Early Retirement - Considering move to C/VA (Norfolk, Newport News: houses, theatre)

[SteviePee2]

Hi "Ya'll" (hows that am I "fitting in" yet),

I'm a (soon to be) 50 year old retired air traffic controller. My wife and I currently live in Minnesota and we are considering relocating somewhere south and east. The Central and Western parts of Viginia are areas we are considering and I am writing in the hope that someone can offer some insight that may help us in making our decision.

Over the years I have had the opportunity to spend a bit of time in the western area of Virginia - Bristol, Wytheville and Roanoke. I found the areas to be attractive and affordable but it's hard to get a feel for lifestyle when your visits only last a few days. Perhaps if I discribe what we are looking for some of you would be kind enough to let me know if such a place exists in central or western VA.

We are seeking a location with a balance of affordability and cultural opportunity. Translate that to read that we do NOT want to live in "the sticks" just because it's affordable, nor do we want to sacrifice an affordable cost of living just to be near a metropolis and all the cultural activies we enjoy...It's getting difficult already isn't it The lifestyle we are seeking might best be discribed as "SubRural"...that is to say we would like to be out of town far enough to have an acre (or two) for gardening and privacy but still be within commuting distance of the convieniences of a larger city (i.e. health care, entertainment, dining, etc). The area we're looking for would be "upscale" but not ostentatious...We're not interested in rubbing shoulders with the "rich and famous" but neither are we interested in being bound by people who begin every conversation with either "What church do you go to" or "Who's your driver".

We are "empty nesters", so schools are not an issue...access to an airport that gets us away to SEE the kids is an issue. We LOVE to dine out and enjoy the occasional play and/or concert...In this case "dine" being defined as something above and beyond the local "Applebees" and "play" being defined as being performed above the high school level. We are also active adults and try to ride our bicycles and take hikes on a regular basis, so access to biking and hiking paths is a must. Otherwise we just want to be somewhere where we a going to be accepted for what and who we are.

Any of you have any ideas ? Feel free to reply in this forum or email me personally. Thanks in advance for any advice or direction any of you may provide.

StevieP[/font][/font]

[Barb]

I don't know much about western VA, but I used to visit a friend in Hays, a tiny town right outside Newport News, VA. It sounds like it would meet all your criteria. Ten years ago, they bought a house (small cottage-type) on the James River for $45,000 on an acre of land. The husband worked in Norfolk, a 45-minute commute. Lots of nice places much closer to go out to eat, but lots of cultural and recreational activities within an hour drive -- Oyster Festivals, outdoor concerts, etc.

I know the houses are much pricier now, but there are lots of little pockets out near the Hampton Roads/Newport News area that are close to an urban area, but are secluded little areas,

Best of luck.

[MStoVA]

We are from Mississippi and are relocating to Virginia. First things first though-This is just a pet peeve of mine- I'm not trying to be rude, just trying to help you adjust to the South. "Y'all" is a contraction of "you all" therefore the apostrophe belongs between the y and the a. Many people here in the deep South don't know how to spell it either!
We will be moving to VA this summer and are considering Winchester and Charlottesville. We want to be closer to the mountains for hiking, camping, etc. In March we did a week tour of NC and VA and liked these two areas. Winchester is close to DC (60 mi+/-) so you can go to plays, dinner, exhibits fairly easily and it's very close to Dulles (Southwest will be flying in and out of Dulles starting in the fall!) Winchester is much smaller than Charlottesville. Upside to Charlottesville is UVA and all the things associated with it. It also had some beautiful views of the mountains. We are headed back up in a week to try to settle on a specific town. Will let you know how it goes and good luck!

[SteviePee2]

[quote=MStoVA]We are from Mississippi and are relocating to Virginia. First things first though-This is just a pet peeve of mine- I'm not trying to be rude, just trying to help you adjust to the South. "Y'all" is a contraction of "you all" therefore the apostrophe belongs between the y and the a. Many people here in the deep South don't know how to spell it either!

<HUGE SIGH>....See, I went and *****ed things up already. Thank you very much for pointing out that faux paux...Next thing ya know I'll be doing something stupid like scraping the cole slaw off my BBQ sandwich

We have also considered Charlottesville...probably for many of the same reasons that you have. It certainly has a LOT to offer. The thing that is chasing us away from that particular area are the home prices. We are leaving a high cost of living area (the Twin Cities) and the home prices in Charlottesville are at LEAST as high as they are here.

Thank you VERY much for your reply, please drop us a note and let us know what you discover on your recon mission. We are probably 4 or 5 month away from being able to do the same thing, so any tips or advice you can offer is MUCH appreciated.

StevieP...Lakeville MN

[htlong]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------steve,
i cut and paste my post from another post so as not to have to write it again,but if you want 1 acre lots not to far from civilization so heres what i think..... charlottesville and winchester are beautiful but they also get the four letter word "SNOW"........try the east side of richmond

if you want country try east of i-295 south of i-64 and north of the river .
the henrico county schools are very good, there are grocery stores 5 to 10 miles and little country general stores through out the area.
the malls are 25 miles north and south using i-295 .
this area is starting to get alot of housing develoments due to richmond has no where else to grow.
if you want a small town, try hopewell south of the river .
mechanicsville is the place if you want all of the stores but it wont be long till it is to busy.
my freinds live in the south and west part of richmond and i always tell them that any store the need is within two miles from their house.....and there lies the problem.
check out henrico county website and see if it gives any imfo.
and living on the east side you are 30 miles from the outlet stores in wmburg, and 80 miles from va beach
as i said i moved here 20 yrs. ago and never regretted a minute.

[JoeH123]

Winchester sounds like the perfect place for what you are looking for. Plenty of things to do, beautiful counrtyside and a small town feel. We have one of the states best hospitals, there is Shenadoah University if you enjoy plays { there is also a community thatre in Winchester, as well as The Wayside Theatre in Middletown just south of Winchester}. The history in this area is amazing, with plenty to see and do if you are into that sort of thing. There are mountains, caves, forests, the famous Skyline Drive all within minutes from your home. And, one of the best parts - the world famous Apple Blossom Festival {www.thebloom.com}.