Appalachia County Questions

[Stonecoldharbours]

KewGee
you might like Clifton Forge or the surrounding areas...almost no crime, low to middle class, homes are kept up nicely and it has the charm of yesteryear...I think you might like this area, also Alleghany county is the second largest growing county..not sure if that is what you want or not, but thought you might like to know this! Your bout 45 to Roanoak and beauty is in your backyard...you can get a beautiful home for 100,000!

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by PghPaNative

KewGee
you might like Clifton Forge or the surrounding areas...almost no crime, low to middle class, homes are kept up nicely and it has the charm of yesteryear...I think you might like this area, also Alleghany county is the second largest growing county..not sure if that is what you want or not, but thought you might like to know this! Your bout 45 to Roanoak and beauty is in your backyard...you can get a beautiful home for 100,000!

Thanks for the information. I'll definitely check it out. The fast growing county though is not really what I want, but I guess that could happen to any county even after I get settled. I heard that Covington, VA in the same county has a very smelly paper mill. Does that odor travel far as I see it's only about 11 1/2 miles from Clifton Forge.

Thanks!

[Stonecoldharbours]

It can but its rare this far away, now if you live right in Covington you can smell it, it is a downside to the area but the only one I am aware of, if you combine the low crime rates, affordable homes, decent kind folks and affordable lifestyle overall, it is a pretty good tradeoff..

We also don't have alot of illegals or gangsta types and I no see no evidence of gangs anywhere...just alot of beauty and Roanoke is only 45 mins away and has alot of offer!

I love it here, will die here too.

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by Stonecoldharbours

I love it here, will die here too.

And I hope some day, I will live in SW VA. I loved my visit to the area and could definitely see myself spending the rest of my life with beauty all around me.

[Wildroze]

Could someone tell me what is Troutdale VA like? I found a place I liked on the Web that is very picturesque, but when I pulled up City Date it has only 8 percent women. Is this mining country or maybe a prison? The country part I am interested in is about 30 minutes from Marion and 30 Minutes from Independence. Anyone know anything about the area? Thanks much.

[KewGee]

Wow! That is a low percent of women; I never noticed that. The ethnicity is more than 2/3 black. I saw a few houses I liked too in Troutdale, but I don't think I'd fit well in the area. Below is a link I found that tells a bit about the town. From what I gather, I don't believe it's mining or prison country although I understand a prison is going to be built in Grayson County near Independence but it won't be located on the New River thanks to the "people who care." From the link, it looks like it's a fairly weathly area.

Moderator cut: link removed

[silverwing]

Originally Posted by KewGee

Wow! That is a low percent of women; I never noticed that. The ethnicity is more than 2/3 black. I saw a few houses I liked too in Troutdale, but I don't think I'd fit well in the area.

I've been to Troutdale while out riding my motorcycle. I never viewed it as more than a wide spot on the road. Those are interesting statistics about the area; you'd never know that by just passing thru.

It is located at the intersection of 603, which is a road that takes you thru a valley that is pretty beyond belief. It is in the middle of the Mt. Rogers National Recreation area which, to the best of my knowledge, is protected. I saw some houses at the top of the road, and toward the end, but the middle is an area of nothing but horse trails, hiking trails (I'm pretty sure the Appalachian trail passes right through there) and a campground. You'd probably see quite a bit of weekend activity in that area.

603 takes you to 600 (pull up mapquest.com, plug in Troutdale, VA, and then expand the view to see what I'm talking about) from which you can travel down to I-81. For some reason, 600 had a lot of $ spent on it a few years ago. It was straightened and widened and is actually a really good road for fairly non-twisty access up into that part of the mountains. I think the official explanation was to create better access and faster travel time for people in the Konnarock area to get to and from services. 603 continues to Highway 58 and a very twisty (but exceeding pretty) drive to Damascus.

The only thing that makes me leery of Troutdale is that road (16) is part of the proposed widening of highway 58 to 4-lanes, but who knows when that will happen. I was afraid the project would encompass 58 between Volney and Abingdon, but I think environmental/recreational concerns and the cost (between those two towns are some very/very twisty sections that would probably cost the most to straighten) dictated moving the project over to 16, running through Troutdale, thence to I-81.

Troutdale is a nice area; there is a convenience store/restaurant to the south, in Volney (up for sale. last time I checked I think they wanted $600K for it ); and access to Marion - another nice, but larger town right on the interstate if you need a speedy exit to somewhere else.

Btw, Keewgee, aren't you also looking at other areas: Catawba, New Castle; the area west of Roanoke? I seem to recall other posts - you might have even gone on a drive through there? We're heading up there in the next few weeks for a vacation. We're driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway as far as Roanoke, spending a few nights there, and making it a base for some back country drives over to the west. I have Catawba, New Castle, Paint Bank - a bison farm I've read is in the area - and some other spots. My itinerary is at work, so I don't have the exact details in front of me. I doubt the fall colors will be especially special, but hope the weather cooperates. I'll be taking lots and lotsa pictures

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by silverwing

I've been to Troutdale while out riding my motorcycle. I never viewed it as more than a wide spot on the road. Those are interesting statistics about the area; you'd never know that by just passing thru.

