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Old 04-21-2012, 01:12 PM
 
19 posts, read 60,731 times
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Hello everyone. My family of 4 is possibly moving to the Winchester, VA area from Maryland. My hubby's work is thinking of relocating there so that would mean no worry of commute for my hubby. I can work from home so that takes care of that as well.

From what I have seen so far, Winchester seems great. We love the small town feel, so that wouldn't bother us at all. We are looking for a house with at least an acre of land ( more would be nice) and I seem to be able to find those on line as well.

What I need to know are those little things:
1. Groceries - what stores are around and how far? I'm not talking a mom and pop grocery but a big grocery store.

2.Walmart/Target - I love the little shops on "main street" and frequent them often (hence loving the small town feel) but I do love myself a Target. Is there one in the area?

3. Is there an area around Winchester that is a better location for our family? I am searching but thought I would ask the experts here. We have 2 girls (7 and 8), looking for a house on at least an acre, the more the better, would like to spend 375,000 or less. Open to your suggestions of family frienldy areas

4. What do you like best about Winchester and what do you like the least?

5. Silliest question of all - when family and friends ask where we might be moving, they never know where Winchester is located. However, saying Northern Virginia isn't correct right? That implies another area. Or am I wrong here?



Thanks for helping with my homework everyone!
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Old 04-21-2012, 01:35 PM
 
Location: Virginia-Shenandoah Valley
7,670 posts, read 14,200,228 times
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There is a Wal Mart but no Target that I can think of. There is a Costco and several grocery stores but others that live there can advise more on this. I don't live there but am very familiar with Winchester. With your budget you should have no problem finding a home with some land. Look at Stephen City as well as it's a neighbor to Winchester. Winchester is not part of NOVA but it's close enough that it is not a big deal if you call it NOVA. I believe the closest Super Target might be in Front Royal but there might be a closer one I'm not thinking about. I really like the Winchester area and would move out there tomorrow if the job situation allowed. Being that close to the mountains is a dream. I'm in Manassas so I'm fairly close but Manassas is much too much NOVA. If you need to be closer to more stores such as a Target you might consider Gainesville which is just west of Manassas. Your husbands commute to Winchester would be against traffic going both ways so it's an easy drive.

Last edited by Bigfoot424; 04-21-2012 at 02:23 PM..
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Old 04-21-2012, 01:50 PM
 
19 posts, read 60,731 times
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Thanks for that advice Bigfoot! That is exactly the kind of stuff I need to know. We are planning a trip out there soon but I am a "planner" so trying to get all the info I can ahead of time.
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Old 04-21-2012, 06:10 PM
 
254 posts, read 788,982 times
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There is a Target in Winchester and Front Royal. I used to live in Stephens City, hubby worked in Front Royal and I worked in Manassas. Love that area! Miss that area! People are just so nice and family-oriented! There is now also a new Walmart in Stephens City. There is also an Aldi grocery store near Alamo Drafthouse Cinema ( you will love that movie house!), also in Winchester. Winchester and Stephens City is just a few minutes away anyway since it's such a small town. Good luck!
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Old 04-21-2012, 06:11 PM
 
Location: Spartanburg, SC
4,894 posts, read 7,414,465 times
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Actually, there are two Targets -- one of Pleasant Valley behind Wal-Mart, the Auto Spa and Lowes. The other is at the northern end of the city in a new center. There's also a great kitchen place in that center but the name escapes me. There is a Walmart on Route 50 just past the hospital and also one on Rt 522 south.

The main grocery is Martins -- one on Pleasant Valley, one out Fairmont on Route 522 (owned by Ahold, like Giant), there are several Food Lions (a really nice, new one on Senseny and Greenwood), and an Aldi on Valley Avenue (Rt 11)

Winchester is a great, small city. Be sure to go to Apple Blossom for a real experience. The Grand Parade is May 5 and the web site is Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® : Official Web Site

I don't live in Winchester; just have a bunch of friends there. It's great fun to visit! The locals say they are in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. They do not consider themselves part of Northern Virginia.

Good luck with your search.
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Old 04-21-2012, 07:22 PM
 
Location: among the clustered spires
2,380 posts, read 4,505,426 times
Reputation: 891
Quote:
Originally Posted by cware View Post
Hello everyone. My family of 4 is possibly moving to the Winchester, VA area from Maryland. My hubby's work is thinking of relocating there so that would mean no worry of commute for my hubby. I can work from home so that takes care of that as well.

From what I have seen so far, Winchester seems great. We love the small town feel, so that wouldn't bother us at all. We are looking for a house with at least an acre of land ( more would be nice) and I seem to be able to find those on line as well.

What I need to know are those little things:
1. Groceries - what stores are around and how far? I'm not talking a mom and pop grocery but a big grocery store.

2.Walmart/Target - I love the little shops on "main street" and frequent them often (hence loving the small town feel) but I do love myself a Target. Is there one in the area?

