Small town Virginia living! Where to go? (Richmond, Roanoke: real estate, homes)

[topaz3335]

Hi guys,

So, I'm going to be finishing up school very soon and I am looking for a place to call home. I've been relatively nomadic for most of my life, but now that I've got the final degree in my arsenal and little one who I'd like to give an actual home, I'm thinking it's time I settled down. I've been looking pretty broadly into Virginia/North Carolina and I'm thinking I need some advice/suggestions as to where to look.

I'm looking for something smallish, I don't really do big cities-I just feel too lost. Although if it were within about 45 minutes or an hour of a decently larger town that would be absolutely perfect and there are usually more jobs around in those areas, I don't mind driving from someplace smaller to someplace larger for work. I'm a nurse practitioner so someplace with a large medical facility (or even smaller one) would be ideal. And I'd really love some place with a great community feel, a good/vibrant downtown setting (doesn't have to be big, just have some options) and I'd LOVE for it to be historic. I know there's a lot of history to be had in Virginia and I'd love to live in some!

Because of the little one, schools and safety are very important. I have to have a town with decent schools. And while I'm a big proponent of the teacher/parent really make the school experience theory, having a decent district to begin with helps a lot. As for safety, I'm a single mom and I don't want my daughter (or myself) to feel unsafe in our home given that fact.

I've heard a little about s a few towns that might fit the bill, Staunton and Abingdon being two. Are there any others I should be looking at? And if not, what's life like in Staunton and Abingdon? Is it really like Ive read about? I'm planning on heading out to Virginis in about 3 months to actually see these places but I'd love to get some real life persepctives before I arrive. Anything you all might be able to tell me would be greatly appreciated-so thanks in advance!

[mrstewart]

Irvington and Charlottesville are my favorites. Charlottesville is much larger than Irvington but has a small town feel!

[roanoker 4]

There are many small towns in Virginia and many are near big towns. When you mentioned a medical center you must look at Roanoke. Carillion is one of the states' largest medical enclaves. The Shenandoah Valley along I-81 contains many "Mayberry" like towns. Staunton has a lively little downtown and is not far from the UVA Medical center at Charlottesville. Lynchburg is a nice place to live and it has a medical center. I don't know if the eastern part of the state or the northern area around DC sounds like a good fit. Those areas are quite heavily congested and probably would be too hectic. By the way San Diego will be a hard place to move from and I hope you will like it here!

[topaz3335]

Thanks for the information guys! And yes Roanoker, San Diego has been WONDERFUL. I was actually born here and then moved away for a number of years and then came back just recently for graduate school because it was so lovely, but I'm finding myself growing more and more disinterested in the 'suburban' style living that's pretty prevalent throughout most of San Diego county. And I miss seasons Don't get me wrong I lived in the Rockies for a spell and I'm more than done with 9 foot snow drifts but a little snow in the winter in exchange for beautiful fall colors are worth it to me.

I'm glad to hear about Staunton though, it sounded too good to be true almost, but now I know perhaps it is actually true. Good to know! And I had heard about Charlottesville (obviously!), which sounds great, certainly because of the university-which also allows for a great medical center, but isn't it quite large? By quite large I mean like 50,000+. Although you said it still retains a small town feel, which is what I'm looking for, so I'll add it to the list! Hows the quality of life there? How does it manage to maintain that downtown vibe despite it's size? And of course, is it safe?

Now what do you all know about Lynchburg? I've heard good things about it, but know very little. And I know I can google search it, but I so much prefer to hear from human beings, rather than the computer. Also do you know of any other small towns near to Charlottesville? It seems like Charlottesville might be a good jumping off point for my roadtrip search this summer, and I'd love to have more places to visit besides Staunton.

Thanks again!

[mrstewart]

How about the town of Ashland? You could work in Richmond (15 minutes) but enjoy small town living and great old homes!

[vcuram11]

Speaking of "Mayberry" like towns, when I read your description I thought the perfect place for you would be Mt. Airy, North Carolina. It's where Andy Griffith is from and where his show was based on. Mt. Airy is based all around Andy Griffith and has a nice little downtown area. It's also about 30 minutes away from Winston Salem, NC which is home to many Hospitals including Baptist Memorial Hospital, one of the best in the Country.

I'm from Carroll County, VA just north of Mt. Airy, which is right on the VA/NC line. You could even live in Carroll if you wanted, just add an extra 15-20 minutes on your drive to Winston. Carroll has pretty good schools, i'm a grad of '07 so I can't diss the school. But it's a very safe town with real nice people, I think your child would have fun growing up in the woods down there.

Mt. Airy is a bit more city than Galax, the nearest city in Carroll County. But it's nothing like Richmond or even Roanoke. When I say city keep in mind I'm a country boy who wouldn't know the difference in NY and Richmond. Mt. Airy was just the place to go as a teenager because it had the restuarants and a real nice Movie theater (one in Galax only has 3 screens and typically doesn't bring in good movies, also skips out on the raunchier but sometimes funnier movies). Anyways I'm probably just rambling on but I really love this part of the country. You get the best of everything. In Mt. Airy you are right below the mountains which provides breathaking views and a short 30 min drive down 52 to a decent sized city in Winston Salem and then 30 min more to the bussling Greensboro area. Really a great place to live.

There's my suggestion, best of luck finding what you're looking for!
Tyler.

[EricD]

I was going to suggest Ashland as well.


If you want a real small town, Bowling Green is really nice (north of Richmond on 301) It has a population around 1,000 with an actual downtown area, cafe's and shops, and farmers market and town hall and all of that. It also has history, and the oldest continually occupied home in the state. (I think I got that right)

Anyways, I thought that I would throw out Bowling Green as another option.

Also, I had recommended Fredericksburg to you in an earlier thread. There is a new hospital being built there, as well as the origional hospital expanding. There's a ton of history, and the city of Fredericksburg has around 25,000 people. (The two surrounding counties are populous, but most of those people commute to NoVa and don't really go downtown much.)

Good luck!

[richmondpics]

I had a college buddy who raved about his hometown in the Shenandoah Valley. It's within 45 minutes of Harrisonburg for more shopping.
Woodstock, Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[roanoker 4]

Charlottesville is a classy place. It has some of the more high-end real estate and incomes in the state. It is only 2 hours to DC with frequent train connections. The downtown area was converted into an outdoor mall with shops, expensive restaurants, etc. As a tourist center and a major university the downtown always stay busy. Ashland(north of Richmond)is more of a small town and quaint with easy access to Richmond, DC, etc. Staunton is more like Mt. Airy. They are more typical small towns with friendlier people and a more laid back lifestyle. Mt. Airy is where Andy Griffith grew up. It is also a tourist center with Floyds' barber shop, Wallys garage, etc. It is close to bigger cities in NC. Lynchburg is a friendly place. It gets a lot of heat for being home to Jerry Falwells' Liberty University but its a growing area and it is close to Smith Mountain Lake and the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is an hour from Charlottesville also. It sounds like you may be focused on Charlottesville. Good Luck!

[Mr_Jonas]

How about Appomattox, were the nation reunited. You should be able to get a job at one of the two hospitals in Lynchburg.