted by OuttaFlorida

I'll give you my personal descriptions of the Roanoke (where I live) and Bedford (where I work) area and you can see if that fits what you need.

Roanoke City- great dowtown market area with some neat shops and good restaurants, and an excellent farmers market open daily, usually some great family friendly festivals in the park.. Pockets of the city are very nice (ie, Grandin, Old Southwest, area near RMH and Fork and the Alley, SW areas) while other parts may be a little more ghetto or industrial, choose a good area before you move. Heard bad things about the schools

Bedford City- Neat little historic downtown area that stretches about 2 blocks. Some beautiful homes surrounding the hospital and downtown area, but fairly close together given your standards of acreage. I consider Bedford to be extremely boring, there are minimal restuarents, almost no bars, and its mostly a rural area despite the centertown area.

In terms of jobmarkets, I don't think either place is thriving, but Roanoke due its larger population is probably better than Bedford. The hospital districts are usually hiring and Carilion is the largest employer in the area.

Roanoke county and bedford county will have larger plots of land/homes, and i believe the schools are better. But there will be less to do in these areas due to being more rural.

I really enjoy Salem the most. It borders Roanoke to the west and seems to have a great family feel to it. Neat little downtown, Salem Sox games, festivals, farmers market, very safe, very little trashy sections. Good luck.

You mention Salem as probably the best option. We drove through Roanoke and Salem a couple of weeks ago to get the lay of the land. I like Salem a lot as well. We drove through a residential area that had a golf course. There were very nice houses overlooking this golf course. I don't know the name of the course or the direction relative to downtown as we were meandering through the area. Do you know possibly what area I am describing? And approximately what the houses in that area would go for? What would I expect to pay for a decent 3-4 BR home in Salem overall? Thanks.

[j1n]

Originally Posted by orlandoyankee

You mention Salem as probably the best option. We drove through Roanoke and Salem a couple of weeks ago to get the lay of the land. I like Salem a lot as well. We drove through a residential area that had a golf course. There were very nice houses overlooking this golf course. I don't know the name of the course or the direction relative to downtown as we were meandering through the area. Do you know possibly what area I am describing? And approximately what the houses in that area would go for? What would I expect to pay for a decent 3-4 BR home in Salem overall? Thanks.

The golf course you are referring to is likely the one that lies north of Main St...in the vicinity of Roanoke College. That's a nice area.
According to some figures I found on Salem...

The median home cost in Salem is $174,550. Home appreciation the last year has been down 1.60 percent.
Compared to the rest of the country, Salem's cost of living is 13.46% wower than the U.S. average.
The unemployment rate in Salem 6.50 percent (U.S. avg. is 8.50%). Recent job growth is negative. Salem jobs have decreased by 0.30 percent.

[orlandoyankee]

Originally Posted by j1n

The golf course you are referring to is likely the one that lies north of Main St...in the vicinity of Roanoke College. That's a nice area.
According to some figures I found on Salem...

The median home cost in Salem is $174,550. Home appreciation the last year has been down 1.60 percent.
Compared to the rest of the country, Salem's cost of living is 13.46% wower than the U.S. average.
The unemployment rate in Salem 6.50 percent (U.S. avg. is 8.50%). Recent job growth is negative. Salem jobs have decreased by 0.30 percent.

Thanks very much for the info. I think I will do a Zillow search to see specifically what those houses are going for. My wife really liked that area.