Relocation from UK to Bedford (Roanoke, Lynchburg: crime rates, neighborhoods, movie theaters)

[traceyw]

Hi there. My husband has been given the opportunity for us to move to Bedford from Manchester UK. We are currently undecided what to do and hope that someone can give us some information on the area, schools (we have a son age 7), safety, things to do, etc. Thanks for your help.

[seanpecor]

Do you know if the job is located in the city of Bedford, or is it located somewhere else in Bedford County?

Cheers,

Sean

[CHumphries]

Hello Tracey,
My husband and I live in Roanoke VA, we're about 30 minutes outside of Bedford. My husband has traveled to Manchester before, so he might have a better feel for where you're coming from than I do. Anyhow, my husband has 2 children from his first marriage that live in Bedford with their Mom part time. (They're with us in Roanoke on the weekends.) His daughter is 9 yrs-old and she attends Goodview Elementary School. His son is 14 and he attends Staunton River High School. Bedford County Schools are ranked pretty highly. Virginias Public K-12 School Rankings are based on data from the Standard of Learning testing. You can check out specific schools and their respective performance by going to - https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/

Here's a link to the Bedford County Schools website - www.bedford.k12.va.us/

As for activities in Bedford, there's plenty to do and see, especially if you enjoy outdoor activities. Check out this website for more information about local activities www.visitbedford.com/
Just outside of Bedford is Roanoke, where we live. In Roanoke there's plenty of shopping, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. Lots of folks who live in Bedford come to Roanoke regularly. Many people live in Bedford and work in Roanoke. It's not a very long commute between the two.

As for crime/safety in Bedford - I don't think you'll have much to worry about there. Bedford is a nice, quiet place that I'd say is great for families. You could probably get information on the specific crime rates in the area by visiting the Bedford County Sheriff's Office - www.bedfordcountysheriff.org/2006/default.asp (broken link)

[traceyw]

Originally Posted by seanpecor

Do you know if the job is located in the city of Bedford, or is it located somewhere else in Bedford County?

Cheers,

Sean

Hi Sean, as far as I know the company is based in the town of Bedford, not somewhere in the county (hope I'm not wrong about this)!

[Relayer85]

Originally Posted by traceyw

Hi Sean, as far as I know the company is based in the town of Bedford, not somewhere in the county (hope I'm not wrong about this)!

The reason he asks is that town of Bedford and the area in Bedford County that is backed up to Lynchburg City are different kinds of areas. The town is much more small town oriented while the area nearer to Lynchburg is a large suburb area composed of people that work in Lynchburg, but want to avoid the taxes of the city.

[novanwbie]

Commuting from Forest, a thriving suburb outside the city of Lynchburg but in Bedford County, to the town of Bedford would take about 20 minutes. Forest/Lynchburg is a great area for kids, and has several universities and international companies, so you might find some other ex-pats. I would highly recommend it. Forest has great schools, and the cost of living, while higher than Lynchburg itself, is still very reasonable. Bedford town itself is really small. I like Lynchburg better than Roanoke. If you want more specifics, just let me know. And good luck!

[seanpecor]

Originally Posted by novanwbie

I like Lynchburg better than Roanoke.

Why do you like Lyncburg more than Roanoke? It's nice to offer an opinion but it's more helpful to explain why you have that opinion.

I don't know much about Lynchburg. I have to be honest though, I've driven through Lynchburg a few times using a variety of major arteries and each time I've thought "Yuck". The buildings, the layout, the condition of things add up to this aesthetic that I can't quite put into words, but the overall experience was mildly unpleasant. Another thing I can't quite put my finger on, is that the Lynchburg MSA is not much smaller than Roanoke's MSA but the Lynchburg Symphony hardly has any events going on? Does Lynchburg support it's arts? The Roanoke Symphony has something going on every few weeks.

Now, outside of Lynchburg there is some pretty country. But when we were touring the countryside around it, it wasn't so attractive that it outweighed the bad vibes we experienced within the city of Lynchburg.

Sean

[novanwbie]

Originally Posted by seanpecor

Why do you like Lyncburg more than Roanoke? It's nice to offer an opinion but it's more helpful to explain why you have that opinion.

Sean

Good question -- I should have been more clear. Everybody has preferences, and if we're not clear about them, then it doesn't really help the people trying to get information. I spent a chunk of my childhood in Lynchburg and went to college there, however I had good friends in Roanoke and worked there for a while. The way you describe Lynchburg is exactly how I would describe Roanoke. It always seems run down and depressed to me. Lynchburg has some absolutely lovely neighborhoods, and the colleges and Fine Arts center Virginia School for the Arts contribute wonderfully to the community. While the city schools are not as consistently good as when I went through, they're still very strong in many areas. It's a very easy town to navigate, and the cost of living is quite low. There is diversity in dining, in religion and in entertainment. If you prefer big boxes and chain restaurants, Lynchburg now offers more of that, but also supports its local business outlets. There's a nice mix of cuisine, too.

My guess is that you could probably make the same argument for Roanoke, and the best thing Tracey can do is try to learn as much she can about both, and hopefully visit. Coming from a city the size of Manchester, my guess is that living in Bedford proper would be major culture shock, it's really small. Also, I understand the school statistics are influenced by the growth in Forest; not all areas of Bedford County are as strong.

[seanpecor]

Makes sense. It's interesting how one's own subjective experience can differ greatly based upon what parts of a city they experience and do not experience. I think if we both walked in each other's shoes for a month, you'd end up loving Roanoke and I'd end up loving Lynchburg

Sean

[novanwbie]

Originally Posted by seanpecor

Makes sense. It's interesting how one's own subjective experience can differ greatly based upon what parts of a city they experience and do not experience. I think if we both walked in each other's shoes for a month, you'd end up loving Roanoke and I'd end up loving Lynchburg

Sean

Agreed! And the good thing is, they're getting two strong endorsements that they can evaluate with their own criteria. The best thing we can say is that Virginia really is a great place to live. Although I can say I'd prefer not to live in NoVA anymore!