Looking forward to Winchester...

[Otis_Nevins]

stpickrell - great information, nonetheless!

[cathy J.]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

More and more people are commuting from Winchester to DC and its more immediate suburbs annually. I know of several who commute from Winchester to Fairfax County, and I am hedging myself between purchasing a starter home in Winchester next year or getting an apartment in Arlington County. The stretch of Route 7 between Winchester and Leesburg is very scenic, and then the Toll Road (albeit expensive) is a quick option to get to major employment centers in NoVA. There's something to be said about the amazing quality-of-life in Winchester; it is the type of place where people know their neighbors, don't judge you for your past, and where you feel like you can make a strong impact to better the community. Whenever the crazy lifestyle of Fairfax County drives me to my breaking point I "retreat" to Winchester just to sit and people-watch at the pedestrian mall.

As Leesburg continues to explode in growth (it already has 42,000 residents), you'll see more major employers set up shop there, and a commute from Winchester to Leesburg is much less painful. If I were an elected official in Frederick County or Clarke County I'd be looking NOW for how to best prepare for if and when Leesburg becomes a concentrated employment center with people beginning to flood into these two counties in pursuit of affordable housing options.

Ah as far as Clarke County/Berryville goes it would not surprise me at all that sooner or later they will actually put a cap as to how many homes can be built there regardless the demand. Well this is one area that has always been "anti-growth" and really doesn't like change. I can remember when Food Lion had problems with Berryville in trying to build a store there. Actually the only reason they were allowed to be built there at all was because the Super Fresh store on Buckmarsh Street had then recently closed. Had Super Fresh stayed open and being in the bad shape as it was ( I had worked there so I know )..well Berryville would had never got that Food Lion. Come to think of it I seem to recall at the time some hotshot on the Clarke County Board of Supervisors even questioned the purpose of a Food Lion in Berryville in the first place when nearby Winchester has "..several of them". Yeah that make sense, telling the people who chose to live in your town that if they want to buy food....go into the next county !!

McDonalds, CVS, Martins Food, Dominos Pizza, Sheetz, Taco Bell and I believe even Hoilday Inn all at one time or another had wanted to open up shop in Berryville only to get the "..we don't want you" line from Berryville and Clarke County.

..and chances are I am sure that attitude still remains today despite the loss of jobs in that region such as the layoffs at Berryville Graphics and American Woodmark. Once a town develops that "..hey we really are Mayberry" thing...its hard to change.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by cathy J.

Ah as far as Clarke County/Berryville goes it would not surprise me at all that sooner or later they will actually put a cap as to how many homes can be built there regardless the demand. Well this is one area that has always been "anti-growth" and really doesn't like change. I can remember when Food Lion had problems with Berryville in trying to build a store there. Actually the only reason they were allowed to be built there at all was because the Super Fresh store on Buckmarsh Street had then recently closed. Had Super Fresh stayed open and being in the bad shape as it was ( I had worked there so I know )..well Berryville would had never got that Food Lion. Come to think of it I seem to recall at the time some hotshot on the Clarke County Board of Supervisors even questioned the purpose of a Food Lion in Berryville in the first place when nearby Winchester has "..several of them". Yeah that make sense, telling the people who chose to live in your town that if they want to buy food....go into the next county !!

McDonalds, CVS, Martins Food, Dominos Pizza, Sheetz, Taco Bell and I believe even Hoilday Inn all at one time or another had wanted to open up shop in Berryville only to get the "..we don't want you" line from Berryville and Clarke County.

..and chances are I am sure that attitude still remains today despite the loss of jobs in that region such as the layoffs at Berryville Graphics and American Woodmark. Once a town develops that "..hey we really are Mayberry" thing...its hard to change.

It's great if you're there. It can be hard as hell to break into if you're an "outlander." My in-laws live there and have managed to do it. Of course they're building all sorts of 300k+ SFH's that are turning Berryville into a de facto bedroom community but are doing a terrible job at trying to build up a genuine economic base (Winchester and Front Royal

My understanding from my father-in-law is that there is a cap on development rights or whatever it is called, and that they're trying to encourage more development in the southern side of the county.

Sheetz and McDonald's ended up opening at 17 and 50 but had to follow all sorts of regulations about signage, etc.

[Kreutz]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

Salaries have NOT kept pace with the cost-of-living in the immediate DC suburbs.

You just described every major metro area (except Detroit) in the country. Wages are stagnant, cost of living sadly only rises.

[Rhett_Butler]

Late to the party here, sorry. Welcome to the area!!! Yeah, I commute on Rt 7 to Leesburg every day, but its worth it. If I could get a job in the valley for the same $$$ I'd do it in a heartbeat, but there's a reason why homes are cheaper out here...