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I'm looking to relocate to one of these mid sized towns, all three seem to be largely under anyone's radar, which I have no problem with whatsoever. Which one of these places offers the most of what I'm looking for:
Low cost of living
Vibrant downtown
Vibrant core neighborhoods
Quality, pre-war housing stock
Compact, walkable core
Employment opportunities
Recreational opportunities
Low crime
Local businesses and restaurants
Limited suburban sprawl
4 season climate
Most greenery
Most easy going, laid back people
Last edited by Taggerung; 10-04-2019 at 05:48 PM..
I am going to be a little more biased since I live in downtown Lynchburg, but Lynchburg definitely meets your criteria for just about all these categories and IMO slightly edges out Roanoke (I have not been to Fort Wayne so can't compare there).
Low cost of living: You can live in a downtown studio loft or one-bedroom for $750-800 including amenities (water, internet, cable, gym, and trash/recycling collection). There are numerous homes of pre-WW2 stock that have been fully restored for less than $200k within easy walking distance of downtown.
Vibrant downtown: Some $250 million in downtown development since 2012 and around 900 apartments and condos have been built since then downtown predominantly through the adaptive reuse of historic warehouses and buildings. The Academy Center of the Arts theatre recently went through an amazing $30 million restoration and is an amazing live theater and music venue. The Virginian Hotel recently went through a $30 million restoration and has a fantastic rooftop bar and restaurant. I live on the Lower Bluffwalk which is a pedestrian zone completed in 2015 and has seen hundreds of apartments and condos as well as half a dozen nice new restaurants built along it. There is currently a seven story condo with a rooftop bar being built right next to my current condo building. All this overlooking the James River. We also have awesome concerts and events downtown all the time. Oktoberfest starts today and we recently had the Steve Miller band here.
Vibrant core neighborhoods: downtown is surrounded by seven revitalizing historic districts. 5th street and Rivermont Avenue have seen significant investment. The area around Randolph College is absolutely hoppin. New protected bike lanes have been installed a few months ago along Rivermont in the vicinity of Randolph College and lots of new restaurants and coffee houses are going in around there (like Small Batch and Golf Park). There is so much growth in Lynchburg overall, but the past five years have seen crazy levels of growth in the historic core.
Quality pre-war housing stock: Lynchburg really shines here. There are seven rapidly revitalizing historic districts surrounding downtown that were largely built up in the 19th century when Lynchburg had the second highest GDP per capita in the US in 1889. Most of the pre-war housing stock remains and have been carefully restored the past few years block by block. Lots of young professionals are moving here from California and the northeast to purchase these homes at low cost and fix them up.
Compact and walkable core: Lynchburg's core was developed well before Roanokes. Downtown flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries and was not ruined by the construction of an interstate which never came to Lynchburg and the effects of urban renewal were very limited here. You can easily walk from downtown to the Kemper train station and take Northeast Regional trains to DC and NYC.
Employment opportunities: The city's population has grown by 25% since 2000 and unemployment is 3%. There are five colleges here, a large hospital, numerous startups, a large nuclear operations sector (BWXT and Framatome are both headquartered here) and large financial insurance sector (Pacific Lifes East Coast HQ is in downtown Lynchburg and Genworth has a large presence here). Lots of growth so construction is also a large sector here.
Recreational opportunities: A wonderful 15-mile multiuse trail network connects downtown to all the surrounding core neighborhoods and to the James River. We are situated on the James River and have two boat ramps from downtown of which one you can rent canoes and kayaks. Blue Ridge Parkway is a 30 minute drive away. Lots of great hiking very close by like Crabtree Falls (highest waterfall chain east of the Mississippi is 45 minutes north and Sharp Top Mountain is 45 minutes west). If outdoor hiking and activities is your thing you won't be disappointed with Lynchburg.
