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I know most would say Roanoke due to the fact it has a Civic Center and more to offer,but don't sleep on Lynchburg. The purpose of this thread is to compare potential, current status of the city, and what they have to offer overall. Compare sports teams, colleges, residents, revitalization, opportunity, entertainment..etc.
I know most would say Roanoke due to the fact it has a Civic Center and more to offer,but don't sleep on Lynchburg. The purpose of this thread is to compare potential, current status of the city, and what they have to offer overall. Compare sports teams, colleges, residents, revitalization, opportunity, entertainment..etc.
Never been to Lynchburg but see it talked about on the news every so often. It seems they face many of the same problems Roanoke faces. I enjoy living in Roanoke and would pick it over Lynchburg mainly because I have never been to Lynchburg just through it on the way to my parents in Richmond and because Roanoke is more "in the mountains" than Lynchburg is. I love this part of the state and think both places would be great places to raise a family and live in for a long time. The cost of living in both places is good (a little less in Roanoke, I think). Roanoke also is a little bigger which to me Roanoke has the perfect size no too small not too big though others may disagree.
Discussion over. Moderator, feel free to lock this thread.
Lol. I agree and i feel Lynchburg is taking steps to become more of a "hub". More shopping (Lakeside Centre,Crossroads Collonade), transit (transdominion express,new daily amtrak to D.C.), and education(liberty,enough said) makes Lynchburg seem willing to shake its old perception of being dead and too conservative to change. Oh yeah, and not to mention the new Regal Theater at River Ridge Mall.
Since I live almost smack-dab in the middle between the two cities, here's my (more serious) take:
If you're looking at the region of Roanoke versus the region of Lynhcburg, I think that Roanoke wins hands-down. I consider the region being Roanoke city and county, Salem, Vinton, and the areas of Daleville, Fincastle, Stewartsville and Boones Mill in the neighboring counties. All of those areas draw heavily toward to bigger-picture that it Roanoke.
Looking at it that way, you get to encompass two very good schools of higher learning, two malls, two civic centers, lots of outdoor recreation, great mountain views, a very good mix of living possibilities and at least four farmers markets that I can think of off the top of my head. I don't think that the region Lynchburg is in can offer quite that much, not on the same quality or scale.
But if you look at the city of Roanoke versus the city of Lynchburg, I'd go with Lynchburg. Aside from the Kohl's Lynchburg has three colleges (Liberty, Lynchburg and Randolph), a sports team, and very good neighborhoods that fit the middle class or upper middle class. And it's that last part that has disappointed me about Roanoke.
After driving throughout parts of Roanoke for more than two years, I haven't found a place that I could ever comfortably call "home." I love the downtown, and there are some very cool places in Roanoke, but I feel like the housing is either run-down and poor (pretty much going in any direction out of downtown), or it's higher-end (like around Grandin). I've never seen a middle of the road kind of housing for us majority middle class folk in the city. There are lots of options once you get to the outlying counties and in Salem. Maybe I'm missing it or not looking hard enough, but even if that's the case, there seem to be a lot more apparent options for that kind of housing in Lynchburg.
Plus, Roanoke doesn't have a major college or university yet, though the perception of the city will change a lot once the new med center is built.
I'm from Roanoke (born and raised) but most of my dad's family is from Lynchburg so I really grew up in both areas. I like both. I prefer Roanoke hands down..
I will say this....of all of the things I like about Roanoke, the one thing about Lynchburg that I absolutely envy is the downtown waterfront (James River)...
The last time I was in the downtown part of Lynchburg (about 4 years ago) there was a section of abandoned warehouses and lots right on the river bank....those would be prime for some type of redevelopment.
As far as Roanoke not having a major college or university: I have always wanted a major university within Roanoke city limits but I don't really think it hurts Roanoke in my comparison of the two cities. I do, however, think the new School of Medicine will help.
