Where in Virginia is quaint? (Richmond, Alexandria: houses, buy, colleges)

[seanpecor]

Yeah, I second the vote for Floyd. Floyd is quaint. The entire county has (count 'em) ONE stoplight. It's less than an hour to Roanoke (medium sized city), about 45 minutes to Blacksburg (big college town), and 30 minutes to Christiansburg (box stores etc). Floyd is quite historic and has a thriving arts and music community. Visit Floyd on a Friday night and experience the Floyd Country Store (http://www.floydcountrystore.com/), check out the Jacksonville Arts Center (http://www.jacksonvillecenter.org/) and the various shops and cafes. Floyd is a harder area to live in than Franklin County, VA where I live (further away from conveniences, lakes, some forms of recreation, culture in Roanoke etc) but it's a pretty beautiful place to live. The main street in Floyd is getting a SUBSTANTIAL renovation beginning this year with major grants from the state and other sources.

Rocky Mount, VA is another place to consider. Rocky Mount is the county seat of Franklin County. It is indeed quaint but due to the revenue created by the development in northern Franklin County, and Smith Mountain Lake eastward, there are resources in town that would surprise you. A beautiful library right on main street, with workstations and several conference rooms, an adult oriented I.T. education center being built next to the library, a very nice main street with locally owned shops, cafes and a spa, a state of the art massive two building YMCA, box stores on the edge of town, and so on and so forth.

So, anyway, among the other fine choices presented here, I'll second/third the mention of Floyd, VA and also suggest you visit Rocky Mount, VA. You could visit this region and enjoy two days of sightseeing in Franklin, Floyd and Roanoke Counties to see if this region appeals to you. And of course if you have any specific questions I'd be glad to answer them.

Cheers,

Sean

[snkl]

C-Ville is pricey, but Staunton is nearby, affordible, and has a cute downtown with a farmers' market, bookstores, theaters, etc., all nestled next to the blue ridge. If you like Alexandria but don't want the traffic, check it out.

[medperson]

Originally Posted by BBGsinger

Can you tell me more about Lynchburg? Thanks!

I have sent you a private message about Lynchburg. It is a copy of an earlier post. Just ck your city-data email.

[irishreds4]

Smithfield is a very historical little town. You can walk to antique stores and coffee shops, see restored historical houses from colonials to victorians and still be centrally located to major citires such as Williamsburg, Newport News, Hampton, Suffolk, Chesapeake, Norfolk and Va Beach.
We currently have our home on 4 acs listed for sale there, but we're staying in the area because we love it.


Moderator cut: link

[VSB]

Originally Posted by ChristieC

I would not consider any of those areas "quaint" Charlottesville especially, is a very high income area. It has a fantastic downtown area and if you want to drop over $400,000 to live near it, it's great. Floyd is quaint, Staunton is kinda quaint, but growing. Orange County is quaint. They at least have a small town mentality. Best of luck!

Quaint and expensive are NOT mutually exclusive. Charlottesville is practically the definition of quaint. Staunton, on the other hand, is hardly quaint at all.

[Cattknap]

I haven't read all the responses, so sorry if I repeat something that has already been listed. I agree bmacdo - Lexington is very quaint and quite expensive compared to other places in southern VA....Money Magazine and others have done articles on Lexington - praising it for all its charms. We always stay at the Col Alto - a Hampton Inn that is incorporated into an old plantation mansion...one of the most charming hotels in which we have stayed.

Abingdon,VA is a very quaint, off the beaten path town, they have the cutest theater (live productions), great 18th century buildings, a yearly Scottish festival that is amazing, a beautiful old hotel (Martha Washington Inn).

I don't think there is anything much more quaint than Colonial Williamsburg and neighborhoods around the historic area and the College of William and Mary.

Alexandria (old town) one of my very favorite places (quaint and bustling all at the same time)...cobblestoned streets, right on the water, fabulous old homes, taverns, walking tours, antique stores, restaurants, museums

Go over to the eastern shore of Virginia - there are some wonderful old towns over there. Cape Charles has some great old homes, a rich history and is right on the water - it kind of went down hill for a lot of years but is bouncing back.

How about Smithfield, VA - talk about quaint - adorable is more like it.

There is a tiny little town called Washington (near Warrington, VA) with the most fabulous inn, restaurant and cooking school (check out the big coffee table book The Inn at Little Washington)...it is a tiny town and tucked away, you could drive right past the town and miss a little gem - a perfect place to go for a honeymoon or anniversary.

We are from So. California and have probably seen more of Virginia than most Virginians...the way to discover these places is to rent a car and take a driving trip for about 2 weeks - you will be amazed at what you discover.

Take the Virginia Scenic Highway for 10 or 20 miles and see some of the most beautiful, unspoiled vistas in Virginia.

Raphine, VA is this quaint little area off of the Robert E. Lee highway outside of Lexington - rolling hills with beautiful properties and the Buffalo Springs Herb Farm and a mill right next door that still functions - the old mill is full of gourmet cooking items and all kinds of grains and mixes that they grind right there - they have cooking classes also.

[Erin1264]

Cattknap - Great post! This is all so interesting. As a new VA resident, I look forward to checking out some of the areas that you mentioned!

It is a shame that we don't always have the opportunities to explore the states in which we live.

[twogrand]

Check Abingdon out. It has a lot of history and an art museum, antiques, shopping. Also check out the far western reaches in the mountains such as Lee County and Wise County. Scott County is close to Kingsport ,TN for good shopping. The mountain areas still have very reasonable real estate and lots of history.Lots being done in the living history realm of museums too with reenactments from the Civil War, Revolutionary War and Daniel Boone type eras.

[twogrand]

I read someone's earlier post about Abingdon and they mentioned the theatre and the "hotel". The theatre is the Barter Theatre, the state theatre of Virginia. It has really good plays. The "hotel"is the Martha Washington Inn. It was originaly a plantation house, was a large mansion. During the Civil War, it served as a hospital. It has at one time been a woman's elite college and is now a lovely hotel. It is a lovely three wing former mansion with spa and pricey restaurant and its own resident ghosts. It is actually worth a trip to the area to visit.

[vasinger]

Originally Posted by VSB

Quaint and expensive are NOT mutually exclusive. Charlottesville is practically the definition of quaint. Staunton, on the other hand, is hardly quaint at all.

Staunton is extremely quaint. Just because it doesnt have a lot stuck up high falutin' snobs like C-ville, doesn't mean it isnt charming.

Mary Baldwin College is a beautiful school. You have nice little churches and a downtown area that has good restaurants. And Woodrow Wilson home.

Its a lot smaller than Charlottesville. But its very very quaint.