3. Is there an area around Winchester that is a better location for our family? I am searching but thought I would ask the experts here. We have 2 girls (7 and 8), looking for a house on at least an acre, the more the better, would like to spend 375,000 or less. Open to your suggestions of family frienldy areas

4. What do you like best about Winchester and what do you like the least?

5. Silliest question of all - when family and friends ask where we might be moving, they never know where Winchester is located. However, saying Northern Virginia isn't correct right? That implies another area. Or am I wrong here?



Thanks for helping with my homework everyone!
1. There's Martin's, Food Lion, a couple of organic stores ... you won't be lacking.
2. Two Walmarts (three if you count the one they're building about midway between Winchester and Front Royal) and two Targets.
3, You won't really go too wrong with anything. I'd recommend the 522 corridor north of town myself, that is a little less developed, if you want some land/solitude. None of the schools in Frederick County and Winchester are really problematic at all. I am much more of a city/town person, so I'd be living within 1/2 mile of the downtown mall if I were to move there.
4. Beautiful downtown and the beautiful high school (John Handley). There are the social problems of rural VA, drugs, sometimes backwards attitudes, etc. The city is more liberal politically than the county by a longshot.
5. I am from the Shenandoah Valley, sometimes Northwestern Virginia. Linden, VA born and bred. Warren County HS, class of 1993. That is not Northern Virginia and at 23, the big dollars of Northern Virginia IT took me out here. I am now in Leesburg. I wonder how life would have turned out had I tried to figure a way to stay in Front Royal/Winchester.
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Old 04-21-2012, 07:23 PM
 
Location: In the woods
3,315 posts, read 10,071,765 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cware View Post
Hello everyone. My family of 4 is possibly moving to the Winchester, VA area from Maryland.
We moved from Loudoun County to Winchester recently and loving it!

1. Groceries. Did LynchburgL include the Martin's on Rte 7-Berryville Ave? In addition, add to the list the rwo Super Walmarts that have supermarkets inside of them. There is also a fairly new Asian supermarket on Berryville Ave (Food City I think) that has very good prices on fresh fruits and vegs, sea food, etc.

2. Two Walmarts in Winchester and two Targets, two Lowes, and two Sonics, two IHOPs, 2-3 Wendy's, etc.

There's lots to do out here including events, festivals, fairs, fundraisers, outdoor activities, etc. And everything is close by so you won't have the commuting issues like in Northern VA.

3. Acreage. I live downtown in the historic district so we don't have acreage here. However, if you want 1 acre+ I would stick to the areas east, north east (towards West VA), north but closer to the city, and south (Winchester down to Front Royal). Further out northwest and west are more rural and further from the amenities and main highways.

If you like the suburbs, Stephens City is close and just outside of the City. However, it is mostly development; I haven't seen many houses on 1 acre but there could be some built or scheduled to be built.

4. The thing we like best about Winchester is the natural environment and the community feel. People are very friendly -- a walkable town and an old town atmosphere.

5. I always say that, "Winchester is 70 miles west of Washington, DC and the northernmost tip of Shenandoah Valley." And it's always nice to add: "It's on the other side of the mountain".

Good luck with everything!
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Old 04-21-2012, 07:31 PM
 
Location: In the woods
3,315 posts, read 10,071,765 times
Reputation: 1525
Quote:
Originally Posted by LynchburgLover View Post
Winchester is a great, small city. Be sure to go to Apple Blossom for a real experience. The Grand Parade is May 5 and the web site is Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® : Official Web Site.
I am glad LynchburgL mentioned this. OP, you should try to attend the festivities if you can. But parking will be extremely limited and there will be road closures during the parades. It is often called "The Mardi Gras of the Shenandoah Valley" and it's about two weeks of events and activities including several parades, a downtown fair, carnival, circus, pie-baking contests, fancy luncheons, a huge 1970s disco party, and fireworks.

And be sure to wear your pink and green! I'm getting ready to hang some ribbons on my porch and plant some pink flowers! And we're having friends coming into town from New York and NJ.
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Old 04-21-2012, 07:49 PM
 
254 posts, read 788,982 times
Reputation: 103
Quote:
Originally Posted by South Jersey Styx View Post
I am glad LynchburgL mentioned this. OP, you should try to attend the festivities if you can. But parking will be extremely limited and there will be road closures during the parades. It is often called "The Mardi Gras of the Shenandoah Valley" and it's about two weeks of events and activities including several parades, a downtown fair, carnival, circus, pie-baking contests, fancy luncheons, a huge 1970s disco party, and fireworks.

And be sure to wear your pink and green! I'm getting ready to hang some ribbons on my porch and plant some pink flowers! And we're having friends coming into town from New York and NJ.
We're coming all the way from FL for Apple Blossom! This is how much we fell in love with this place. And to think we only lived in Stephens City for less than 4 yrs! Can't wait.
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Old 04-21-2012, 07:54 PM
 
Location: In the woods
3,315 posts, read 10,071,765 times
Reputation: 1525
Quote:
Originally Posted by nixau27 View Post
We're coming all the way from FL for Apple Blossom! This is how much we fell in love with this place. And to think we only lived in Stephens City for less than 4 yrs! Can't wait.
Yeah, it's a non-stop party in Winchester during this time! Safe travels!
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