Tell me a bit about Staunton and Dillwyn (Richmond, Roanoke: fit in, for sale)

[BLT60]

I am moving from Juneau, Alaska to Virginia (or Maryland - haven't totally decided yet but leaning toward Virginia) in the fall. And you are probably wondering why I would move from such a gorgeous place all the way across the country - well, my son and his wife live in DC (SE) and I would like to be closer to him. It would be nice to see him more than once every 2 years. I can't afford to live near DC but I can see that about 2 hours away from DC, there are places that are much more affordable. I am looking at duplexes since I will be bringing my daughter with me - she is developmental disabled and does fine in her own place - we cannot live together but a duplex would work quite well. We'd be buying one property so we could pool our resources.

Anyway, there are a couple of places for sale that look interesting - one in Staunton and 1 in Dillwyn. Can anyone tell me a bit about each place?

Besides basic info - I'd like to know if there is a health food store nearby. And stores that sell beaded jewelry or if they have craft shows.
thanks

[YvetteJ]

I do NOT reccommend moving to Staunton. I have lived here for a miserable three years and I can't WAIT to leave!! This place is full of local yocals who grew up together and got married and only hang out with the "clique". What I mean is if you are from out of town, liberal in any sense, or have an open mind, you will feel like an alien here. It's NOT a good place to live unless you have alot of money to vacation away often. Another thing, there is NO diversity and the "art scene" is a joke. As I said above, if you haven't grown up around these yocals, you don't fit in. Nothing to do here either, very boring!!!

[pazzo83]

Originally Posted by YvetteJ

I do NOT reccommend moving to Staunton. I have lived here for a miserable three years and I can't WAIT to leave!! This place is full of local yocals who grew up together and got married and only hang out with the "clique". What I mean is if you are from out of town, liberal in any sense, or have an open mind, you will feel like an alien here. It's NOT a good place to live unless you have alot of money to vacation away often. Another thing, there is NO diversity and the "art scene" is a joke. As I said above, if you haven't grown up around these yocals, you don't fit in. Nothing to do here either, very boring!!!

Stop slandering our city. You live IN WAYNESBORO, that is NOT STAUNTON, not even close. If I lived in Waynesboro, I'd probably be bitter like you. Staunton is a growing city with increasing cultural attractions and a changing population. Right now there is a significant migration from both Charlottesville/Richmond and the DC area to Staunton and Augusta County, which is rapidly changing the dynamic of the area. One need only look towards the downtown area, with the recent opening of two high end restaurants which wouldn't have survived even 2 years ago.

The area is becoming increasingly diverse, but the city proper is FAR more diverse than the surrounding county. The city (in my opinion) is still somewhat segregated, unfortunately, with northern areas being predominately white while the city's southern and western neighborhoods are much more racially diverse (several are majority black). Staunton actually has one of the larger African American communities in the western area of the state (second to Roanoke), so there are multiple community activities celebrating that (African American Heritage Festival to name one).

Politically, the city proper is actually about a 50-50 split. In the 2006 Senate elections, the city tilted slightly to the right towards Kilgore, while in 2005 now Gov Tim Kaine, a Democrat, won the city. Traditionally, the city itself had been much more conservative, but this is changing with the new influx of people from more urban areas. The surrounding county is MUCH MUCH more conservative. Typically 2/3 to 3/4 of the county residents vote Republican.

The city schools leave a lot to be desired. Test scores are typically below state averages, and teacher salaries are WELL below state averages. As a graudate of the public school system and having two siblings still entrenched there, I can tell you that the school environment in the middle and high schools is fairly rowdy and occasionally dangerous. Gangs and gang violence have risen dramatically during the past 5 years, infiltrating schools and creating lots of problems. The city's elementary schools are in fairly good shape, with three of them receiving a significant makeover during the past few years. However, the middle and high schools are in a downward trend. One of the upsides of the city school system is its diversity, as almost a third of the school system is non-white.

The county schools are typically stronger academically, but lack the diversity of the city schools. Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County schools all share one magnet school that focuses on Math, Science, Technology, and the Arts. This school is exceptionally well funded and offers college curriculum to high-achieving high school students.

Crime in the area as a whole is typically infrequent and non-violent. In the city itself, it depends on where you live. Some neighborhoods are infested with crime and deal with drug and violence issues on a daily basis. Other neighborhoods are essentially crime-free. The local newspaper provides an online crime map, so you can see for yourself: http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs....ategory=COPS01 As I mentioned previously, gangs are on the rise in the area, but they are not yet to the point of creating widespread problems and social disruption. Police in all three local jurisdictions have been attempting to deal with the problem, and the public is becoming aware of this growing concern. Drug use has been and continues to be a problem in some areas. Meth use had reached critical levels during the past couple years, but that seems to be declining some.

As a whole, the Staunton area is a fairly nice place to live and grow up. It could use more things to do for all ages, but this is changing. What was a mostly blue-collar town is becoming more diverse.

[PACKER1]

Staunton is a bit of a red neck place to live. It is true that there is an increasing amount of people moving here from Charlottesville.(Only the ones that cant afford it) Don't move here if you have kids. They may end up like 90% of the people that live here. I think there is only about 6 last names in the phone book!!!

[j1n]

hey BLT60,
you might look into the Roanoke area. Without jumping over to another website to do a cost-of-living comparison, I'd hazard a guess that they (Staunton vs Roanoke) are probably not too far off price-wise. There always seem to be duplexes available for sale in Roanoke and the surrounding areas. You would still be within an easy drive of the DC area. And the amenities in the greater Roanoke area include all the malls, stores, parks, coffee shops, bookstores, etc that you could need! I'm sure there are various health food stores, and there is also a food co-op. And you will find a growing arts community in town; and tons of various types of crafting being done all over...especially in some of the easily accessible rural areas surrounding Roanoke.