Virginia towns any suggestions? (Norfolk, Richmond: real estate, homes, schools)

[Marks]

Greetings,

My wife and I were thinking of moving to the South with Virginia as a possible location. We live in California now. My wife is from Texas and I lived in Texas for almost ten years.

We are both middle aged, White Conservative Christians, no young children to worry about (all grown) don't need to worry about schools, we are not nightlife people, are not mall shoppers, hate traffic, hate subdivisions, like the slow lifestyle and peace and quiet, my wife is a stay at home wife and I will be attempting to write some books.

Any cities or towns VA. Natives or anyone else could suggest?

Thanks so much,

Mark

[cysyca]

Stafford Virginia is a great location. http://stafford.va.us/

[Mike from back east]

Mark: From your description (not mall shoppers, hate traffic, hate subdivisions, like the slow lifestyle and peace and quiet) you need the inspiration of the western part of the state - go way down, at least 150 miles from the DC region, one of the worst traffic nightmares in the nation - as bad as anything you've seen in CA. I know, we lived for 27 years in Fairfax County, VA, near Dulles airport. I think anything in the I-95 or I-66 corridors will be too hectic for an author and possibly too expensive.

I'd avoid the I-95 corridor at all costs, it's one of the most crowded in the system, and I-66 is rapidly getting that bad, if not worse, especially within 50 miles of DC.

I highly recommend along I-64, west of I-81. It is gorgeous and extremely lightly traveled. I especially like the old railroad town of Clifton Forge, VA, you can walk the downtown, know your neighbors, sip a coffee. Two of the nations most prestigious old resorts are nestled down in those mountains, The Greebriar and The Homestead. The beauty of that region is probably the best in VA, unless you're an ocean type, in which case it's a whole different game and then I'm out of my depth (pun intended! - from a wannabe writer).

Best of luck to you!

s/Mike

[roanoker 4]

Welcome to our state! From your inquiry I would sugget visiting this very diverse state and see for yourself. All sections of our state are very distinct as well as the people and the culture. In a nutshell:
SOUTHEAST(Norfolk, Tidewater, Va Beach)....Not for you!
NORTHERN(Washington suburbs).......Ditto.
CENTAL(Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Richmond). Probably a No but worth a look.
SHENANDOAH VALLEY(Harrionsburg to Roanoke)...Lots of small towns, laid back lifestyles, outstanding scenery. Real estate prices at present good but
not for long!
SOUTHWEST(Blacksburg to Bristol). Beautiful scenery, good real estate, more rural in nature. I think you might go for this region.
SOUTHSIDE(Danville to North Carolina). Worth a look. Lots of friendly people.
Good Luck in your search!!

[seanpecor]

Originally Posted by Marks

We are both middle aged, White Conservative Christians, no young children to worry about (all grown) don't need to worry about schools, we are not nightlife people, are not mall shoppers, hate traffic, hate subdivisions, like the slow lifestyle and peace and quiet, my wife is a stay at home wife and I will be attempting to write some books.

I'd suggest you spend a week in western Virginia, touring some of the country and communities surrounding both Roanoke and Blacksburg. I live in Boones Mill, VA, which is just south of Roanoke. I own a 128 acre horse farm (http://www.oakhillstablesva.com blog at http://www.pecorfamily.com) and I think this region could suit you quite well. If you're a writer, then you might consider touring the small town of Floyd. It is a small town, reknowned for it's slow pace and thriving arts community. Floyd is an hour from the heart of Roanoke, a bit too far away from a metro area for my taste, but it might suit you nicely. There are a number of Floyd bloggers that I know personally. You might look into http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com, http://ripples.typepad.com/ripples/, and http://www.blueridgemuse.com/. All three are in Floyd and are interesting characters. If you're quite conservative, Floyd County will match you well although the town itself and the arts community there is notably liberal minded (like myself). But in the South, liberals and conservatives, baptists and athiests, are quite often the best of friends. Quite a contrast to where I grew up (Vermont). People are friendlier down here, at least in my experience.

I'm partial to Franklin County, just south of Roanoke County. In Franklin County, you're convenient to Smith Mountain Lake and Roanoke, which though a small city is home to more arts than the city size itself would suggest. Being just on the east side of the Blue Ridge, weather can be a bit warmer in Boones Mill than in Roanoke, and is substantially warmer than Floyd, where the climate is quite similar to Cape Cod. Our tax rate is $0.52 and unlike other areas where re-assessments seem to be made biannually, our county reassesses only once every four years. The economy is healthy and the medical community is thriving so retirement in the Roanoke Valley area is a pretty safe bet.

Hope this helps.

Sean

[williamsburgfan]

absolutely visit and see what you guys like. Williamsburg should be a place you consider. it is highly rated as a place to retire - the College, general laid back attitude and natural beauty are wonderful. We have a large artists community and writers of all kinds. Many volunteer opportunities with CW museums and classes available for retired people. Many clubs, active lifestyle, etc. Also Charlottesville, it is a little more expensive and has more snow, certainly worth a look.

[Electron]

West of I 81, and south of I 66. As much as I'd like to send you to Winchester, it's growing unbelievably fast. Get over into the Allegheny Highlands. The view alone is inspiration to write.

[DavidS827]

Check out Hume, Orlean, Marshall, and Washington. They are all in Fauquier county. All of those areas are very quiet, Christian, conservative and have no resemblance to the rest of Northern Va. The views of the mountains from these areas is amazing as well.

[Lookingforasafehome]

I won't reccommend Williamsburg, sorry!

[joee]

Ok guys, i'm really confused on the weather issue around mountains.

now i know the higher elevation well naturally it's colder & you catch all the weather, but from what i gather the best place to live would be on the eastern side of mountains since the western side gets dumped on leaving the eastern side with better weather, am i right.

welllllllllllllllll you got got mountains all over the place, boones mill is warmer than roanoke & better than floyd.

ok floyd is 2500 ft elevation ok i see that but yet roanoke sits down in valley, i need a quick mountain weather lesson.

and while i'm at it, the southwestern area in general, how far off would i be in estimating your general average snowfalls would be in the area of 3-4 inches perhaps 3 times a year, then melt off the next day or 2.