Why not SWVA?? (Roanoke, Pulaski, Blue Ridge: mineral rights, home, I.T. jobs)

[attica]

Eastern TN seems to be booming! Everyone loves the mountains of NC!
But the only people who seem to love SWVA are people looking at maps or computers from far away! It's been described as poor, desperate, polluted, a place people leave, not one they go to. How true is all this? And if it is true(or partly true), why is it that way? How is it that TN and NC seem to be doing so well and SWVA seems to have been left behind?

[seanpecor]

Far Southwest Virginia is not poor, desperate, or polluted. It hasn't been left behind. It is a place of virtually unspoiled and - some would argue - of unequalled beauty. It is, however, quite a distance from major metro areas and is therefore not a high growth region. With that said, major Virginia initiatives are already set in motion to fill technology positions in SW Virginia. Believe it or not, there are over 1,000 open I.T. jobs in SW Virginia. A regional representative stated in an interview recently that they feel like the dog that caught the car. They weren't expecting to attract quite so many tech companies in SW Virginia, but it happened and now they're really making an effort to attract the SW Virginian youth that got I.T. degrees and moved elsewhere for lack of oppportunities in their home region.

Overall, the quality of life in Virginia is better than in North Carolina. That is, if you look at the median household income, the per capita income and the unemployment rate. North Carolina's unemployment rate is 6% compared to Virginia's 4%! The median household income is WAY lower in North Carolina. I recently compared Pulaski County, Virginia with Surry County, North Carolina (home of Mount Airy) after someone I know stated you can drive through both downtowns and see plainly that Surry County was in better shape. I was more than happy to prove him wrong, at least according to the values that I think are important - basic quality of life statistics. Yes, Surry County has GROWN much faster than Pulaski County and has created more jobs. But I'd like to state that job growth is NOT A MEASURE OF QUALITY OF LIFE. Particularly when the jobs being created don't suit the resident legal population. North Carolina population grew by 7.9% during the past 5 years, but that figure shrinks to 4.8% when you look at non-Hispanic growth, and 66% of immigrating Hispanics are illegals (according to the Pew Hispanic Center). Thanks, but no thanks, I'll take the Roanoke Metro's 3% (and climbing, sensibly) growth rate over that sort of "growth" any day of the week.

This is a point I'm championing recently. Sorry if I came on a little too strong

Sean

[KewGee]

seanpecor describes the area for which I'm looking. Yes, I'm one of those who have chosen SW VA by the internet until I visit there next summer. I narrowed down my hopeful retirement home to this area and have eliminated 4 other states, NC and TN included.

Keep in mind that I'm obtaining a lot of information from people who have traveled to the area, want to also move to the area as they've checked it out, and from many that have lived there in the past and wish they still were there. That's precisely one great reason why this forum and other web sites have been so helpful. They are preventing me from searching too many states.

The choice would really be difficult if NC and TN were not becoming so over-populated but because they are, that eliminates those mountainous areas from my list. I have no desire to be near any large city full of polluted air, people, traffic, and everything that goes with it or even in a small city that is quickly becoming too populated.

Unspoiled beauty is top priority on my list; I just hope that doesn't change in my life time. I do not care about being close to a Wal-Mart, mall, restaurants, night life, interstates, etc. I just want to be where peace and quiet, and nature in abundance lies. Yes, a dream and hopefully, it will become a reality one day.

SW VA for me, and when I return from my trip, I'll let the forum know if I changed my mind.

[theburro]

East Tennessee: What is the big deal? Unless you can afford to live on one of the lakes, it really doesn't have that much going for it.

Southwest Virginia: There used to be a saying down there (applied to the coalfields) ..... "Southwest Virginia: 120,000 people; 5 last names."

[seanpecor]

KewGee, be sure to visit Floyd on a Friday evening so you can experience The Floyd Country Store. I believe they're finishing up on a remodel but it's supposed to be complete this month? A few important Floyd bloggers are www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com (Fred First, author of The Slow Road Home, a Blue Ridge Book of Days), http://ripples.typepad.com/ripples/ (David St. Lawrence, author of Danger Quicksand - Have a Nice Day), and http://www.blueridgemuse.com/ (Doug Thompson, publisher of the oldest political new site on the Web at www.capitolhillblue.com) (broken link). You're bound to meet any one of them on any given day during a lunch at Oddfellas Cantina or at Cafe Del Sol. Tell them Sean from over the hump in Boones Mill told you to stop in

Sean

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by seanpecor

KewGee, be sure to visit Floyd on a Friday evening so you can experience The Floyd Country Store. I believe they're finishing up on a remodel but it's supposed to be complete this month? A few important Floyd bloggers are www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com (Fred First, author of The Slow Road Home, a Blue Ridge Book of Days), http://ripples.typepad.com/ripples/ (David St. Lawrence, author of Danger Quicksand - Have a Nice Day), and http://www.blueridgemuse.com/ (Doug Thompson, publisher of the oldest political new site on the Web at www.capitolhillblue.com). You're bound to meet any one of them on any given day during a lunch at Oddfellas Cantina or at Cafe Del Sol. Tell them Sean from over the hump in Boones Mill told you to stop in

Sean

Floyd is one place I really want to visit. I have been told before from someone on the forum to read Fred First's blog which I have and thoroughly enjoyed his writings and photographs. The others I haven't heard of, so I will read them as well.

