**HELP**HELP**Am I in for a major culture shock?...From Phoenix, AZ to Wise, VA**HELP**thanks! (Lynchburg: for rent, homes)

[1awesomemum]

My husband is close to accepting an offer with a company located in Wise, VA. We’re looking to rent a home & can’t find any housing information online. We are both Arizona natives. The economy has got us in a pinch so we decided to move anywhere that my husband could find work with a decent salary. I the offer he's been presented with would make his salary quite a bit above the median income for Wise. They're offering us a relocation package & it seems like this is going to happen. Is Wise a good place for kids? What are the nice areas to live in? I would also like to know where the bad is. I see that this is a small town; is there even a good or bad? We’re willing to commute for an hour if there are any other better cities/towns to live in between Wise & the allotted hour. I appreciate any suggestions. Any help would be great. Are there any sites that have homes listed for rent? I need your help…I don’t want to make a HUGE mistake…Thank you!

[LynchburgLover]

I don't know too much about Wise except that it's small and up in the mountains. There is a branch of the University of Virginia there, so that might help a bit. The University of Virginia's College at Wise I assume you've already checked stuff like this Welcome to Wise County, Virginia! **–**"The Safest Place On Earth" .

Good luck.

[1awesomemum]

Thank you Lynchburglover. Yes, I tried those sites & they have very little information in regards to housing. Anyone who reads this that knows anything about Wise or the surrounding areas please post your opinion. I need all the help I can get. Thanks.

[badger74]

Yup--culture shock. You'll rarely see people doing errands in nice pastel running outfits. You will see overweight women in old sweatpants smoking. You will see lots of smoking. There will not be any good Mexican food.. You will learn about humidity. You'll wonder why people did not get their teeth fixed. You'll wonder where some people's teeth went. No Starbucks. You'll wonder why the local restaurants are so empty before noon on Sunday. Taco Bell will sound good.

[LynchburgLover]

1Awesomemum,

You might want to post this in the Johnson City/Bristol, Tennessee thread since that's the largest metro area even though it's a different state. You might get more responses.

Badger74 might be exaggerating a bit but . . . it is in the Appalachian Highlands and about as different from Phoenix as you can get.

I do hope you're planning a visit in person.
Best of luck.
LL

[Mr_Jonas]

Originally Posted by badger74

Yup--culture shock. You'll rarely see people doing errands in nice pastel running outfits. You will see overweight women in old sweatpants smoking. You will see lots of smoking. There will not be any good Mexican food.. You will learn about humidity. You'll wonder why people did not get their teeth fixed. You'll wonder where some people's teeth went. No Starbucks. You'll wonder why the local restaurants are so empty before noon on Sunday. Taco Bell will sound good.

[VA Yankee]

Your talking a coal mining community is southern appalachia, Bristol/Kingsport will be your nearest form of a large town/city and it's up.....and......over....the ....mountains. It is nice in the area, I took my daughter to look at the college and it's not as bad as I anticipated. If your open minded though you'll find there can be a lot of positives, it's not phoenix but it's not Newark NJ either...Good Luck.

[1awesomemum]

Thank you for all of your help. Lynchburglover, I researched Bristol & it looks like a great place. The population is 6 times higher in Bristol than in Wise. We dont mind a drive...we lived in California for a couple of years & my husband worked in Los Angeles. We only lived 45 minutes away it took him 2 hours to get to work. I dont mind small town culture. We're conservative & I think we'll fit right in. My one bone of contention is the snow. Dont laugh too hard but I've only been in snow about 5 times my whole life. That will take some getting used to. I guess I wont be wearing my flipflops year round either. Thanks again for everyones help. Feel free to leave more input.

[LynchburgLover]

Check out Abingdon, too, just north of Bristol. It is a bit smaller but would cut about 1/2 hour off your husband's commute but keep you close enough to Bristol for shopping and entertainment. Son's first girlfriend was from there and it seemed like a nice place -- They were in a lovely community.

Abingdon is well known for the Barter Theater Barter Theatre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia -- they do Shakespeare productions, among other things.

I can completely relate on the snow/cold thing -- I hate it!! But at least you can introduce your children to some great skiing at Snowshoe Resort -- about 3 1/2 hours into West Virginia. And you'll be amazed at the fall beauty in the mountains -- very different from Arizona.

It's also good that you're already conservative! It'll be an easier transition in that respect.

Best of luck.
PS -- congrats on the job, too. It's tough in this economy!

[badger74]

Sorry if my Yankee sarcasm was a little over the top. I was just having some fun with it.