leaving sc... hopefully (Roanoke, Harrisonburg, Staunton: apartment, to rent, how much)

[bblaine]

-Where you are working...
i am a photographer, my husband is in telecommunications.
-How much you are willing to spend on housing...
rent around $600-700 a month for 2 br...
-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate...
30 minutes 45 minutes tops
-If you have kids: Private school or public school?...
good public school
-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: small town feeling? small city excitement? suburbia delight?...
eh the third one?
-Community amenities important to you...
parks, a lot to do, close to nice malls, walkable, water- lakes, rivers...
-Pie or cake?
depends

we live in myrtle beach and hate it... we don't like living in a town that lives on tourism. people can't drive here. we are not very religious... i hate humidity, my husband hates snow but we would rather have some snow than humidity. my family is in pa and ca and his is in sc... i am from san diego, he is from sc, we met in az (i hate dry heat too). we are army veterans and are kind of just starting out so, we dont make a lot of money and we have a daughter who is 14 months. i mainly just want to live in a closeknit neighborhood that is safe for a young family. any suggestions? even out of va? but somewhere between sc and pa?

[TN Lily]

Are you looking to rent a house or an apartment?

You may want to check out around Roanoke or sections of the Shenandoah Valley. Maybe someone from SW VA will respond. You may want to post on the Roanoke subforum to see if that area would meet your criteria.

Staunton, Waynesboro, Fishersville and Harrisonburg come to mind.

I would recommend you get jobs first and then move. I have two sons, one has a job and one is searching. Based on their job search experiences, getting a good job takes time.

[stockdale.35]

Well, the rent you want to pay leaves NoVa and Tide water out of the question.

As for humidity, that leaves the whole east coast out of the question. You maybe should look in the midwest for lower humidity, but then there is much more snow.

[williamsburgfan]

maybe stay in SC and move to a different area - such as a nice small town outside of anderson, florence, many places.
Va is just as humid - our temps and humidity here in the "tidewater" area, is similar to MB except for the winter. It is also more expensive for housing, food. Tourism is a major part of our economy.
The southwest part of Va might fit your needs - it will be more expensive than comparable areas in SC.
I think you've chosen a poor place to live in an otherwise great state!!