Thanks for the information Sean from over the hump in Boones Mill!!

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by theburro

East Tennessee: What is the big deal? Unless you can afford to live on one of the lakes, it really doesn't have that much going for it.

Southwest Virginia: There used to be a saying down there (applied to the coalfields) ..... "Southwest Virginia: 120,000 people; 5 last names."

The big deal for me in East TN would have been the beautiful mountains were it not for so many people. I live very near a lake now and that's okay, but I prefer mountains to lakes any day.

Yes, I've been warned about the coalfield areas in certain counties but from what I understand, coalfields are not everywhere in the mountainous counties. Gee, I though that comment applied to West Virginia but from what you've heard, I guess it overlaps to the coal mining areas of VA as well.

Sad but true, that statement can apply to just about any state in our country in certain areas.

[KewGee]

Hmmm, Sean!

I just did a google search on Boone's Mill and I found another great blog about a horse farm! I love it and the photos as well.

[BPBomber]

Originally Posted by seanpecor

Far Southwest Virginia is not poor, desperate, or polluted. It hasn't been left behind. It is a place of virtually unspoiled and - some would argue - of unequalled beauty. It is, however, quite a distance from major metro areas and is therefore not a high growth region. With that said, major Virginia initiatives are already set in motion to fill technology positions in SW Virginia. Believe it or not, there are over 1,000 open I.T. jobs in SW Virginia. A regional representative stated in an interview recently that they feel like the dog that caught the car. They weren't expecting to attract quite so many tech companies in SW Virginia, but it happened and now they're really making an effort to attract the SW Virginian youth that got I.T. degrees and moved elsewhere for lack of oppportunities in their home region.

Overall, the quality of life in Virginia is better than in North Carolina. That is, if you look at the median household income, the per capita income and the unemployment rate. North Carolina's unemployment rate is 6% compared to Virginia's 4%! The median household income is WAY lower in North Carolina. I recently compared Pulaski County, Virginia with Surry County, North Carolina (home of Mount Airy) after someone I know stated you can drive through both downtowns and see plainly that Surry County was in better shape. I was more than happy to prove him wrong, at least according to the values that I think are important - basic quality of life statistics. Yes, Surry County has GROWN much faster than Pulaski County and has created more jobs. But I'd like to state that job growth is NOT A MEASURE OF QUALITY OF LIFE. Particularly when the jobs being created don't suit the resident legal population. North Carolina population grew by 7.9% during the past 5 years, but that figure shrinks to 4.8% when you look at non-Hispanic growth, and 66% of immigrating Hispanics are illegals (according to the Pew Hispanic Center). Thanks, but no thanks, I'll take the Roanoke Metro's 3% (and climbing, sensibly) growth rate over that sort of "growth" any day of the week.

This is a point I'm championing recently. Sorry if I came on a little too strong

Sean

Bravo Sean. I'd like to hear you talk more about west and sw VA. I have some relatives that live in Smyth County. I'm in FL and thinking about moving to VA next year.

[theburro]

Originally Posted by KewGee

The big deal for me in East TN would have been the beautiful mountains were it not for so many people. I live very near a lake now and that's okay, but I prefer mountains to lakes any day.

East Tennessee - I've been there, done that, and moved-on. I'm honestly surprised that it's getting so over-crowded; I'm glad I got the h*** out of there. Yes, the mountains are beautiful, but even 25 years ago, if you had gone down Kingston Pike toward Farragut, the ugliness of the sprawl rivaled anything near big Virginia cities.

Yes, I've been warned about the coalfield areas in certain counties but from what I understand, coalfields are not everywhere in the mountainous counties. Gee, I though that comment applied to West Virginia but from what you've heard, I guess it overlaps to the coal mining areas of VA as well.

I'm going to quote here from my post on 1/22 to "s.g.t." who is thinking about a move from Texas to SW VA and looking for acreage. I stand by what I said:
Almost ..... West Virginia
"The topography of the Appalachian coalfields is steep and rugged; the valleys are flood-prone. Social problems such as high drop-out rate, poverty, high suicide rate, grim and dying small towns. Polluted and dirty; roads clogged with coal trucks. You would have difficulty obtaining mineral rights to any acreage, as the mineral estate is commonly "severed" from the surface estate. Accordingly, your land could be strip mined without your consent."

Sad but true, that statement can apply to just about any state in our country in certain areas.
Let's not forget the "Supermax" prisons and the record price of coal, meaning that even more will be dug, moved, and burned.

"seanpecor" is a great addition to this discussion. I looked at his website and he truly has found a little corner of paradise. I highly recommend you take a look. His observation about "city attitudes" v. "country attitudes" hit the nail on the head.

Folks, we need to distinquish between "Southwest Virginia" generally, and "Far Southwest Virginia," the coalfield counties. I know the differences through careful, first-hand observation and yet I still tend to over-generalize. I also know West Virginia pretty well; if the strip mining continues at this pace they will be saying "almost Level" rather than "almost Heaven." There are pockets of enlightenment in unexpected places; and backwards, ignorant, and cruel atttitudes among a small minority in other places where you might least expect it.

Now that the secret is out re. SW Virginia, will it follow the pattern of W NC and E TN? Time will tell. "KewGee", once you know what you want, I might suggest, move soon - move now, while it's still relatively pristine.