Questions regarding Lexington! (Richmond, Hampton, Roanoke: how much, hotels, house)

[Macmama]

My husband and I plan to relocate from central VA to western VA in the near future. We want to live in a Main Street town, Lexington appears to be what we are looking for. However, I would appreciate impressions from anyone that lives there. Is it as wonderful as it seems??? Also, are there other forums that the residents of Lexington particpate on? Thanks so much!

[roanoker 4]

Lexington is about an hour from where I live. I enjoy visiting there. The downtown main street has been revitalized with brick sidewalks and it is so rich in civil war history the Virginia Confederate Museum is considering reclocating there from Richmond. If that happens, I am sure the town will become a much bigger tourist area. Because of W&L and VMI the area has a
university feel so its not a sleepy backwater town hidden in the mountains.
I have friends that live there and they tend to be laid back and they don't like the city life. Outside of Lexington is some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere. So far it hasn't been destroyed by housing developments which is becoming more common. It is rather isolated but there is a hospital, shopping centers, nice restaurants, etc but its close to Roanoke Lynchburg and Charlottesville.

[lexvegas]

Lexington is a great place to live!! I have recently moved back to the area after living and working in various other places, and I love it! This summer I have kept busy going to the drive-in, the county fair, free outdoor concerts, various auctions, etc. And, the community festival, wine festival and bluegrass festival are just around the corner.

I do have to say that growing up in town, I absolutely hated it and couldn't wait to leave. However, now with a bit of perspective, I realize that Lexington really is a great place. I have been surprised to run into high school classmates who have returned to settle in Lexington despite the fact that their parents have not lived in the area for years.

I don't know of any forums...but if you come for a visit, people are generally quite happy to answer questions and tell you the pros and cons of the area.

good luck!

[Macmama]

Lexvegas, how much has the area changed since growing up there? We just returned this evening from a drive through Clifton Forge, Covington and then ultimately Lexington! Clifton Forge and Covington just don't "do it" for us. We ahve visited many towns up and down 81 and alomg 64, Lexington is #1 so far. We will re-visit Radford, Pulaski and check out Abingdon. I will try to stay objective but......I LOVE LEXINGTON!

[seanpecor]

Lexington is a quite nice small and historic town. We head over there regularly for Dressage competitions at the Virginia Horse Center in Rockbridge County. Living there wouldn't be for me - it's an hour from the things I find really important - but it sure is nice to visit.

I may be off a bit but it seems like Lexington attracts merchants who think they'll be catering to an "upscale" clientele due to the historic beauty of the local architecture and such. It "looks" like a town that should be thriving. It's not thriving, though not diminishing either. It's sort of in a holding pattern. The county population is 21,000 people with an additional 6,700 people living in Lexington "City". It's hard to make businesses work with so small a year-round customer base and I believe restaurants and merchants have a higher than average turnaround rate. If the Virginia Horse Center weren't next door, I think Lexington would be in pretty bad shape. Washington & Lee's undergrad population is only 1,752. It's a _wonderful_ school but certainly nothing that would fully support the population of the county and town with jobs and such. This isn't the sort of thing folks relocating consider and it's an observation I've made personally so I thought it would hold some value.

I'd suggest visiting Rocky Mount, VA also. It's not "better" or "worse" than Lexington but it's a different vibe. It's closer to way more and arguably better hospitals. Rocky Mount and Franklin County are growing more than the average Western Virginia county is, but it's not explosive growth. But growth attracts new services and bolsters existing merchants and main street offerings. And since most of the 51,000 folks in Franklin County and 5,000 in Rocky Mount are year-round residents, you have lots of restaurants and businesses that have been owned by the same family for decades. Rocky Mount has (in my opinion) a really awesome Maint Street, with a brand new library, lots of boutiques, a cafe, an old style hardware store, spa, restaurants, a farmers market, etc. Plus you're 15-20 minutes to Smith Mountain Lake, and such things as thousands of acres of public parks with rivers and beach galore. Plus you're less than 40 minutes to Roanoke.

Lexington may be your best bet depending on your needs and wants. But I'd really give Rocky Mount and South Roanoke County a close look.

Sean

[Cattknap]

We live in California but have visited Lexington at least 4 times and stayed several days each visit in order to determine if Lexington might be an area we would be interested in retiring to. I agree with Sean about the retail businesses - nothing to write home about and fairly pricey. Nice homes are expensive too, or at least more expensive than you might think for being in a fairly remote area.

Visually, the historic area is beautiful and interesting looking, but we found that there really isn't a lot to do there. The last time we were there, we had planned to stay 4 nights at the Col Alto Hampton Inn - one of the nicest Hampton Inn's you'll ever see....after 2 nights we left, we had gone on the walking and driving tours, seen Stonewall Jackson's home twice, visited the grist mill and herb farm in Raphine, shopped or at least try to shop at some of the stores, eaten at a few medium but expensive restaurants and taken the tours of VMI and W&L....not much else to see or do really...a fun place to visit, but we are sure we would not want to live there.

[GO_ODU]

My house (not where I live) is 20 minutes from Lexington in Amherst County. I look foward to every trip I get to make to that area. Its extremely beautiful, laid back, friendly, and cost effective to live. My best friend's parents (lives in VA Beach) are currently building thier retirement home in Lexington they love so much!

Judging from your post, I would also recommend researching/visiting Bedford city, the town of Amherst, Buena Vista, maybe Stuarts Draft area, Abington, Rocky Mount (for Sean if nothing else), Clifton Forge, and Eagle Rock.

[seanpecor]

Haha GO_ODU, is that because I'm such a nice guy or because I drone on endlessly about Rocky Mount, lol.

Sean

[GO_ODU]

Both, but mostly because you sent me a PM about the horse center in Lexington which I absolutely loved when I visited. JB

[lexvegas]

I feel that the area around Lexington has grown quite a bit. North of town a lot of hotels have been built, a Walmart has opened and chain restaurants have followed. The overall atmosphere of the downtown area has remained the same and will probably continue to remain the same for years to come.