Anyone know Danville area? (Roanoke, Lynchburg: crime rates, mortgage, buying a home)

[wankel7]

Anything on West main Near Averett is really nice.

Avoid north of Dan River....but it has been a while since I have been there.

[JJM]

Around Averett College is nice enough. Stay on the side around and behind Averett (Forest Hills and Beaverstone) These are very old neighborhoods with older homes and are still popular with the locals. Also, do you have kids? If you do, personally I would definitely move out into the county and not live within the Danville city limits. Subdivisions: Tuscarora farms is nice as well as Bridgewood and Single Tree which are all out in the northern part of the county. Many folks are trying to sell their homes in the city and buying out in the county, except for around Averett College. The problem with staying anywhere in the city is that the Danville Public Schools are getting worse and worse all the time. Don't let the local realtors convince you otherwise. The county schools are considerably better, especially Twin Springs Elementary and Tunstall High School. If you want a name of a good realtor or two I can help you with that. Just PM me. We sold our home in Danville one year ago and moved to North Carolina so I have experience with the local realtors. Good luck!

[ler123]

Wankel & JJ
Thanks for your advice. I heard that the entire school system was lacking. My sister is on the school board here in Jax - she looked at all sorts of stats. She also advised me to stay away from the city schools. Our son is a middler schooler. He is home-schooled now because the middle schools here are less than desirable. What can you tell me about Pinetag and Southwick? We are interested in homes located in those neighborhoods. I think the school would be Gibson but more than likely we'd continue to home school or send him to private school. I just don't want to get into a neighborhood that is going down the tubes. Thanks again!

[JJM]

Definitely Southwick Farms is better than Pinetag. Pinetag is surrounded by areas of poverty and more crime. Also, that area of town is really going down the tubes. Yes, the country club is there but just across the street on the other side of W. Main is an undesirable area. Southwick Farms is safer and should have better resale value. As far as middle schools go, Gibson isn't bad but if I had to choose I'd pick O.T. Bonner. But really truly, you don't want to send your child to school in the city of Danville. Sacred Heart has a good educational program and goes through 9th grade. They are located in the center of Danville on Central Blvd. across from G.W. High School. Check it out sometime and maybe put your son's name on the list even if you're not sure if you'll send him there. Many grades have a waiting list and it can take a while to get accepted.
Please do yourself a favor and look at the county schools and neighborhoods, too. I wish I had chosen to live in the county when I moved to the city of Danville 18 years ago.

P.S. A friend of mine is selling a lovely home in Southwick Farms on Dyerwood Drive. You might want to take a look at it on the MLS.

[ler123]

JJ --I really appreciate the valuable gouge! You are not the first person to suggest that we look in the county so I guess we'll check it out. We will nix the Pinetag area all together as you know what they say -Location, Location, Location. We don't expect to be in Danville more than 3 years so resale is very important. I'm a little worried about the entire D'ville housing market because everything I've seen seems to be sitting on the market for quite some time. What's your opinion as to why? Is the area growing or declining or is it simply the present market conditions? Again, thanks for taking the time to help me.

[JJM]

Ler123

During the years that I lived in Danville, the population of the city of Danville went from 56,500 in the late 1980's to 46,000 according to the 2000 census. The population in the county went up during that same period of time. It didn't rise enough to account for the total decline but it did indeed rise some. The decline and eventual sale of Dan River Inc. in 2004-2005 led to many families needing to sell their homes (myself included). Also, the hospital went from a non-profit status to a for-profit establishment when it was sold to Life Point in 2004. Many disgruntled employees, especially doctors and nurses, left the hospital to seek their livelyhood elsewhere. Danville also was a large tobacco prossessing, auctioning, and warehousing area. These three factors are what I and many others believe is what has had such a devastating effect on the local economy and real estate market. I was very fortunate to sell my home a little over a year ago. Most homes are just sitting and sitting. You should be able to get a really great deal on a nice home. Be sure to ask for comps on the neighborhood when you put an offer in on a house. You might be surprised how low some folks will go just to let go of their property there. It's sad because there really are some lovely, lovely homes on the market.

