Would like to relocate to SW or Central VA (Roanoke: real estate, mortgage)

[mnmrich]

My husband and I spent our vacation near Danville last summer and fell in love with Virginia. Based on our personalities and needs we would appreciate some advice on where to relocate. We are a couple in our mid 40's and 50's, no children. My husband has work experience in printing and in medical device manufacturing. I have library experience in genealogy and reference. We love older homes with character. We live a simple lifestyle. We love to play and sing bluegrass music. We would be comfortable living in a small town but not a big city, however, we would like to be within an hour of a city. We don't want a big mortgage and we're at a point in our lives where our sanity is worth more than a big paycheck. I looked at some real estate online in Danville and was really surprised at how affordable housing was. I wondered which side of town has the better neighborhoods. We live in Indiana and our home which is a 2 bdrm, 1 ba bungalow with full basement built in 1923 appraised for $87,000 five yrs ago. Looking at some of the homes in Danville we could buy something comparable for $40,000. I'm not saying we are set on Danville. Please give us any suggestions you think we might be interested in based on our lifestyle. Thank you

[j1n]

You would probably do well anywhere down in the south-of-Roanoke areas. Floyd or Rocky Mount sound like they might fit the bill...Floyd being the town with more culture (arts, music, etc) and Rocky Mount being the town with more amenities. Bluegrass is huge in both towns. The only drawback (like probably most of this area) is the work situation. Roanoke would offer the best opportunities for work. So if you are ok with a 30-45 minute commute, you'll be ok. And the general rule seems to be that as you continue south, the real estate gets more and more affordable.

[Mr_Jonas]

Danville is not a very safe place so I would recomend Appomattox. Danville has an extreme lack of jobs.
Appomattox Virginia Real Estate * Country Estates * Historic Properties * Old Homes * Farms * Land * Rural Property

Yes, the job market is not fantastic, but better then Danville.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by mnmrich

My husband and I spent our vacation near Danville last summer and fell in love with Virginia. Based on our personalities and needs we would appreciate some advice on where to relocate. We are a couple in our mid 40's and 50's, no children. My husband has work experience in printing and in medical device manufacturing. I have library experience in genealogy and reference. We love older homes with character. We live a simple lifestyle. We love to play and sing bluegrass music. We would be comfortable living in a small town but not a big city, however, we would like to be within an hour of a city. We don't want a big mortgage and we're at a point in our lives where our sanity is worth more than a big paycheck. I looked at some real estate online in Danville and was really surprised at how affordable housing was. I wondered which side of town has the better neighborhoods. We live in Indiana and our home which is a 2 bdrm, 1 ba bungalow with full basement built in 1923 appraised for $87,000 five yrs ago. Looking at some of the homes in Danville we could buy something comparable for $40,000. I'm not saying we are set on Danville. Please give us any suggestions you think we might be interested in based on our lifestyle. Thank you

Check out Hillsville and Floyd, though you would have to most likely drive to Radford or Blacksburg for employment opportunities. Still, these are great little towns with all you are looking for. Best of luck!

[fjteam]

The Blacksburg - Christiansburg area is very nice. With the market the way it is you can find a very affordable home in the area.
TechLab, Inc. is a company in the Corporate Research Center of Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg. They develop and manufacture diagnistic kits. So that may be a job option for your husband. Good luck!

[badger74]

RR Donnelley printing has major plants in Lynchburg, Roanoke and Rockingham County.

Official Site of the Governor of Virginia

[mnmrich]

Originally Posted by j1n

You would probably do well anywhere down in the south-of-Roanoke areas. Floyd or Rocky Mount sound like they might fit the bill...Floyd being the town with more culture (arts, music, etc) and Rocky Mount being the town with more amenities. Bluegrass is huge in both towns. The only drawback (like probably most of this area) is the work situation. Roanoke would offer the best opportunities for work. So if you are ok with a 30-45 minute commute, you'll be ok. And the general rule seems to be that as you continue south, the real estate gets more and more affordable.

Thanks for all the info. We did get to go through Floyd on our vacation and it was a neat little town. A 30-45 minute commute is not bad.

[mnmrich]

I will check this out. I appreciate your help. Like I mentioned, we're not set on Danville but would also like to be close to our friend so we can visit often and play music. Thanks!

[mnmrich]

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

Check out Hillsville and Floyd, though you would have to most likely drive to Radford or Blacksburg for employment opportunities. Still, these are great little towns with all you are looking for. Best of luck!

We drove through Floyd and it was a neat little town. I'll check out the employment in Radford and Blacksburg. Thanks!

[mnmrich]

Originally Posted by badger74

RR Donnelley printing has major plants in Lynchburg, Roanoke and Rockingham County.

Official Site of the Governor of Virginia

Thanks for the suggestions. We knew that RR Donnelley had a location in Lynchburg but didn't know they had one in Roanoke. That's great. Appreciate your help.