Moving to Virginia (What is the best city?) (Roanoke, Charlottesville: transplants, employment)

[mer1]

Hi,

I moved to Portland, Oregon 11 years ago from Green Bay Wisconsin for Oregon's nature, oceans and job opportunity and nice weather. I have tried to make it my home, but from my experience the west coast is very superficial and lacks the values and comradeship that I was used to in Wis. I want to move east to Virginia where the winters are more milder and I can still have my ocean and be in driving distance to my Midwest friends. I know I don't want to live in a big metropolitan city as from I understand the big cities have changed enough where comradeship amongst neighbors is a thing of the past.

I was thinking about moving to Harrisburg or Charolettesville or a similar size city... a big enough city where I will be able to find work and yet have the small town values. Also one of my interests is in herbology and want to find a place open to alternative healing.

I have been researching online at many cities. Will you please share with me a good place to live? I want this to be my last move....home.

Thank you very much for any information you can provide.

[OREGONRAIN]

I feel the exact same way you do, I also live in Portland. I am from New England and looking to be closer to my roots also. Virginia is a easy 1 day drive to Massachusetts. I am researching Virginia and also the other southern east coast states. I always liked southern Virgina, the Roanoke/Blacksburg region with the beauty of the surrounding mountains and Roanoke and Blacksburg are not big cities but big enough to have what you need. I see you listed Charlottesville that might be good for you, its a college town, I am sure you know that so your interest in alternative healing might work there. I don't know what the job opportunities are, I retired not long ago, and just work part time now, so my needs for work are different than yours I suppose. In Virgina you would like me be closer to where you are from. You would have the ocean and the mountains and smaller cities and I have to say this, I think the people in Virginia would be more apt to say hello to you than here. I never really found Oregon to be all that down to earth and I was never overwhelmed by the friendliness here. I actually find it very transient, a disproportinate population and somewhat on the smug side. However it is a beautiful area of the country. I hope many people in virginia will answer your post and give you first hand information on places there, especially where your interested in employment areas. Good Luck.

[j1n]

hey mer1,
Roanoke's a good spot to look into. it's a "city on the rise" so-to-speak. Sorta funky little downtown, restaurants, growing arts community, food co-op, agreeable cost of living, a variety of neighborhoods, etc. And it's pretty much encircled by mountains in every direction. (Not Mt Hood, but pretty mountains!!) And you could easily make a run east to the coast for a weekend trip.
As far as friendliness...I think wherever you go, you may run into some attitudes toward outsiders or transplants. But generally, Roanoke has been pretty kind to us. Not sure what they really think , but folks do wave and say hello, hold doors, etc.
As far as herbology...
I have not noticed a whole lot of alternative medicine, health food stores, etc that would indicate a lean toward the "crunchy". But just because I personally have not noticed it, doesn't mean it's not there. I would love to see more of that represented in Roanoke. Also, near Roanoke is Floyd, a cool little hippie-meets-farmer enclave. Google it...there's good stuff going on out there, and it's just a short drive from Roanoke.

[mer1]

Thank you all for your helpful responses and most of all thank you for validating that I am going in the right direction...home!