Teacher moving to VA, need info!! (Richmond, Alexandria: for sale, real estate market, house)

[jss119]

Hello all! Thanks for the info everyone has given me already through other posts. I am most likely moving to VA in the next year. I have been looking into Winchester and Richmond suburbs ( Midlothian?). Can anyone please share their opinions about these 2 cities...education, housing, and tell me about what suburbs would be great to raise a family. Also, I am a teacher and I want to work in a great school system. Any other elementary teachers out there who want to talk about Virginia schools? I don't want to live in a big city, but not in the boonies either...I'm not set on these alone, so if anyone feels strongly for another city please share your opinion!! Thanks in advance.

[seanpecor]

I'd suggest looking into the Roanoke Valley:
http://encyclopedia.quickseek.com/images/Roanokeaerial.jpg (broken link)

The Roanoke City school system statistics aren't stellar, but the Roanoke County and the Salem City system are very, very good. My children attend North Cross (http://www.northcross.org/about/work_at_northcross.shtml) (broken link), a private school which is the top performing school in the Valley. The teacher compensation at North Cross is high relative to the public school system ( http://www.northcross.org/about/work_at_northcross.shtml (broken link)). There are some teachers there reaching retirement age, you may want to check into it. North Cross is not a fancy NoVA style school with an uptight atmosphere. The school is so beloved (and well funded) by Alumnae that the annual tuition is less than $10K. Compare that to the $28K of many private schools in Northern Virginia.

We live in Franklin County, which has an exceptional public school system. Franklin County is just south of Roanoke County. Our county is well funded thanks to sensible growth and the public schools are well regarded. I know a teacher at Boones Mill Elementary who was hired this year and she's been floored by the positive atmosphere and community among the teachers. We own a horse farm in Boones Mill, and two of our boarders teach in Roanoke County and have done so for decades. Both currently live in Roanoke - although one already owns land in Franklin County and the other is house hunting for retirement close to our place - and if you ever scheduled a visit to this area you could stop by when they're here and ask them some questions about the area. They're great fun and seem to know everybody in education around here

Sean

[par]

You would love teaching at the "Beach" and it is certainly not the boonies. Check out VBSchools.com -- summers at the beach itself is a plus also.

[jss119]

THanks for the suggestions. Par, I love Va beach and vacation there every summer. I don't know much about the district, but I am under the impression it is large. I will be leaving a county district of over 180 elementary schools and I am looking for a community where there are 5-10 elementary schools. So I feel more valued and more apart of a community.

Sean, thanks for replying. I checked out North Cross's website and would love to work at that school or one like it. Roanoke is another city I will add to my list of possibilities. What communities/areas would be a good choice to live in around Roanoke or Franklin County?

ANyone else want to share their views on Roanoke, Winchester, or Richmond? What areas do you recommend for schools, housing, and recreation?

[Cattknap]

I have a friend that taught in Alexandria - she loved it and loved the town and the proximity to DC.

[kg31768]

We recently moved from Winchester, VA to Texas, but I wanted to give a little insight for that area...it's really growing fast, because so many folks are heading west of the beltway because nobody can afford homes closer in. You're not really too far from Loudon County, and they've got very good schools. In fact, I used to have 2 neighbors in Winchester who taught in Loudon county because the pay was higher than in Winchester. You definately have the small town feel when you live out there, but you don't feel like you're in the boonies. It's beautiful, too, cause you're in the Shenendoah valley and the drive East along Rt7 into Loudon county is gorgeous. I miss it very much.

[seanpecor]

Winchester real estate prices have come down some due to the softening of the real estate market up there. They're still elevated because of the economy of the D.C. area so I really doubt you get what you pay for, except if you're making D.C. money and don't mind risking thrombosis after years of sitting on your duff commuting (heh). A vibe I've noticed outside of town in Frederick County is that it feels too much like a bedroom community for D.C. My wife's cousin's husband is a lead electrician who literally gets up at 4am and commutes to D.C. at O' dark thirty to miss the rush and it STILL takes him 75 minutes to get to work. When we visit for short vacations I notice a good number of kids aged 12 and older sort of managing themselves in the 'burbs while both parents are hard at work in D.C. Not sure that's a good recipe.

Last time I drove through Winchester the town was riddled with REDUCED signs on nearly all real estate for sale. I'd wait a little longer for the market to correct itself. It would be mighty depressing to buy a 4 bedroom house for $400,000 (that's what our relatives modest 4 bedroom 2,000 sq ft house is appraised at; you could get a beautiful 3,500 sq ft brick colonial in Roanoke in a fairytale neighborhood for that kind of change!) and then have that $400K house tank down to $300K in 12 months.

Sean

[lisaurart]

We may be moving to the area in the fall of 2007.
If my husband accepts the position, he will travel to Hopewell.
I have researchng the area a bit and feel the best location would be Chesterfield.
I have a son who will be in the 11th grade, any suggestions about the best HS and perhaps the best subdivisions?( 350-400 range)

Thanks,
Lisa

[wendyr]

We live in Midlothian (23113) We were from the Hartford, CT area and moved here 8 years ago. We love southside living. We are only 5 miles from Richmond city limits and 10 minutes from River Rd area. Our 15 year old attends Trinity Episcopal School. He loves it. We love it! We live off of Old Gun Rd. and find the people friendly, yet to them selves. If you are looking for a good realtor, Diane Sharp is good. She knows Richmond area well. If you have any other questions, email me back wrmom3@yahoo.com.

[Lookingforasafehome]

was rated as one of the best counties of Richmond to live, as well as one of the best places nationally. I would check out Moderator cut: urland do a side by side comparison...good luck on your search!