Commuting to Charlottesville (Richmond, Roanoke, Lynchburg: real estate, chapel, homes)

[UNCTarHeels2011]

Hello All,


My wife and I are originally from the southeast, but are currently living in Davenport, IA (about 100k people). One of us is going to be interviewing for a position at UVA. We have always hoped to relocate to the southeast to be closer to family, the mountains and ocean, etc, and this job and location seem to be perfect.


My biggest concern at this point is affordability. One of the few benefits of Iowa and the Midwest in general is affordable home prices ($150k lands you in a safe, established, historic neighborhood) and we were a little shocked when we started researching real estate in Charlottesville with a budget of $225-250k. However, we did notice home prices (and, presumably, rent) are cheaper in Waynesboro and Staunton.


Do many people live in Waynesboro/Staunton and commute to Charlottesville? They seemed to be the only decent-sized towns nearby. While I'm sure they don't offer the culture of Charlottesville, they definitely seem to have a more affordable housing stock. Waynesboro is the closer of the two, but it seems that Staunton has more to offer as a home base.


Thanks!

[MovingFromALX]

People certainly do, but be forewarned that the drive over the mountain on 64 can be crappy, especially when there's poor weather, due to Afton Mountain. Thanks to the housing costs in the Charlottesville area, the valley area has become a major commuting hub, meaning the traffic can actually be bad at times.

Culturally, they're worlds apart, so that may be a consideration as well.

[slowlane3]

Ch'ville is listed on many surveys as one of the best small U.S. cities to live in, or retire to. Culture, horse farms, vineyards, homes of early Presidents..... U-VA also has the image as almost a selective Ivy-league type college, despite it being a public university.

[sregorat3]

Originally Posted by slowlane3

Ch'ville is listed on many surveys as one of the best small U.S. cities to live in, or retire to. Culture, horse farms, vineyards, homes of early Presidents..... U-VA also has the image as almost a selective Ivy-league type college, despite it being a public university.

It is overpriced, even for people with decent jobs. A reasonable housing budget lands people in Waynesboro, Ruckersville, Fluvanna, etc. As someone mentioned in a post about their real estate experiences, the pay in Cville is rarely commensurate with the housing options. The job market in that area is nothing special (unless you have an endowed position at UVa). There are plenty of jobs in Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Roanoke and Richmond that pay as much as one would earn in Cville, yet housing can be half the cost. One could find a job in one of those cities and then have that much more to spend on enjoying life. Cville is too easy to drive to- why bother living there?

By the way, this isn't just opinions. There is much discourse about the issue and how it threatens the community in the long term.
This DP article discusses the subject. It is worth the read for those who are really proud about the "strength" of the market.

[UNCTarHeels2011]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I'll let you know how the interview goes!


Before Iowa we lived in Chapel Hill, so I understand the increased cost associated with college towns. The difference is unlike Charlottesville, Chapel Hill is part of a major metro area near many more affordable places to live.


Has anyone lived/does anyone currently live in Staunton? Despite being the farthest away, of the surrounding towns it seems to have the most to offer just based on quick Yelp and real estate searches.

[RVAbornandbred]

My advice on Staunton is to go now if you are going. As I wrote in another thread...10 years ago, a comparable "nice" home in Staunton was 40-50% of a comparable home in Cville/Albemarle. As Staunton has gotten to be a more desirable place (lots of downtown improvements, better dining options, etc.), it's now probably 60-65% of the comparable cost to Cville/Albemarle. A lot of that is due to folks who can't afford Cville/Albemarle now scooping up "nice" homes in Staunton and commuting/weekending in Charlottesville. Charlottesville/Albemarle does not permit a lot of single family housing growth (especially compared to demand). Therefore, I think Staunton single family home prices will only increase due to the Charlottesville spillover effect.

[JayJayCB]

Richmond might even be quicker than driving from Staunton, because from Staunton the highway goes through some mountains which forces the road to be windy at parts. Not to mention the possibility of bad weather as another user pointing out. From some of the northwest Richmond suburbs (Short Pump), Charlottesville is less than an hour on I-64 plus the highway carves through the relatively flat Virginia Piedmont unlike the Blue Ridge west of Charlottesville. Still, I can understand if you'd like to look closer to Charlottesville.