It is located at the intersection of 603, which is a road that takes you thru a valley that is pretty beyond belief. It is in the middle of the Mt. Rogers National Recreation area which, to the best of my knowledge, is protected. I saw some houses at the top of the road, and toward the end, but the middle is an area of nothing but horse trails, hiking trails (I'm pretty sure the Appalachian trail passes right through there) and a campground. You'd probably see quite a bit of weekend activity in that area.

603 takes you to 600 (pull up mapquest.com, plug in Troutdale, VA, and then expand the view to see what I'm talking about) from which you can travel down to I-81. For some reason, 600 had a lot of $ spent on it a few years ago. It was straightened and widened and is actually a really good road for fairly non-twisty access up into that part of the mountains. I think the official explanation was to create better access and faster travel time for people in the Konnarock area to get to and from services. 603 continues to Highway 58 and a very twisty (but exceeding pretty) drive to Damascus.

The only thing that makes me leery of Troutdale is that road (16) is part of the proposed widening of highway 58 to 4-lanes, but who knows when that will happen. I was afraid the project would encompass 58 between Volney and Abingdon, but I think environmental/recreational concerns and the cost (between those two towns are some very/very twisty sections that would probably cost the most to straighten) dictated moving the project over to 16, running through Troutdale, thence to I-81.

Troutdale is a nice area; there is a convenience store/restaurant to the south, in Volney (up for sale. last time I checked I think they wanted $600K for it ); and access to Marion - another nice, but larger town right on the interstate if you need a speedy exit to somewhere else.

Btw, Keewgee, aren't you also looking at other areas: Catawba, New Castle; the area west of Roanoke? I seem to recall other posts - you might have even gone on a drive through there? We're heading up there in the next few weeks for a vacation. We're driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway as far as Roanoke, spending a few nights there, and making it a base for some back country drives over to the west. I have Catawba, New Castle, Paint Bank - a bison farm I've read is in the area - and some other spots. My itinerary is at work, so I don't have the exact details in front of me. I doubt the fall colors will be especially special, but hope the weather cooperates. I'll be taking lots and lotsa pictures

No, I'm not interested in Troutdale; I was just responding to the post.

I liked the area north of Galax, like Floyd County, very much. Grayson County was nice too, but I still have that prison on my mind. I didn't even get to make it to New Castle but hope to next time. Yes, I'm still interested in areas west of Roanoke. Retirement is still about 7 years away, and I plan on making several trips to the area.

My first trip to VA was so short, I hope to go back again next summer. I would like to see any photos you take. That would be awesome and I'm sure others on this forum would as well. Have a wonderful and very safe time!!

Let me know how the mountain road to New Castle is. I hear it's a humdinger.

There were a few areas I didn't care for at least from what I could see in my short visit but maybe next time, they'll look better.

[jarcuri7]

Originally Posted by twogrand

I live in Lee County and it is a lovely county. The scenery is beautiful.
The coal mining areas are in a remote area so you can avoid seeing that completely.
We do get hot and humid in the summertime, but it would not compare to Texas.
Lee County is within driving distance to the Kingsport, TN area for jobs or to Middlesboro, KY for jobs, Bristol, VA or Johnson City, TN. These areas also have good shopping and medical treatment facilities.
We have a variety of people here from the super educated to the hill type person, but you will more than likely come more into contact with the super educated or the mid range person.
We have ATV clubs, horse back riding,nearby art museums, a lot of history, living history museums and re-enactments of the Civil War,Revolutionary War, and the Daniel Boone settler era.
I have no idea what problem the 4 lane would be. I really enjoy having 4 lanes to drive on now as compared to the 2 lanes we used to have when we got stuck behind logging or coal trucks. There has been very little increase in traffic in the area, so the 4 lane has not effected us that way at all.We do have some people retiring here now from other areas that were not from this area originally, so we must have something going for us.
We have jobs at the federal prison, minng, teaching, railroad, trucking, call centers, insurance, just like any other area in Virginia,except we don't have the crowding and the high volume of traffic.
If you like rural areas, we are a beautiful , rural area.I think you should come and visit Lee county and see if you might like it here. A lot of people do.

Hi Twogrand. I just purchase a couple of acres in Gibson Station, but I haven't seen it yet in person, but it looks lovely. What can you tell me about it? I would appreciate your input as well as anyone elses?

[SCBeaches]

I bought 10 acres outside of Mendota in Scott County a few years ago. For now, we just go up there to pick berries, hike, and have picnics. It is rolling land with a nice flat area at the top, which is perfect for a homesite. I am thinking about building a retirement home on the land in about 15 years, then moving up there full-time. Any thoughts about this? It is beautiful land with beautiful views and everyone I've shown it to (relatives who live up there in Wise, Dickenson, and Washington Counties) thinks it was a wise purchase and investment. For those of you in Scott County, is there a reason I should sell it (something only a local would know) or should I continue to hold onto it? How is the real estate market up there now (land values)? In these hard economic times, I could use the money if I sold it, but then I would probably never be able to get such a pretty piece of property at such a reasonable price again.
I'm all for keeping it, but if something happened up there which would drastically reduce the value of my land, I'd be up $%^& Creek!

Thanks in advance for any advice or information.