Possibly moving to Winchester, doing my homework but have questions (Lynchburg: living, county)

[stpickrell]

I know when I was younger Warren County schools (neighboring county) would let out early the Friday before Apple Blossom. They stopped doing that when I was in 3rd or 4th grade, I think.

[cware]

Thanks everyone! I truly appreciate everyone's input. It is really hard to relocate to a new area. We are planning a trip out there (hubby and me) to check it out. I wish I had realize the Apple Blossom festival was so close, we would have planned it then.

I can research houses and schools all day long but it's the little things that you all have shared that really help. Thanks again!

[LynchburgLover]

Also, if you use the search option in the Northern Virginia threads, you can find a couple that will answer lots of your questions. There is even a photo tour thread. Best of luck.

[bcahill]

My husband and I are hoping to relocate to Va., perferably around the Winchester area. We now live in NC in the Triad area (Winston Salem, Greensboro, High Point). Where is a safe and quiet area with lots of green around? We also need a good contemporary church. We're mid fifties range and are quiet settled down people seeking a place to root ourselves and retire in a nice and beautiful place. We're more contemporary type of people and not at all "Hicky" as with most of the town folk in NC. Not meaning to offend anyone!

Thanks.
DCBC

[PolandSprings]

Check out Clearbrook (or Clear Brook - I can never remember). We own some land there and it is a beautiful area if you want to be close to Winchester. Everything you could need is an easy drive.

[lisag81]

There is a new development in Stephenson, built around a big field house (for tennis, etc), swimming pool and other outdoor areas. There are other plans for the area, but I don't know the specifics. We looked at houses there and really wanted to purchase, but we're just not ready yet financially to make the commitment. They are new builds and it's called "Snowden Bridge". There are Ryan homes and Brookfield homes going up in the same community. And you can get to the new Target in five minutes. There are lots of other stores and restaurants going up in the same plaza as well and it's really close to I-81 for commuting. There is a real country feel there, but you can still get to downtown Winchester in 10-15 minutes.

If you're moving to Winchester I highly recommend taking a look there.

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by PolandSprings

Check out Clearbrook (or Clear Brook - I can never remember). We own some land there and it is a beautiful area if you want to be close to Winchester.

Originally Posted by lisag81

There is a new development in Stephenson, built around a big field house (for tennis, etc), swimming pool and other outdoor areas. There are other plans for the area, but I don't know the specifics. We looked at houses there and really wanted to purchase, but we're just not ready yet financially to make the commitment. They are new builds and it's called "Snowden Bridge". There are Ryan homes and Brookfield homes going up in the same community.

Both the Clearbrook area mentioned by PolandSprings and the Stephenson--Snowden Bridge development mentioned by LisaG81 are located north of the major City of Winchester in a rural-suburban area. Further north (Clearbrook) has more open land if you want acreage and very accessible to everything via Rte 81 or Rte 11.

I was actually driving around Snowden Bridge last week. It is a new development so while there are a good amount of homes already built there, they are still adding to them. There is a new shopping center nearby as mentioned, with a Lowes, Target, Chick Filet, nail salon, more shops, etc. The City of Winchester (with tons of other stores and supermarkets is within 2 miles). What I liked about Snowden Bridge was that the houses (although they are suburban tract) did vary in design. There was a mix of SFH, townshouses, etc. with separate carriage houses and really nice finishes (i.e., stone fronts, front porches, etc.). Not sure about the prices but I am sure LisaG81 can fill you in on that since they were house-hunting out there.

The other similar area which is much more populated is Stephens City, south of Winchester proper. Again, suburban tract but much more developed.

If you want rural with acreage, I would suggest either north, south or west of the city proper. There are some beautiful areas with rolling hills and mountain views, especially west.

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by bcahill

We also need a good contemporary church. We're mid fifties range and are quiet settled down people seeking a place to root ourselves and retire in a nice and beautiful place.

The history of Winchester includes a "religious tolerance" "law" back in the 1700s which attracted settlers into the area of various beliefs. So today, you'll see churches of a range of religions in Winchester including Lutheran, Presbyterian, Catholic, Baptist, etc. Quakers and Mennonites once settled here too. I am not sure about Quaker places of worship but there are a few Mennonite churches.

We're more contemporary type of people and not at all "Hicky" as with most of the town folk in NC. Not meaning to offend anyone!

Most people will be surprised how non="hicky" this place is. Sure, there are farmers and camo-wearing residents (a hick "look"?) but there are alot of former-Washingtonians and former-NoVAns here. Winchester is an actual incorporated City that's pretty large in size (not as large as Alexandria, VA but much larger than any historic town-city in NoVA) with many, many amenities and very community-oriented. If you have not visited, I would highly recommend it.

[SteelCityRising]

I would have moved to Winchester in a heartbeat when I lived in Northern Virginia if the commute to my office in Tysons Corner, especially during wintry weather, didn't intimidate me. It was one of the few parts of Northern Virginia that actually had charm, character, and soul. Whenever I became depressed looking out my window at the tacky urban sprawl of Reston I would hop into my car and take a day-trip to Winchester. It's a gorgeous community. It truly is. I miss it terribly. It reminded me so much of Pennsylvania, where I grew up and eventually moved back to due to my inability to afford anything Winchester-like or PA-like in the immediate NoVA area.

I'm so tempted to make plans now to visit in 2014 for the Apple Blossom Festival.

[LynchburgLover]

SteelCit--Don"t call Winchester part of Northern Virginia; the locals won't like you very much. Northern Virginia is "over the mountain" (meaning Mount Weather that separates Clarke and Loudoun).

Winchester is wonderful precisely because it is not part of NoVa -- it's more like the "real" Virginia as some politician got into trouble a few years ago for saying. But it is true--NoVa and the rest of Virginia are very dissimilar. NoVa is mid-Atlantic and the rest of Virginia, including Winchester, is more Southern.