What kind of people live in or are moving to Staunton? (Richmond: lease, crime rate)

[MoggieTolley]

Hello forum,
My husband and I are considering moving to Staunton, Va. We are in our late 30's and will have a newborn. We are considering moving to Staunton from a very nice but big city because we'd like a smaller, closer knit community for ourselves and our child to grow up in. Another reason we are moving from the city is that we want a little farmlette where we can have animals and make cheese and honey and all that hippie nonsense.
We aren't barefoot, ganga smoking, prayer beaded über-liberals or anything ( although we've certainly been there), just people who want to raise a muddy child around kind people.
So my question is, are we likely to find a community of like minded people if we come to Staunton? Not really asking about politically 'progressive' people, but more just broad minded/ broadly experienced people who live or have moved there looking for a quieter, more natural lifestyle?

We have been put off the south and Southerners as a general rule after being stuck in Greer, SC for 5 months many years ago. The people there were practically another species. We love the climate and the landscape of the southern states and are hoping this area of Virginia may be a bit of an early days Asheville, NC or Charlottesville. Are we way off?

No need to talk about employment or housing costs or schools, we're good for that.

Thanks for all your time.

[MoggieTolley]

Anyone?

[Kreutz]

Research Floyd, definite rural hippie vibe there.

[strawberrykiki]

I grew up in Staunton and all of my family still lives there. It's a nice quiet place to live. Growing up it was pretty conservative and it is still pretty conservative in the counties outside, although I heard that the city of Staunton itself went Democratic in the last election. There's a nice downtown area with some neat shops and restaurants. A lot of the people that I know in Staunton are born and raised there, but I don't see any reason why people wouldn't be friendly and welcoming towards newcomers. I definitely think Staunton is a great place to raise kids. I'm happy to answer any specific questions you have. Good luck!

[Charlesaf3]

Floyd, or goochland etc. outside Richmond. Or near Charlottesville is you can afford it

[Dan_in_DC]

Town of Remington (in Fauquier County) is quiet and friendly. Population about 900. We used to live there, still go back to visit and get our SUV inspected and stuff like that. Nearest Super Wal-Mart is in Culpeper, about 12 miles away. Worth a visit. We lived there briefly a few years ago, then our lease was up and had to move. Still miss it.

[MoggieTolley]

Thank you for your replies. I looked at Remington and Goochland and already knew about Floyd. The draw of Staunton though is the architecture, its a very pretty town. My husband is from an incredibly old city in England and he really wants to live around old stone and brick architecture. It is a hard one to find a small enough town that is also old, beautiful and established enough to have modern amenities.
A specific question about Staunton, strawberrykiki, is whether or not goats and chickens are allowed within the city limits. As far as I can tell, the city limits roughly shadow the 'perimeter' roads. I can see there is an agricultural designated area to the east/northeast, but any idea whether 'backyard chickens/goats' are allowed say up in the neighborhoods? The city code doesn't make clear reference to the legality, it only mentions that they can't be loose and must be cleaned every day. Thank you all for your help.

[Dan_in_DC]

Originally Posted by MoggieTolley

Thank you for your replies. I looked at Remington and Goochland and already knew about Floyd. The draw of Staunton though is the architecture, its a very pretty town. My husband is from an incredibly old city in England and he really wants to live around old stone and brick architecture. It is a hard one to find a small enough town that is also old, beautiful and established enough to have modern amenities.
A specific question about Staunton, strawberrykiki, is whether or not goats and chickens are allowed within the city limits. As far as I can tell, the city limits roughly shadow the 'perimeter' roads. I can see there is an agricultural designated area to the east/northeast, but any idea whether 'backyard chickens/goats' are allowed say up in the neighborhoods? The city code doesn't make clear reference to the legality, it only mentions that they can't be loose and must be cleaned every day. Thank you all for your help.

I didn't recall that you had mentioned anything about "architecture" in your original post. However, if historic architecture is what is important to you, you will find it in Staunton (first settled in 1732). You will also find plenty of historic architecture in Danville (first settled in 1793).

Staunton has colder winters, and is in a more mountainous area. Danville is a little farther south, not quite as hilly, and tends to run about 5 degrees warmer. Staunton gets around 20 inches of snow annually; Danville gets around 6.5 inches. Danville also has the beautiful and picturesque Dan River meandering through the middle of the city. Population density (number of people per square mile) is about the same for both cities. Both are beautiful cities.

We tend to like Danville's climate better ... and especially that river.

As for laws regarding goats and/or chickens, the best thing to do is simply pick up the phone and call each City's Zoning Department. Phone numbers for both cities are on their websites, see links below.

In both cities, government people are very friendly and helpful (part of that "southern hospitality"). They will take the time to talk with you, and try their best to help. I have talked to bureaucrats in both cities at great length regarding a number of issues, and they are consistently patient, helpful and polite.

Here are a few quick links regarding both cities that should be helpful. Lots of really cool stuff to read and view:

City of Staunton Virginia, Staunton VA, Links for Staunton Parks & Rec, Staunton Tourism, Staunton GIS, Staunton Library

http://www.historicstaunton.org/

Staunton, Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Danville, VA - Official Website - Historical Sites

Danville Historical Society - Home

Danville, Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Best of luck in your quest. Virginia is definitely NOT South Carolina.
Dan

[Charlesaf3]

Per all my friends who have lived in Danville, it is a desolate hellhole. Consistent reports, none the slightest bit good. And these are people who like Virginia.

[Dan_in_DC]

Originally Posted by Charlesaf3

Per all my friends who have lived in Danville, it is a desolate hellhole. Consistent reports, none the slightest bit good. And these are people who like Virginia.

Have you visited Danville yourself in the last few years? I have, several times. And I also talk to people in Danville regularly, as well as to neighbors in NoVA who are from Danville. And I haven't heard any comments such as you've alluded to in your post.

For awhile, we had considered moving from NoVA to the Richmond area. Parts of Richmond are pretty, but it is terribly polluted, and we didn't want to deal with all that crime.

Although Richmond's crime situation has been cleaned up quite a bit since it was named "murder capital of the United States" a few years back, Richmond's violent crime rate is still substantially higher than that of either NoVA or Danville.

So we kept looking further around the Commonwealth, and finally decided that Danville would probably be most suitable for us. Still have to be in NoVA about another year or so to finalize several projects, but then will probably be moving to Danville. Consequently, I'm very curious about your comment.

Like any other city, Danville does have its good sections and bad sections. But their crime problems are being dealt with aggressively, and Danville's crime rate is now about on a par with Arlington's.

Danville's infrastructure is up-to-date and well-developed. New medical facilities are up-to-date, and tied to Duke University's medical school. Most of Danville's media and telecommunications services are now run on fiber-optic (substantially faster than conventional cable), and Danville is rapidly on its way to becoming the technology center of south central VA.

Cleaner air and water than either NoVA or Richmond area. Less than half the average snowfall of either. Also, Danville has a lower cost of living than either Richmond or NoVA.

But I don't understand what you (or all your friends who have lived in Danville) mean by that "desolate hellhole" reference to Danville. Please elaborate on that.

Thanks,
Dan