Low crime: There has been one shooting in downtown Lynchburg in the past 10 years and it was not a fatality. Usually only around 2-3 murders citywide a year compared to a dozen or so in Roanoke. Not a single aggravated assault in downtown last year. I have walked alone in downtown all hours of the day and night since 2012 and never once had an issue and maybe been panhandled three times in all these years. It's the safest city I've ever lived in by far (other homes being Asheville, Charlotte, Savannah, and Vegas) and one of the safest in the country.
Local businesses and restaurants: Downtown is literally stock full of new and flourishing local businesses and restaurants. Gilded, El Jefe, Bootleggers, Greys, Crisp, the wonderful community market, Rivermont Pizza, Water Dog, Mission Coffee House, MayLynns Creamery, Aji Ramen and Sushi, Market at Main, Bowen Jewelry, White Hart, Hot and Cold Cafe, Daughters and Sons Pizza, etc etc the list goes on and on. And all of these local businesses have gone in just in the past five years which speaks to the scale of downtown revitalization and investment. The only chain business downtown I can think of is Dominos lol.
Limited suburban sprawl: The city proper of Lynchburg makes up 82,000 of the urbanized area (125,000) so most of the urbanized to suburban population is concentrated in the city proper. Lynchburg city has made up 2/3 of population growth in the greater MSA of 262,000 since 2010. Much of that growth has occured downtown with the population of downtown going from 367 in 2010 to about 1,400 today! You are never more than 10-15 minutes away from anything in the urbanized area and can literally ride a bike from downtown and be out in pristine nature in just a few minutes.
4 season climate: While Virginia claims to have four seasons its realistically more like 8 lol. I mean here we are in October and it was 100 degrees for two days. Unreal, but then again everywhere on the east coast was impacted by this. I would say yes you can experience a semblance of four seasons here and major snows of 10 inches or so only occur about twice a year and quickly melt away with a couple of weeks when they occur.
Most greenery: Lynchburg is a city of trails, parks, and grand tree lined historic streets and neighborhoods. It is no Savannah, but it is lovely nonetheless.
Easy going and laid back people: That is the very definition of Lynchburg residents. The city has a fantastic laid back feel and the residents are super friendly here. Never in a rush. Lynchburg was rated one of the top 10 happiest cities in the US mainly because of how easy going and wonderful this city is.
So I am writing all this from my cell phone and will follow up with you on Monday with links and data to support all of these points when I have access to a laptop. Lynchburg has recently received numerous accolades from being named the number one city in the nation for millennials to move to in 2019, best places to retire in good health in the US, cities with the most homes you can buy for under 100k, happiest cities in the US, number one city in Virginia poised to boom, and cities in the US with the lowest crime rate. Good luck to wherever you decide to go!
I am going to be a little more biased since I live in downtown Lynchburg, but Lynchburg definitely meets your criteria for just about all these categories and IMO slightly edges out Roanoke (I have not been to Fort Wayne so can't compare there).
Low cost of living: You can live in a downtown studio loft or one-bedroom for $750-800 including amenities (water, internet, cable, gym, and trash/recycling collection). There are numerous homes of pre-WW2 stock that have been fully restored for less than $200k within easy walking distance of downtown.
Vibrant downtown: Some $250 million in downtown development since 2012 and around 900 apartments and condos have been built since then downtown predominantly through the adaptive reuse of historic warehouses and buildings. The Academy Center of the Arts theatre recently went through an amazing $30 million restoration and is an amazing live theater and music venue. The Virginian Hotel recently went through a $30 million restoration and has a fantastic rooftop bar and restaurant. I live on the Lower Bluffwalk which is a pedestrian zone completed in 2015 and has seen hundreds of apartments and condos as well as half a dozen nice new restaurants built along it. There is currently a seven story condo with a rooftop bar being built right next to my current condo building. All this overlooking the James River. We also have awesome concerts and events downtown all the time. Oktoberfest starts today and we recently had the Steve Miller band here.
