Marion Va area-need info on weather, horse events, homes (Roanoke: for sale, real estate market)

[FARMER GIRL]

My husband may be relocating his job to Gen Dynamics in Marion-we are sick to death of the outrageous prices here in eastern CT-can anyone tell me what the weather is like for summer-humidity esp? Up here we have high humidty and days over 90 just like the south- how cold is winter-and how much snow-up here in CT we have freezing winters with more ice than snow. Any idea on average utilility bills? We spend close to $1,000 monthly on elec, oil, gas and we economize! We have HORSES and am looking for anyone with horses to tell me about trails and foxhunting events, hunter pace activities, etc. I know housing is much cheaper-what is the rental market for a farmhouse with land for horses? Will prob rent our farm up here til it sells-bad market! Do they have restrictions on the number of dogs or horses you can own?? ok thanks!!!!!! this is my first posting.

[lori_t]

Hey Farmer Girl,
Glad you chose Marion to move to, I think you'll love it here, and GDATP is an excellent place to work for, as I have worked there myself.
Summer weather here, is excellent. While you may see a few days over 90 degrees, they are few and far between. Most summer days are between mid 70's to high 80's and usually not overly humid.
We have a park here, Hungry Mother State Park which is a great place for activities-boating, swimming, fishing, camping, etc. Horses are not allowed there though. There is a park within an hours drive called Grayson Highlands State Park that does allow horses (I worked at Hungry Mother up until this past May in case you're wondering).
We have propane that we use in the winter, it's about $1200 a year (we pay on a budget monthly plan). Our electricity bill runs about $65 a month, and water/sewer is about $40. This is all for a family of 3 (two older adults, and a college student-me).
My boyfriend has horses on their farm, but we don't take them riding out of the gate. There really are no horse-lovers activities right here in Marion. There are no limits to amount of pets you can have, but there are zoning ordinances in some parts...such as you cant have your dogs walking without a leash in town limits, but county limits they can run free if you'd like.
For an average farm house with land you can expect rent to be $500+ with $500 being on the low end and the house needing repairs.
If you have any questions e-mail me, I can help you with anything you need, and know about all there is to know around here, and if I cant answer your questions, I'll tell you who can.
lori_teaster@yahoo.com

[seanpecor]

I can't help with that area much but one bit of horse related news that may be interesting is that as of last winter Virginia Tech was conducting a feasibility study and asking equine professionals if they would find a large equestrian center useful near the intersection of I-77 and I-81 (which is about 30 minutes from Marion). I would expect that means they're seriously considering the construction of a large scale equestrian event center to benefit the local economy. Not sure where that process is at but it might be a great resource for horse folks in the Marion area.

Sean

[FARMER GIRL]

hi Lori-thanks so much for all the info as I am new to this not sure if this is how to respond?? I have done a lot of research on line for all the horse parkd and riding and semms like ther is a good bit-surprised not much horse activity there! housing is the biggest concern-it will take a while to sell our place up here due to the economy-CT currently has the 3rd highest gas prices in the nation, the 3rd highest credit card debt, hig taxes which keep going up, and layoffs due tothe economy-so many peopel want out of here! too bad-this is a nice place we are close to the beaches and casino which most peopel love and mystic..I asked about animal restrictions cause we are rural here and have none but know so many places restrict the amount of dogs or horses dep on your land size---ok will hopethis gets to the post and will prob email you later-thank you!@

Originally Posted by FARMER GIRL

My husband may be relocating his job to Gen Dynamics in Marion-we are sick to death of the outrageous prices here in eastern CT-can anyone tell me what the weather is like for summer-humidity esp? Up here we have high humidty and days over 90 just like the south- how cold is winter-and how much snow-up here in CT we have freezing winters with more ice than snow. Any idea on average utilility bills? We spend close to $1,000 monthly on elec, oil, gas and we economize! We have HORSES and am looking for anyone with horses to tell me about trails and foxhunting events, hunter pace activities, etc. I know housing is much cheaper-what is the rental market for a farmhouse with land for horses? Will prob rent our farm up here til it sells-bad market! Do they have restrictions on the number of dogs or horses you can own?? ok thanks!!!!!! this is my first posting.

