Where in Virginia is quaint?

[shirleyrothman]

South Hill is growing but yet county. Chase City is a smaller town with friendly people. Some crime and drug problems but that is everywhere. I live in Chase City and breed horses. I moved from New York in 02. I love the county life. They are looking to put up an Ethanol Plant in the heart of Chase City so I would contact the Mayor and Town Supervisors first and talk to them if you do consider Chase City. If this plant goes up you would have to live at least 7 to 8 miles from the town of Chase City. Good Luck!

[meskito]

Back to the the Charlottesville/Staunton debate - while Charlottesville IS a nice town, and it has many stores/restaurants - the traffic can be BAD. I drive thru there for work and I would never live there. It has areas that feel small - but it has grown SO much in the past 10 years and the housing is extremely inflated. Rt. 29 is a 6+ lane highway with many traffic lights which makes it a frustrating drive if you want to actually get anywhere on that strip. Some evenings it can take you 30 minutes OR MORE just to drive ONE mile down the street because of traffic lights and concerts or whatever that bring people in from all around. Hardly relaxed and small feeling anymore.
Despite what some naysayer will tell you.... Staunton the definition of small, quaint town! It has recently undergone much renovation and is beautiful! The Blackfriars Playhouse, the Visualite, and many cute stores downtown have made it a real tourist area as well. It never feels congested (unlike C-ville) and you can drive to Harrisonburg in 20 minutes, C-ville in 40. The people are nice and the town is cultured. It's not Mayberry, as it is expanding and bigger stores are coming in on 250 (just a few minutes from downtown). The new grocery store, Martins is awesome - with a large organic shopping area, a DAYCARE which is FREE, a coffee shop, and large isles to make your shopping experience better. There is also a wonderful farmers market on Saturdays downtown, an organic grocery store and cafe downtown, and much more. It's becoming a hip little town!

[badger74]

29 is a mess because Cville refuses to allow a bypass to be built. It was funded 20 years ago and they have blocked it since. It hurts access to all the area south of Cville. We hate them in Lynchburg.

[That_Beach_Girl]

Originally Posted by Sunset_Va

There are some overlooked areas not posted here in Southside Virginia that are in my estimation "quaint"....try Kenbridge, Victoria, Blackstone, and Chase City. 1 hour from Richmond, and near Interstate Hwy.

Quaint? Maybe. Blighted? Definitely. If you want to live in an area that is behind the times and has no future, then come on. The already rich and established locals don't want anything to come to these towns (as witnessed when they didn't want 360 or 85 to come anywhere near them). Their loss, as South Hill (85) and Blackstone (360) are doing pretty good. And don't even think you are going to start a business there. If you are not a local, wise up. They will not work with you on anything (ask the man who wanted to re-open a building and put a plant nursery there and they told him he would have to put in a $10,000.00+ curbing system to meet code... since then there has been a thrift store there with NO curbing). The industrial park building has been empty since the taxpayers paid for it's erection and when someone from out of town wanted to lease it... they told him they would not put in a floor, he would have to do it. Mind you this big, fancy, metal building has no floor... just dirt (not concrete). Can you imagine? And NO tax incentitive for new businesses. Go to South Hill, where they will bend over backwords to bring you in and help you establish a business. Most places want business... not this area. Let them dry up and blow away. The sign says, "Friendly and Progressive Kenbridge". Yea, right. I used to stick up for this area. Not anymore. We've been with the local bank (Benchmark Community Bank... there, I said it) over 20 years and we are still just a number. No personal touch there. We should have gone with a national bank with all the bells and whistles. Just trying to stay loyal and what does it get you? NOTHING!!!

And don't even get me started on the educational system there. We spent almost $20,000.00 on private schools for our child. The schools there are terrible. I know alot of teachers in Victoria and Kenbridge who send their kids to private school. Some have to teach summer school just to afford to send their children to private school. One teacher in Victoria said that some second graders were bringing condoms and drugs to school . And they don't even come close to the national average. Look at the scores.

So if you have lots of money and plenty of time to travel to other areas for food, entertainment and service... this is the place to be. I wasted 18 years of my life there thinking things would surely get better . I have since moved to a small town with plenty of activities, 21st Century Technology, friendly people and wonderful schools!!

Sincerely,
"Loving Life In A Small Town In NC"