An interesting (albeit unlikely) idea I've had would be that maybe Virginia Tech could locate more of their graduate-level schools in Roanoke. They would be largely autonomous schools but would fall under the umbrella of VT (like other states have with their large schools...VT Roanoke vs UNC Chapel Hill...that kind of thing). They might have a School of Law, School of Urban Planning, School of Social Work, School of Architecture, School of Business etc in Roanoke and let the Blacksburg campus serve as a primarily undergraduate campus with select graduate schools suitable for the location (Agricultural & Life Sciences, Science, Natural Resources, Engineering)....admittedly this is nothing more than a pipe dream and unlikely to ever happen...lol..but it would be cool.
I have friends on Windsor Ave across from the park and school and that neighborhood seems very middle-of-the-road to me. I head over there regularly and around 7pm on a weeknight there is usually an ultimate frisbee game going on at the park, and there are loads of men, women, families and couples walking with and without dogs. I'm talking the areas of Windsor closer to Wedgewood rather than Grandin, although that side seems middle of the road as well, with a smathering of middle-upper and middle-lower sorta mixed in.
When we were house hunting I kept looking in that area because of the convenience to the Grandin area but I had trouble finding a home that was +/- 3,000 sq ft. Most of them are +/- 2,000 sq ft, which would be fine if I didn't need 600-800 sq ft for a home office Price was hard to beat also, with most of them coming in at around $180-$220K.
I think the view above is at the foot of the driveway for a house for sale that we looked at. At the time it was $329K but it's been dropped to $299K. Very nice bones but it needed updating. Nothing was in disrepair, but you had an original kitchen, bathrooms, etc. The road noise from I-581 was evident but it was a beautiful neighborhood and very convenient to Virginia Western / Towers / I-581.
Another area in city limits we liked was Eastview. It's on one end of Deyerle, but off Deyerle so you don't get the thru-traffic:
The view above I think is of a house FSBO. Next to it is an eclectic california ranch we looked at and liked. It was 3,000sq ft with an acre. The kitchen was a disappointment, the bedrooms on the smaller side, and the master bath was teensy but the downstairs rec room would make a sweet office and home theater room, plus the living room was great. Back yard was the best feature; it's hard to get an acre of level yard in the city! I think it just dropped below $300K. Here is a link to that one:
The riverfront warehouses are being rehabbed. One has been converted to a very nice hotel (Craddock Terry) and restaurant complex. Another to apartments and another to office. More to come.
I also found the intown residential neighborhood of Lynchburg nicer than Roanoke. My area of Peakland is terrific. Also being fairly level makes it more walkable. I also like being closer to the major cities of DC and Richmond as well as the coast. And we have great views of the mountains.
I like those chilly breezes. LOL
One aspect about the weather in Lynchburg that I'm not fond of is that it seems a bit more humid than Roanoke. Possibly due to its proximity to the James River or possibly due to my imagination...I'm not sure. I'm not a fan of humidity though (one of my only gripes about Richmond)...
Also, I know that this isn't a thread about Lynchburg so to speak but I do have a couple of development related questions. Im looking online at some pictures of different Lynchburg neighborhoods...
I'm well aware that quite a bit of rehabilitation is going on (as mentioned above and as seen through traveling in the city) but one area of the city that I'm not familiar with (not that I know of anyway) is Federal Hill (specifically near/on Harrison street)....is that area experiencing redevelopment? Is it a nice place or is it generally less desirable?
This picture was taken in 2000:
Does anyone know if its be rehabbed...hopefully not torn down.
Urban gentrification really caught on in Virginia within the last 5 years so part of me is sure that has been rehabbed into a single family home or condos or something....just curious...
In Roanoke you see rapid redevelopment of historic properties (particularly downtown and Old SW)...is this same thing happening in Lynchburg. I know its happening some, but to what extent? Is it impossible to find any historic properties in the city that haven't been snatched up by developers?
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Lynchburg has three colleges (Liberty, Lynchburg and Randolph), a sports team, and very good neighborhoods that fit the middle class or upper middle class. And it's that last part that has disappointed me about Roanoke.
