Relocating to Grundy, Virginia??? (Abingdon, Lexington: to rent, crime, mobile home)

[preciousalaskan]

My boyfriend applied to law school at Appalachian Law in Grundy, VI and if he gets accepted we would consider relocating there for the time he is in law school. I would appreciate information about the law school itself, opportunities in the area, housing, economy, a little bit of everything. Personally I am especially curious to find out if there might be opportunity for me to get a teaching position in the area or nearby areas? Any information would be helpful,
Thanks

[Vapeed]

Relocating to Grundy???!!! Well, if you don't get shot you'll find that trailers are cheap to rent ('cause they wash away in the floods - that's why they're relocating Grundy to higher ground). If you can count over five without using your fingers then you're qualified for a teaching job, and if you like hunting, rednecks, going to church, hunting, men with beards, pick-up trucks, stupid baseball hats, hunting and a cultural wilderness, then Grundy will suit you down to the ground. It has one cinema, even the local bowling alley closed, so there's plenty to do....if you like hunting. Best of luck; you'll need it!

[preciousalaskan]

Originally Posted by Vapeed

Relocating to Grundy???!!! Well, if you don't get shot you'll find that trailers are cheap to rent ('cause they wash away in the floods - that's why they're relocating Grundy to higher ground).

You deffinantly paint quite the picture of Grundy. Thank you for the advice, out of curiosity why did you say you might get shot??

Thanks

[Trevor92]

Appalachian may very well be a very good option for you and your boyfriend. If you are a teacher, here is the link to the Buchanan County Public Schools homepage, which probably has information on the application procedure under one of the links. Depending on your qualifications and your subject area, applying and immediately coming a teacher is something that's very possible.

It is a very rural area. The town of Grundy itself doesn't has an estimated population of 1,000-1,200, but there's also a lot of land in the county not included in that count, Grundy high is a double-A school in VA with over 500 students. As for the economy, according to this site: Grundy High School, Grundy Virginia / VA school information
80% of students are eligible for free/discounted lunches.

The bright side of this is that the cost of living is minimal in these areas, so that means less debt overall for your boyfried. And there are plenty of options other than trailers in response to the above poster, though I'm sure you will find people wanting to mobile homes also. If I'm not mistaken though, Appalachian is a private institution so that may mean higher tuition. Also because of its rural makeup, it's a very safe area and there are no gangs of any type. In 2005, there was 1 reported murder in the county. But if you're coming from a bigger city, it will be very boring on the weekend. The closest urban area is multiple hours away.

Appalachian is a newer school, but I've actually known several people that have gone there. They've had no problem passing the required bar exams and entering the workforce, but as is the case with most graduate schools, a lot of that is because of personal initiative.

[vamtncat]

Alaskan,
I'm not sure what part of Alaska you are from. If you are in the city, you may want to prepare yourself for some culture shock. There is abundant natural beauty in Grundy. The College itself is very nice. The area around the town you may want to prepare yourself for. The cost of living is low because the overall economy is very poor. You will find that there are "the college people" and the "locals" The two don't mingle readily. The people there are very nice but not nessesarily welcoming. You will not find much in the way of shopping choices, fine dining or cultural opportunities outside of the college itself. I would invest the $$ in two plane tickets and check this place out before you make any committment.

As far as teaching opportunities are concerned don't expect to make any money at it and be prepared for challenges. Try contacing the VEA for specifics.

Good luck if you do choose to go there even if only for a short time. I'm wondering if Appalacian has a message board. You might want to post some inquiries there.

[Vapeed]

"Thank you for the advice, out of curiosity why did you say you might get shot?? "
Hate to bring it up, but the Law School was the site of one of these campus shooting incidents a few years ago. "Caveat emptor"?

[tamlee7]

Get shot? Well, I don't quite know what the other poster meant, he was quite hard on the community itself-yes, there were the law school shootings several years ago. The student was suffering from mental problems and was not from the area that was responsible for this terrible tragedy. The community on a whole suffered tremendous grief over this.
The area is very disadvantaged to an extent due to the remoteness and isolation of the area. Jobs are scarce unless you are willing to work in the mines. The teachers here have to meet the requirements that every other school system has to meet in any other state. Pay is low; however. It is true that you must drive quite a way to get to shopping, theatre, great restaurants. Abingdon, Va is about 1 1/2 hours away. Lexington, Ky is about 3 hours.
There is great diversity here between the college students and locals. You have to realize that most locals are still getting used to the idea of having two new colleges in their midst in a short time frame. However, I have personally never found that there is a rudeness factor toward myself, an "outsider". Everyone has been kind so far. You truly have a southern atmosphere here, it's like going back 30-40 years to the way things used to be.
Some people cannot accept the remoteness, isolation, and slow southern-time feel to the area. That's alright. The students I have come into contact with do just fine here. Hope this helps!

