Relocate from Aldie to Winchester or other outer area? Bad idea? (Hampton: transplants, house)

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by spencgr

. I absolutely agree with most of your post. But I have to comment on your assertation that NoVA is homogenous. What??!!??

I meant the way new-ish housing developments look. That's all. When they tear down the trees, build something brand new, and when the houses basically look/are the same--same bricks, same color schemes, etc.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by South Jersey Styx

I meant the way new-ish housing developments look. That's all. When they tear down the trees, build something brand new, and when the houses basically look/are the same--same bricks, same color schemes, etc.

Ok, I see what you mean, but are you going to say that Winchester doesn't possess any of these newish developments?

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by spencgr

Ok, I see what you mean, but are you going to say that Winchester doesn't possess any of these newish developments?

Winchester has newish developments. It also has houses from 1785, 1898, 1929, 1951, 1968, 1980, etc. And many different types of neighborhoods (urban, rural, suburban). I lived in a newish development (brand new house) in Loudoun County. It was okay; especially for our first house. But we wanted an older, historic house for the second one which is what we were able to get in Winchester.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by South Jersey Styx

Winchester has newish developments. It also has houses from 1785, 1898, 1929, 1951, 1968, 1980, etc. And many different types of neighborhoods (urban, rural, suburban). I lived in a newish development (brand new house) in Loudoun County. It was okay; especially for our first house. But we wanted an older, historic house for the second one which is what we were able to get in Winchester.

Yes, absolutely. (Please note, that i think Winchester is great!) But your comment that you don't like NoVa because it is homogeneous is contrary to your following statements. Both NoVA and Winchester have both newish "cookie cutter" developments, urban areas, suburban sprawl, and rural countryside.

You, personally, like the historic older homes. I do, too. You can find older, historic, charming homes throughout the majority of NoVA and Winchester.

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by spencgr

Yes, absolutely. (Please note, that i think Winchester is great!) But your comment that you don't like NoVa because it is homogeneous is contrary to your following statements. Both NoVA and Winchester have both newish "cookie cutter" developments, urban areas, suburban sprawl, and rural countryside.

I said one of the things I did not prefer in NoVA was a house in a cookie-cutter development. I do not prefer it because I owned one (it was the first house I bought) and lived in it for a long time. There is no comparison , IMO, between a place, for example, like Ashburn and Winchester. They are two different things and this isn't a contest. One is basically a newish suburban town and the other is an older incorporated city.

Originally Posted by spencgr

You, personally, like the historic older homes. I do, too. You can find older, historic, charming homes throughout the majority of NoVA and Winchester.

Yes, there are some towns in NoVA which have still maintained some of their older homes.

Trust me, with the exception of Alexandria, you will not find the range of selection of older homes/historic architecture (i.e. age, condition, style, price range, etc.) like you will in Winchester.

Anyone who's lived out here can verify that.

[Bigfoot424]

'We are really just entertaining options at this point but some areas we are looking at include Round Hill and Purceville, Warrenton, Culpeper and Winchester. I don't mind being further out since we work at home. I think Purceville and Round Hill would be my first choice so we could still be in the Loudoun County school system and close to many of Nova's offerings but they are still even a little above our budget for what we want'

Fauquier Co (Warrenton area) has higher real estate taxes. Loudoun is just too darn expensive but supposedly the schools are pretty good. The wife and I are moving out to the Winchester area within the next 6 months as my job is moving out to Front Royal. I've been in NOVA since 73 and she since 74. We are both ready to get away from all this traffic but admittedly the Winchester is really growing. We'll live away from the city on at least 3-5 acres. I 81 can be a PITA out that way but I'd still choose that area over the others.

[Middlin]

My in-laws lived in Loudoun for a number of years and then moved a year ago to Westchester County, NY. My nephew entered 7th grade in WC woefully unprepared for the academic standards in WC. Another friend has a child with learning disabilities in a Loudoun school and through a long process discovered that her child that wasn't meeting certain benchmarks had been given passing grades. Another friend had a custody change and her child started attending school in Fauquier County. Her child did so much better, in large part due to class size being so much smaller. Yes, this is anecdotal, but to make sweeping generalizations about Loudoun being heads above another district without some in depth research is being short sighted.

[stpickrell]

Your budget (I'm guessing 300-350k?) also gets you a pre-1980 SFH in Frederick MD (including several near the historic district there). Brunswick MD is also a possibility.

If your budget is 400-450k, there's large chunks of Leesburg you could be in.

Depending on where your family is in Loudoun/Northern VA, Brunswick is closer to them than Winchester.

Also, both those places are a better generic commute than Winchester VA (and closer to DC in any case).

[Nyfinestbxtf]

Originally Posted by South Jersey Styx

OP, we lived in Loudoun County for over 20 years, sold that house, and headed west into Winchester. That was about 4 years ago and we absolutely love it! Anyone who critiques this place without visiting and/or living here won't know what it's like to live here. And believe me, it's not some backwards, hick, undeveloped area. There's ALOT to do, people are friendly, and it is extremely community-oriented. And the outdoor areas are unbeatable. We have stuff to do every weekend, even during the week. And if you get involved with any civic, volunteer, or nonprofit groups, I think you'd enjoy them.

