Martinsville: Who can tell me anything? (Roanoke, Danville: best neighborhoods, real estate, for rent)

[Bradmc26]

If all goes well, I may be getting a job in Martinsiville.

Who can tell me anything about it? Best schools, best neighborhoods, what to do etc.

What areas/schools to avoid!

I would be looking for house prices up to 225K, hopefully with a little bit of land (1-2 acres). Would I be better off looking in another town/area?

Thank you.

[seanpecor]

If you have found a _stable_ job with job security at a company that is stable or growing, then Martinsville would be a great choice for real estate prices alone. Martinsville is _hurting_ economically. There have been huge job losses, and in turn, population losses in the Martinsville and Henry County area. The population shrunk 2.9% between 2000 to 2005. Compare that to Franklin County just north of Henry County, where the population has grown 6.5% from 2000 to 2005 (and it's actually growing at a rate of about 8% every 5 years now and continuing an upward curve). Manufacturing is leaving/has left Martinsville and it's behind the curve with regard to transitioning it's economic focus.

So, real estate prices. During the winter I stopped in Henry County to fuel up and picked up one of their free real estate catalogs out of curiousity. I was shocked how low the prices were across the board. I remember seeing a nice stick built 3 bedroom colonial with a few acres for like $125K. In northern Franklin County, where I live, the same home would cost $350K. Now, if you don't look at your home as an investment, then Martinsville is about a good a financial deal as it gets. I seriously doubt real estate prices will drop much more then they already have in Henry County, on account that you can't buy the _materials_ to build those houses at the price they're currently selling for. However, if you're planning on retiring out of Martinsville, then your real estate in 20-30 years won't hardly have appreciated beyond offsetting property taxes and interests paid, in my estimation. Martinsville is a long way off from it's next economic boom, if it is to ever have one again at all.

Henry County is a pretty area with rolling hills although it's not quite close enough to the mountains for me. You're a pretty good distance (1+ hours) from a large city (NASCAR truck and car series races notwithstanding ) which probably explains the population losses (too far for Martinsville And there is a whole lot of political and municipal scandals going on right now (I won't get into that here).

Hope this helps.

Sean

[Bradmc26]

It does.

I have read about a county in NC that is just across the border from Martinsville. Do you know which one that is?

What are some names of towns in Frankin county where you live, so I can look on Realtor.com at some homes?

How far of a commute is that from Martinsville.

[seanpecor]

Hrm, towns in Franklin County (http://www.franklincountyva.org/map.htm) (broken link). There is Snow Creek, which is about 20-25 minutes from the heart of Martinsville. Rocky Mount is a FANTASTIC town, but it's about 35-40 minutes from the heart of Martinsville. Northernmost Henry County is a safe bet too (as far as I know). Small towns like Bassett, which have been hit hard by furniture plant closings but it's very close to Philpott Lake and some state parks, so it's been cushioned a bit. Stuart, Virginia is another great option; absolutely gorgeous country in Stuart and the Patrick Springs area and an easy drive down 58 to Martinsville.

Northernmost NC... The closest town worth mentioning would be Stoneville in Rockingham County? Again, a VERY hard hit town. BUT, it's now considered to be part of the Greensboro, NC metro area so it's growth is not negative and so prices are reasonable stable. I'm not a big fan of Greensboro *shudder* but that's just me.

Sean

[Amaznjohn]

Originally Posted by Bradmc26

If all goes well, I may be getting a job in Martinsiville.

Who can tell me anything about it? Best schools, best neighborhoods, what to do etc.

What areas/schools to avoid!

I would be looking for house prices up to 225K, hopefully with a little bit of land (1-2 acres). Would I be better off looking in another town/area?

Thank you.

If you are looking in Henry County, the Ridgeway area is best in my opinion. It's close to Greensboro, N.C., about 45 min., and it has some decent schools. Stay away from Martinsville City Schools.