[FARMER GIRL]

hi sean-I have read a lot of your other postingsand you always have a lot of good helpful info! interesting to hear about a possible new horse center-I know Lexinton has a big one....and being so near to Blacksburg with vet school-seems like a good idea! after all,VA is all about horses! actually anywhere b/w Marion and Lynchburg would be the desired area-again dep on my husband's job-whic is very high tech super specific and he is already employed by GEN DYnamics up here-so any other info you migh have I would love to hear more-thank you !!

Originally Posted by seanpecor

I can't help with that area much but one bit of horse related news that may be interesting is that as of last winter Virginia Tech was conducting a feasibility study and asking equine professionals if they would find a large equestrian center useful near the intersection of I-77 and I-81 (which is about 30 minutes from Marion). I would expect that means they're seriously considering the construction of a large scale equestrian event center to benefit the local economy. Not sure where that process is at but it might be a great resource for horse folks in the Marion area.

Sean

[lori_t]

I just traveled to Whitetop Mountain yesterday and on my way up, there was a camping site specifically for horse owners. You bring your camper and/or tent and your horses. It looked like there were water and electric sites but I was not aware of any sewer hookups. I saw that they do have cabin rentals if you're not into camping.
There were quite a few people there and riding their horses around. It's nice. Whitetop is about a 30 minutes away from marion--and it's worth it.
Here is a link for the campground: Home
I have pictures I took of whitetop..just let me know and i can e-mail you a couple so you know what to expect.

[seanpecor]

Farmer Girl, have your husband submit his particulars to:

Roanoke Connect Database

It's a place where ALOT of local employers in various industries are able to receive broadcasts of interested candidates. I'm sure employers from Lynchburg to Marion are watching those submissions.

There aren't any/many restrictions here in Franklin County and I'm guessing there aren't any between Lynchburg and Marion unless you buy in a subdivision that does limit you. Maybe there are state level restrictions (i.e., no more than 1 horse per 1 acre of land, etc) but those restrictions are more likely to serve as protection from neglect, etc., so you wouldn't have to worry about that.

Sean

[FARMER GIRL]

will look into your suggestions-have been busy looking for other companies and it seems as tho Lynchburg area is on a hiring mission-but we are still working with GD in Marion and who knows how long it could take? Incidentally I read another post somewhere from you and know you have a horse subdivision-beautiful pics!!! btw--your wife does dressage? do you know of any foxhunt clubs in the Marion area-most I have found are up near Lynchburg and of course over near C'ville and Northern Va............do you know of any hunter pace events or someone who does eventing that I could contact for this info??? thanks again for your help----

Originally Posted by seanpecor

Farmer Girl, have your husband submit his particulars to:

Roanoke Connect Database

It's a place where ALOT of local employers in various industries are able to receive broadcasts of interested candidates. I'm sure employers from Lynchburg to Marion are watching those submissions.

There aren't any/many restrictions here in Franklin County and I'm guessing there aren't any between Lynchburg and Marion unless you buy in a subdivision that does limit you. Maybe there are state level restrictions (i.e., no more than 1 horse per 1 acre of land, etc) but those restrictions are more likely to serve as protection from neglect, etc., so you wouldn't have to worry about that.

Sean

[mshirsch]

Did you ever get a reply to your inquiry? I know someone who has a home for sale in Marion with (I beleive) 60 acres.

Contact me at mshirsch1313169@aol.com. I am not a realtor - I am a friend of the owners.

[clintsullivan]

I've thought about visiting and maybe checking out this area myself. I live in the eastern panhandle of WV and have my house for sale and intend to move to a more rural location.
I have a family connection to the area, but haven't been down since my grandfather died in the early eighties. My father grew up in Troutdale. My grandfather & great-grandfather worked on the Ripshin Farm for Mrs. Anderson and my Great-grandfather worked in the Marion Bank for the Copenhaver's as a security guard.
How is the real estate market in the area? I'm a real estate appraiser and am licensed in VA. I will need enough work to pay the bills, so where ever I move, there needs to be enough sales & refinance loan appraisals that I can do a few appraisals a week.

PS: mshirsch: what kind of home and what price range?