On the bright side, there are many new investors working to revitalize the downtown area. Swedewood (sp.?) (IKEA) is building a new facility there and should open soon. They are promising many new jobs to the area. Maybe it will be enough to bring Danville through it's economic crisis. Time will tell.......

[msviolar]

SWPM

You are indeed a writer at best.

Thank you! I grew up in Suffolk, now living in Philadelphia ready to move back to Hampton Roads (Chesapeake)...

Your description of Danville reads like that of Suffolk yesteryear! Gee! I wish I could find the exact words to tell you how much I enjoyed your post!

Honest! Descriptive! Captivating at best! But, true!

You were cracking me up too! I love it!

[SWPM]

Thank you for your complements. I'm afraid I wasn't exactly going for style as much as I was venting.

I'll also apologize to those who post here and laud their compliments on the City of Danville and Southside Virginia. I do not mean to offend anyone. I do, however mean to voice my opinion and state it so from my perspective. Oh, how I wish I could be in a position to say how wonderful everything is here, but the cold hard fact of the matter is that there's not much here worthy of praise. I would so much more enjoy posting here to invite someone and extoll the virtues of the area. I've lived in and visited many other places; liked some; didn't like others. I LOVE VIRGINIA more than anywhere else I've ever lived...four very distinct seasons...breakfast at 3,000 feet then a 3 hour drive to have lunch at a cafe on the beach....very nice....big cities, small towns...LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!....But SOUTHSIDE VA?? Ick!

Instead, I feel the best advice I can give is, "Beyond this point, there be dragons."

TO LER: Good luck and God help you. Perhaps the area will change for the better someday...but that will take time. I would be VERY concerned about trying to re-sell here in 3 years. I hope it turns out well for you.

[bleeding_duke_blue]

its funny. ive lived just outside of Danville (10 mins) all my life (28 years) and i would strongly urge anywone to run the other way when it comes to southside VA. danville's new vision for the future is being a "retail hub". your average 7 bucks an hour job market is quickly taking over. every street has about 10 churches, and there enough places to stop and get your belly full. thats about it. its an old town textile/ tobacco city which has crippled the economy here due to the changes in times. the factories and industries which created this town, are now non existent. IMO, its a little too rich in history, being the last capitol of the confederacy, the job market is terrible, the school system in danville, and surrounding counties are horrible, the crime rate isnt great at all, a corrupt city government. (IMO, just for knowing people within) lots of old timers run the city, and are "stuck" in the past. gosh, i could go on and on. i think the unemployment rate in danville/martinsville is ranked in the top 5 nationally?..? the only positive about living in danville is that you can drive less than an hour in any direction and get to some city that has some "growth". I work for a glass industry here in danville, that actually sits just outside the city limits, and is surrounded by many other industries that have now shut down due to the economy. i cant help but hold my breath. is amazing how things change with just a short drive north to Lynchburg, or south, to Greensboro, Raliegh/Durham. this place is called the "arm pit" of virginia for a reason, for sure. oh, and dont get me started on the hospital here.

[jyoungoodman]

Danville's unemployment is horendous. Since the mill shut down there is nothing here. The hopelessness of the community at large is reflected in the crime rate. Neighborhoods that were safe are riddled with crime. Prostitutes and crack dealers are all over the "southside" area consisting of Schoolfield, Cedarbrook and Almegro, which has always been crime ridden. The northside is not much better. North Main Hill is an illegal immigrant hangout, the communities steming from North Main are just as bad. The mill meant more than just jobs here, there was a spirit. The hospital has a poor reputation, which is probably the main employment here, I am not sure about that. the schools are just so-so. If you child has a learning disability, go somewhere else, there just aren't emough good teachers left here. i have lived here 40+ years off and on.