Vibrant core neighborhoods: downtown is surrounded by seven revitalizing historic districts. 5th street and Rivermont Avenue have seen significant investment. The area around Randolph College is absolutely hoppin. New protected bike lanes have been installed a few months ago along Rivermont in the vicinity of Randolph College and lots of new restaurants and coffee houses are going in around there (like Small Batch and Golf Park). There is so much growth in Lynchburg overall, but the past five years have seen crazy levels of growth in the historic core.
Quality pre-war housing stock: Lynchburg really shines here. There are seven rapidly revitalizing historic districts surrounding downtown that were largely built up in the 19th century when Lynchburg had the second highest GDP per capita in the US in 1889. Most of the pre-war housing stock remains and have been carefully restored the past few years block by block. Lots of young professionals are moving here from California and the northeast to purchase these homes at low cost and fix them up.
Compact and walkable core: Lynchburg's core was developed well before Roanokes. Downtown flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries and was not ruined by the construction of an interstate which never came to Lynchburg and the effects of urban renewal were very limited here. You can easily walk from downtown to the Kemper train station and take Northeast Regional trains to DC and NYC.
Employment opportunities: The city's population has grown by 25% since 2000 and unemployment is 3%. There are five colleges here, a large hospital, numerous startups, a large nuclear operations sector (BWXT and Framatome are both headquartered here) and large financial insurance sector (Pacific Lifes East Coast HQ is in downtown Lynchburg and Genworth has a large presence here). Lots of growth so construction is also a large sector here.
Recreational opportunities: A wonderful 15-mile multiuse trail network connects downtown to all the surrounding core neighborhoods and to the James River. We are situated on the James River and have two boat ramps from downtown of which one you can rent canoes and kayaks. Blue Ridge Parkway is a 30 minute drive away. Lots of great hiking very close by like Crabtree Falls (highest waterfall chain east of the Mississippi is 45 minutes north and Sharp Top Mountain is 45 minutes west). If outdoor hiking and activities is your thing you won't be disappointed with Lynchburg.
Low crime: There has been one shooting in downtown Lynchburg in the past 10 years and it was not a fatality. Usually only around 2-3 murders citywide a year compared to a dozen or so in Roanoke. Not a single aggravated assault in downtown last year. I have walked alone in downtown all hours of the day and night since 2012 and never once had an issue and maybe been panhandled three times in all these years. It's the safest city I've ever lived in by far (other homes being Asheville, Charlotte, Savannah, and Vegas) and one of the safest in the country.
Local businesses and restaurants: Downtown is literally stock full of new and flourishing local businesses and restaurants. Gilded, El Jefe, Bootleggers, Greys, Crisp, the wonderful community market, Rivermont Pizza, Water Dog, Mission Coffee House, MayLynns Creamery, Aji Ramen and Sushi, Market at Main, Bowen Jewelry, White Hart, Hot and Cold Cafe, Daughters and Sons Pizza, etc etc the list goes on and on. And all of these local businesses have gone in just in the past five years which speaks to the scale of downtown revitalization and investment. The only chain business downtown I can think of is Dominos lol.
Limited suburban sprawl: The city proper of Lynchburg makes up 82,000 of the urbanized area (125,000) so most of the urbanized to suburban population is concentrated in the city proper. Lynchburg city has made up 2/3 of population growth in the greater MSA of 262,000 since 2010. Much of that growth has occured downtown with the population of downtown going from 367 in 2010 to about 1,400 today! You are never more than 10-15 minutes away from anything in the urbanized area and can literally ride a bike from downtown and be out in pristine nature in just a few minutes.
4 season climate: While Virginia claims to have four seasons its realistically more like 8 lol. I mean here we are in October and it was 100 degrees for two days. Unreal, but then again everywhere on the east coast was impacted by this. I would say yes you can experience a semblance of four seasons here and major snows of 10 inches or so only occur about twice a year and quickly melt away with a couple of weeks when they occur.