The COL is much lower than NOVA. You'll be surprised about the cost of SFHs and they do differ depending on location (historic district or outside), condition, neighborhood, etc. We ended up buying downtown in the Historic District so we just walk to banks, the library, walking mall, restaurants, pubs, etc.

Our kids grew up in Loudoun County schools so we moved out here after they were grown. My suggestion is to visit the schools here, take a tour, and see how it goes. The schools are absolutely gorgeous BTW.

We visit friends in NoVA on occasion, not as often as before, and head into DC once every 2-3 weeks (business reasons). Otherwise, we do not miss the congestion, expense, homogeneity, etc. of NoVA.

My wife was offered a job at Warren County High School, so we will be moving to the Front Royal/Winchester area Aug 1st from North East Pa. We are going to rent for a year and get a feel for the area before buying. Everything I have read about Winchester seems very appealing. The COL is about even with North East Pa (housing, food, utilities, and so on), but with much cheaper property taxes. So from what I have researched, there does not seem to be too much of an adjustment from what we are use to.

We have only visited the area once and quickly drove through the town of Winchester and Front Royal (which both are really nice, but Winchester seems to have more historical architectural character and has more amenities outside of the downtown area ie. Home Depot, Gander Mountain, Target, and so forth, but no Wegmans which my wife loves (oh well). I also can't forget to mention the mountains are amazing, especially a little further down south.

I'm not really sure what people are complaining about with Winchester. There seems to be a lot to do, especially if your into the outdoors (which we are). I guess different strokes for different folks. With that said, my wife and I are not night life people and a date for us is going to pick up an order (grocery shopping) or going for ice cream with our two girls.

And I figure finding a good church shouldn't be too difficult. I did notice there are plenty of churches to choose from. Just wondering, is that part of Virginia within the confines of the Bible Belt?

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by Nyfinestbxtf

We have only visited the area once and quickly drove through the town of Winchester and Front Royal (which both are really nice, but Winchester seems to have more historical architectural character and has more amenities outside of the downtown area ie. Home Depot, Gander Mountain, Target, and so forth, but no Wegmans which my wife loves (oh well). I also can't forget to mention the mountains are amazing, especially a little further down south.

Yes, Winchester is a larger city/town than Front Royal and of the two, it does have more historic architecture. It has a very active historic preservation group the City is ranked either #2 or #3 in VA preservation of it historic structures. It is the county seat (Frederick County, VA) so it's been a major hub in northern Shenandoah Valley since it's founding.

I was at a meeting the other day and someone mentioned "Wegmen's". So hopefully, there will be one soon. We love Wegman's too! However, there are many farms in/and surrounding Winchester that sell organic fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy (a few creameries). We like to buy from them as it also supports the local farmers and their families.

I'm not really sure what people are complaining about with Winchester. There seems to be a lot to do, especially if your into the outdoors (which we are). I guess different strokes for different folks.

The biggest complaint/criticism I hear about Winchester is the "commute" into D.C. But not everyone has to commute into the D.C. area. That said, anyone who has accepted a new job in the area should really take a look at Winchester. To me, it's the best bang for your buck in the area.

There's so much to do outdoors during both the summer and winter seasons. The landscape is gorgeous and it's so nice to be surrounded by mountains on an every day basis.

With that said, my wife and I are not night life people and a date for us is going to pick up an order (grocery shopping) or going for ice cream with our two girls.

Winchester has been ranked the #1 Retirement City in the USA and it is a vibrant community. The historic downtown is constantly being redevelopment and there are many more plans . The two groups attracted to this area are (1) single, 20 - to 30-something professionals, and (2) empty nesters. You'll be surprised (and pleased) when going out for dinner or a beer at the Old Town Walking Mall, how many older couples you'll meet.

And I figure finding a good church shouldn't be too difficult. I did notice there are plenty of churches to choose from. Just wondering, is that part of Virginia within the confines of the Bible Belt?

If you look at the history of Winchester, there was a wide range of religious groups that settled in the Valley, including many from the PA area (i.e., Mennonites). This is reflected in the current churches you see today -- Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic, etc. as well as Greek Orthodox, Jewish, and some "universal" churches. Oftentime, the older, historic churches offer different types of services. For example, we live in the neighborhood of the Old Stone Church, one of the oldest in Winchester (1788), originally built by Presbyterian settlers, later purchased by a Baptist Church, and now a National Historic Site. We thought it was only opened for tours, however, people have weddings there and it is open 4-5x a week for services and church activities, especially for Latin groups. It's really great hearing singing and children playing in the lawns at that church.

The churches are quit active in charity work too as there is a coalition of churches who have banded together, offering food and shelter for the homeless.