Rockingham County is the county in N.C., just across the line, with Eden, N.C. as the closest town. I like it better than Martinsville, more of a small town attitude.

[DannyU]

The economy of Martinsville has been slashed by manufacturing loses,Dupont,pillotex,tultex,Basset,Hooker,several more,,,it is losing population. People are moving away.I live in Stuart VA just west of Martinsville.A nice rural place.It gained some population from retired people but not alot.Stuart like its neighbors Martinsville and Mount Airy has suffered from fading manufacturing like from,Vaugh furniture,J.P Stevens,Spencers, Fulflex,Masonite,there were a couple of others.everybody is so excited about Wal-Mart and a call center,,but those are probly under a tax break,,I wonder if they will stay once their tax free visit is over????,,If your job is stable,,the area is good,,but if not,,,I would look somewhere else..Henry county and Martinsville are wonderful but the economy is past the point of no return,,,I wonder if in the future what will become of the area?

[angiemartinsville24112]

It depends on what price range of a home you are looking for. Patrick Henry Farms consists of homes $240000 and up. The Patrick Henry cluster homes are a little cheaper. Patrick Henry Farms area is off of Rt. 58E on the Danville side of Henry County. In the Ridgeway area, there's Farmingdale homes with prices around $239000 and up. Again, it depends on your price. There are other nice communities available. Our cost of living is very affordable. We have suffered in job losses, but we are down from 14% unemployment in Henry County to 5-5.5%. Our location is great because we are near the Blue Ridge Mountains, Greensboro/High Point/Winston Salem, NC, and Roanoke/Danville/Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. Check out my website and find out more info about Martinsville, VA.

[Patriot 76]

Originally Posted by Bradmc26

If all goes well, I may be getting a job in Martinsiville.

Who can tell me anything about it? Best schools, best neighborhoods, what to do etc.

What areas/schools to avoid!

I would be looking for house prices up to 225K, hopefully with a little bit of land (1-2 acres). Would I be better off looking in another town/area?

Thank you.

Places close to Martinsville, VA, in Henry County , are better places to live than Martinsville. I live in Sanville, VA, around 10 miles from Martinsville. Great people, lovely, low-priced houses, the best education system, great churches. We can get to Martinsville in 20 minutes for the great stores, reasonably priced, classy entertainment all year long. There are beautiful mountains, close to Fairystone State Park, about one minute across the Henry County Line, in Patrick County, the only place in the world where Fairystone Gems are found. Philpott Dam, home of trout fishing, canoeing, kayaking, even swimming areas, in gorgeous Smith River. We, along with neighboring Patrick County, have swimming areas, camper sites, cabins for rent at Fairystone, lots of campgrounds, some have showers. Around some lakes are nice playgrounds with picnic areas. We also have hiking and biking trails, some newly completed, around lakes and following old,closed railroad tracks. Plus-tons of drama 24/7!

[ma8499]

Originally Posted by Amaznjohn

If you are looking in Henry County, the Ridgeway area is best in my opinion. It's close to Greensboro, N.C., about 45 min., and it has some decent schools. Stay away from Martinsville City Schools.

Rockingham County is the county in N.C., just across the line, with Eden, N.C. as the closest town. I like it better than Martinsville, more of a small town attitude.

Why do you say stay away from Martinsville City Schools? I am a teacher and looking to interview with them soon. Just wondering why you would stay away from them

[Kdway]

Well, I understand why the poster said to stay away from Martinsville City Schools. I graduated from Martinsville High School in 1996 and it was BAD! It was the worse year of my life. I moved there from Orlando, Fl. because my mom is from Martinsville. I'm trying to see how to put this lightly.........the city schools are where most of the bad kids go. I hope I didn't offend anyone. That is first hand knowledge, not gossip. As a teacher you will have a very frustrating job but they need good teachers so I hope you aren't deterred by my comment. My english teacher was the BEST! She never gave up on any student and you could tell she loved everyone.