Most greenery: Lynchburg is a city of trails, parks, and grand tree lined historic streets and neighborhoods. It is no Savannah, but it is lovely nonetheless.
Easy going and laid back people: That is the very definition of Lynchburg residents. The city has a fantastic laid back feel and the residents are super friendly here. Never in a rush. Lynchburg was rated one of the top 10 happiest cities in the US mainly because of how easy going and wonderful this city is.
So I am writing all this from my cell phone and will follow up with you on Monday with links and data to support all of these points when I have access to a laptop. Lynchburg has recently received numerous accolades from being named the number one city in the nation for millennials to move to in 2019, best places to retire in good health in the US, cities with the most homes you can buy for under 100k, happiest cities in the US, number one city in Virginia poised to boom, and cities in the US with the lowest crime rate. Good luck to wherever you decide to go!
Thanks for the incredibly in depth and detailed analysis. The reason I'm looking to smaller towns and cities like Lynchburg is because I believe that these places have more of a future than the larger metropolises, as well a being easier overall to live in. Lynchburg seems to be a very livable place.
It's good to know that Lynchburg was largely left alone during the 'urban renewal' era. When you get a Birdseye view on larger American cities, you see that their cores have been mutilated by highways. In Lynchburg, you don't see much of this at all.
Thanks for the incredibly in depth and detailed analysis. The reason I'm looking to smaller towns and cities like Lynchburg is because I believe that these places have more of a future than the larger metropolises, as well a being easier overall to live in. Lynchburg seems to be a very livable place.
It's good to know that Lynchburg was largely left alone during the 'urban renewal' era. When you get a Birdseye view on larger American cities, you see that their cores have been mutilated by highways. In Lynchburg, you don't see much of this at all.
No problem! I have lived in downtown for seven years after taking a job here as a planner after Grad School and it has definitely come a long way in that time. I am a millennial single guy that doesn't make a huge amount of money, but was able to buy a new build downtown waterfront condo, pay off my student loans, and travel to Europe on three occasions and all over the US and Canada. It is crazy affordable and the urban core continues to get better and better. There are also plenty of opportunities to get involved in the community. I am not from Lynchburg, but within a few years I was a board member on the Downtown Lynchburg Association Board of Directors and committee member on the Downtown Placemaking Committee and chair of the Visitor Experience Committee.
Here are a few videos that showcase downtown and surrounding environs:
Here is a thread on Lynchburg development (with a main focus on downtown) that I maintain and dates back to 2013. This link starts with the latest posts first and you can work back from there: https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showt...1635205&page=6
The city has stayed faithful to the original 2000 Downtown Master Plan with $1 million budgeted per year every year towards elements of the downtown Master Plan since 2000 helping to pay for the restoration of the Academy Theater and Virginian Hotel, constructing Riverfront Park, Riverfront pedestrian improvements, and the Bluffwalk pedestrian zone. The newly adopted 2040 Downtown Master Plan looks to bring downtown to the next level of placemaking and development: http://www.lynchburgva.gov/downtown-2040-master-plan
The city is really a gem that is starting to be discovered. The city has grown by 25% since 2000, one of the fastest rates in Virginia, despite not having access to the interstate network or international airport. Quality of life is huge here and a good work-life balance is definitely attainable here. Very little traffic concerns. I myself actually have not owned a car in nine years and get to work by bicycle which takes me 20 minutes with almost no traffic. Lynchburg definitely offers a good mix of quality of life, balanced growth, revitalizing urban core, and affordability that appeals to me.
I used to live in Indianapolis and worked in southwest VA for a few years, and am a local native.
I would much rather live in that part of Virginia for climate and outdoor access alone. It beats Fort Wayne on all levels.
Lord knows dbcook1 makes a hell of a case for Lynchburg, but I feel like Roanoke would be the better option for me.
Just curious, how does Roanoke compare to Indy? And where would you rather live?
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