Central VA -Fishersville, or Sycamore Sq. or Lake Monticello in Palmyra (Richmond: hair salon, home)

[katqm]

My family (DH, boys ages 10 and 11) are living in Fl. the last two years. We are planning to relocate as we are not happy here (schools, extreme & lengthy summer clime, no one spends time outside, etc.) We looked at LM 3 yrs ago and liked it but that DH would have been commuting to Richmond. Now, he's working from home. We are considering Fishersville, or two "communities" in Palmyra. Can anyone give me info on any or all of these locations. I really appreciate your thoughts.

[Tone509]

This question may get more replies on the general Virginia forum. For your convenience, I'm going to move it over there.

[equinejd]

I lived in Fluvanna County (Palmyra) for a year and did not like it at all. There is little shopping, services and recreation (other than hunting). However the primary detractor are the schools--they are terrible (particularly the Middle School). I had my 10 year old and 14 year old in school there, and I was shocked by the quality of the school system. It was in fact a primary motivator in moving away from there. If you decide to move there, I would strongly suggest one of the excellent private schools in C'ville.

[Teebyrd86]

Try the Roanoke Valley seems like we might have all that you are looking for!!.. Great outdoor activities, great schools, low cost of living, ect. And if your husband works at home jobs wouldnt be a big issue. Check us out!

[katqm]

Originally Posted by equinejd

I lived in Fluvanna County (Palmyra) for a year and did not like it at all. There is little shopping, services and recreation (other than hunting). However the primary detractor are the schools--they are terrible (particularly the Middle School). I had my 10 year old and 14 year old in school there, and I was shocked by the quality of the school system. It was in fact a primary motivator in moving away from there. If you decide to move there, I would strongly suggest one of the excellent private schools in C'ville.

Thanks for your reply. Actually after researching the schools, I thought Fluvanna did not look as good as we would like. Western Albermarle county looks like their schools are better. We would like to use the public schools so a good system is crucial to our move. And we think we'd find the kind of area we'd like in the in that area as well. Did you have any experience in that area?

[katqm]

Should have asked this in my first reply -- since schools are a top factor (as is our situation also)where did you end up?

[sharingsunshine]

We live in Lake Monticello although it was not a place we actually chose for living. We bought here for quick resale because we were looking for land to build. It's a gated community which I've never quite adjusted to, always forgetting that I have to "call in" friends who live outside the Lake or visitors from out of state.

The people here are friendly and we've never had such great neighbors, although we've never had anything but good neighbors. These have just been exceptional all around us.

We enjoy gardening for wildlife, although some of the folks here at the Lake enjoy gardening for specific plant species and get VERY aggravated because the wildlife don't know anything about plant collections. We love the wildlife and expected it which is how we ended up at Lake Monticello. Our #1 requirement was wooded property. Although some would say they can't grow anything here, we have a lush garden which folks refer to as 'the jungle" because we like planting dense.

There's a blog called, Wild Lake Monticello, for those who enjoy wildlife or want to learn how to co-exist with them. For years there's been meetings about killing off the deer (and next would be the squirrels, rabbits, etc.), and they formed a Wildlife Management Committee that has gathered an immense amt. of info but the studies still show that there is not an overpopulation, no disease, no accidents, and no justifiable excuse to kill, so the battle continues.

There are beaches and the pool for those who enjoy the water. We've never used any of the amenities other than my husband enjoyed playing tennis for a few years.

We live near the Turkeysag entrance which makes it very convenient for groceries and other shopping and dining, plus access to Highway 53 which is a beautiful scenic highway into Cville, arriving at Hwy. 20 in about 25 minutes. We enjoy downtown shopping rather than 'big box' stores or malls, so it's the most convenient access for us.

Although you wouldn't need to leave the Lake area for much shopping since the shopping centers have really increased. Besides Food Lion, there's a CVS, many dining spots plus Papa Johns, a General Store for bulk items and Hershey's ice cream, Dunkin Donuts, gas station, hair salons, building supply just went in, appliance store, dollar type store, and more.

Fishersville has a rural feel also but would not be as wooded ... more open pastures. It's close to The Cheese Shop which is a popular destination for bulk goods, cheese, and deli meats at VERY reasonable prices. The area has a lot of Mennonites and some Amish so it's a very friendly and slower paced feel.

[alice_61]

Western Albemarle is beautiful and has good schools. I would personally pick it over Lake Montecello. Housing there tends to be expensive, though. The Crozet area might get you closer to other playmates for your kids.

[TN Lily]

Shopping in Fluvanna County is about to change with the development of the Zion Crossroads area. I live in Louisa. It is inconvenient to have to drive to Charlottesville & the selection is limited. If you have to go up rt. 29, it is awful. The other option is Richmond which has a better selection but is farther away.

A Lowe's has opened in Zion Crossroads & a Walmart supercenter is to open in Sept/Oct. More stores will come after that.

You may want to at least glance at Louisa County. Property values & taxes are much more expensive in Albemarle County. Areas around or in the Green Springs Landmark Historic District will receive some benefit from the large properties subjected to preservation easements.

I have found the elementary school my daughter attended in Louisa to be good. We are about to learn about the middle school in the coming year, but I have heard good things about it.

Much of the public school system in my opinion depends on the teacher. When my daughter has had a good teacher, it's been a good year. For 4th grade, the teacher could not control some of the kids in the class. That was not a good year. Public school has its good points and its bad points like everything else.

Good luck!