any info on Steeles Tavern or Earlysville? (Roanoke, Charlottesville: real estate, house)

[VegasCatLover]

Hi everyone, I am looking to relocate to Virginia over the summer, and was looking for suggestions on rural horse-oriented towns. Two places where I may end up working are Steeles Tavern or Earlysville. I've heard that towns near the Blue Ridge Mountains can have high winds all the time. Is that a trade off for lower humidity in summer? Is everywhere humid or just the lower lands? Any drawbacks to living closer to the mountains? Would like to buy a house & parcel with trees, pasture, and stream, about 10-30 acres, for horses and such. Any suggestions on a nice rural community of horsepeople? I have no kids, no need for schools. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[theburro]

Originally Posted by VegasCatLover

Hi everyone, I am looking to relocate to Virginia over the summer, and was looking for suggestions on rural horse-oriented towns.
[...]

Good luck ................................

[VegasCatLover]

Thank you so very much!

[theburro]

Does anyone else know about Steeles Tavern or Earlysville?

Also, you can do the ususal internet searches on "Charlottesville, Virginia real esate/ Rockbridge County real estate" et al. I'm prob telling you things you know already. I look at some of these sites occasionally and you can get a good feel for the r.e. offerings and the areas. As far as budget, I honestly think you need to be in the $350 - 500K range to get something nice.

[seanpecor]

Hey VegasCatLover, you should consider Franklin County or other rural sections of the Roanoke Valley. There is a good concentration of horse folks in this region. I live in Boones Mill, Franklin County, VA just south of Roanoke. We own a 128 acre horse boarding and training farm (www.oakhillstablesva.com) and my wife is on the board of the Southwest Virginia Dressage Association. SWVADA has the most members of a USDF chapter outside of Northern Virginia. There are alot of hunter/jumper, pleasure riders and plenty of western folks as well. Two of our boarders know alot of hunter/jumper folks and we're friends with alot of english and western riders in the county.

There are no more or less prevalence for wind along the blue ridge mountains in the valleys and dales. On top of a mountain? Sure it will be windier. But few of us live on tops of mountains

Some Florida folks just bought 15 acres adjoining us after hunting around Virginia for a horse community. They looked into areas like Tazewell county but the horse folks were so few and far between that it turned them off. Out here, there are horses and horse people everywhere.

[Rhett_Butler]

Originally Posted by VegasCatLover

Hi everyone, I am looking to relocate to Virginia over the summer, and was looking for suggestions on rural horse-oriented towns. Two places where I may end up working are Steeles Tavern or Earlysville. I've heard that towns near the Blue Ridge Mountains can have high winds all the time. Is that a trade off for lower humidity in summer? Is everywhere humid or just the lower lands? Any drawbacks to living closer to the mountains? Would like to buy a house & parcel with trees, pasture, and stream, about 10-30 acres, for horses and such. Any suggestions on a nice rural community of horsepeople? I have no kids, no need for schools. Thanks in advance for any advice.

I lived in Earlysville for 11 years in the 80's... I don't recall any issues with wind. Yes it's hot and humid in the summer just like most of Virginia. Earlysville is still not quite in the mountains so you may want to look a bit further west if that's your cup of tea.... Recommend Crozet or White Hall too......

As far as horses go, yes, I recall a few horse farms around and there's a huge steeplechase course called Foxfield right there that holds/held races twice annually (big event and a lot of fun).... Ten minute drive to civilization (ie... A decent sized grocery store) depending on where in Earlysville you are.......