[ne1512blvd]

My cousin moved to Grundy and started a missions church there. The town is actually very lovely, just not what it used to be way back when. My dad who was originally from the area has told me of a time when the town was booming and had multiple theaters. The road that the school is on is very pretty. And if you are driving out of Grundy toward Richlands, then the scenery there is very pretty. The sides of the mountains are covered in the vine that took over the south. Not sure what it is called, but it is everywhere. I am not sure if it is still like ther, but there is a small store called the Magic Mart that I love to go to when in Grundy, because I can get name brand clothes for way cheap compared to here. My husband and I will be moving to WV or VA soon and considered Grundy. We have decided not to move there because of the lack of jobs.

And about the shooting. What a rude and uneducated comment. The one shooting was done by a man who was not only not a local, but if I remember correctly, he wasn't even from the US. He had been on medication for mental problems and at the time of shooting he was not taking medication nor was he seeking help for his condition anymore. If I remember correctly, he had been thrown out of the school because of his behavior and since he was not on medication he did the shooting in retaliation of being kicked out. Things like that do not happen in Grundy. It was freak accident and had nothing to do with the locals. But, it sure hurt the locals in more ways than one.

I should also add that my cousin was able to buy a very nice house in Slate Creek (I think it is called) for about $30,000. It is a ranch style house and not a mobile home. And when I visited Grundy a few years back, the one thing that did turn me off was the blasting of the mountain near the Piggly Wiggly. I do not know if that is part of the relocation of the town, but it does look horrible. But, they have this little gazebo that is is pretty right in front of it. I guess that is to distract from ugliness of the mountain being blasted away. I heard they were running a highway through Grundy. Is that true?

[Vapeed]

Slate Creek is certainly the name that you are looking for - evocative isn't it? I agree with the posts that the area does look pretty, even when the kudzu is crawling all over it. However, you just see it from the valleys and not from the tops of the mountains which have been removed by the local coal company (Massey Energy) and helped by the gas well people (Consol). They've been very ecologically sound and thrown all the mountain tops into the river valleys, which is why it floods so much (and so quickly). There are much nicer places around that aren't too far away; my personal pick would be Abingdon, otherwise the further away the better.

[Snowfeather04u]

I was born and raised in Grundy Va. It is true that the area is very remote and has very little to offer in way of jobs BUT let me respond to the previous post. The post of the person who has a very dim view and dim it is. The area is very lovely and the mountains are very breath taking in any season. In the spring and summer the lush greens, in the fall the beautiful colors of fall leaves, in the winter the snow covered mountains. It is true that the atmosphere there is slower than what it is in the cities which makes it seem like the town would be behind the times. But let me assure you that the people there are highly educated and very capable of making sound and informative decisions. I invite you check out the statics on wealthy people who have come out of Grundy or still live in Grundy for that matter. Most people there who have money don't let it go to there head and you may pass a person in the local store who has millions and they will be as nice to you as you would be to someone who has nothing. The only people that the locals may have problems with is someone who comes there and turns their nose up at them because of the background differences. As for Church, you betcha(hillbilly slang) we believe you ought to serve the Lord. That was a low blow to good christian people in Grundy. Hunting I believe was mentioned four times in the post (and I only had to use four fingers so not teaching material yet) yes it is a sport that many in the area enjoy immensely. Do you enjoy golf, swimming, skiing, or just being a heckler? As for the crime rate, I invite you to check out the statistics site Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed, link removed. Yes there was a shooting at the law school and that website is listed as well Appalachian School of Law shooting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. It is very troubling to someone like me who was born and raised in Grundy to read the harsh statements from someone who even resorts to name calling (such as rednecks) and demeaning the people of Grundy. I certainly hope others take the initiative to check out the area and people before writing us off. True it will not be for everyone and everyone is entitled to their own opinion but don't berate the people.