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Well, I'm confident that I can survive and not be in a soup kitchen in the Winston Salem area. It's closer to home and regardless of what anyone says, the traffic is nowhere near the scale of Atlanta. I get access to mls in ga and nc, and there is a big difference in prices of homes 20 - 30 miles from Downtown W-S vs DT Atlanta. Enough arguing about that.... Yes, Giles county is beautiful. I've only really been there on an occasional drive through the area or for some high school football games. There isn't a very lucrative job market there, to say the least. As with many rural sw va towns, the economy is heavily based on manufacturing. Many of those jobs are no longer there, causing people to go to places such as Roanoke or Blacksburg for employment. The good thing is that neither of those places are inordinately far. I think the two primary towns in Giles are Pearisburg and Narrows. I went to Police academy with the Narrows' Police chief's son back in the late 90s. Haha, let me tell you, he was country as cornbread. They don't pronounce it as Narrows.. rather they say, nars (sounds like mars).
Well, I'm confident that I can survive and not be in a soup kitchen in the Winston Salem area. It's closer to home and regardless of what anyone says, the traffic is nowhere near the scale of Atlanta. I get access to mls in ga and nc, and there is a big difference in prices of homes 20 - 30 miles from Downtown W-S vs DT Atlanta. Enough arguing about that.... Yes, Giles county is beautiful. I've only really been there on an occasional drive through the area or for some high school football games. There isn't a very lucrative job market there, to say the least. As with many rural sw va towns, the economy is heavily based on manufacturing. Many of those jobs are no longer there, causing people to go to places such as Roanoke or Blacksburg for employment. The good thing is that neither of those places are inordinately far. I think the two primary towns in Giles are Pearisburg and Narrows. I went to Police academy with the Narrows' Police chief's son back in the late 90s. Haha, let me tell you, he was country as cornbread. They don't pronounce it as Narrows.. rather they say, nars (sounds like mars).
Thanks for the info about Giles. Not looking to move there, mainly just curious. It's a mighty pretty place! Love your phrase "country as cornbread." I'm a country girl at heart.
Thanks for the proper pronunciation of "Narrows" too. Ya learn something new everyday. Good luck with your upcoming move to N.C.
Thanks for the good luck Cassie, but now you have me scared that my only option will be to move there and deal drugs and rob dry cleaners to survive. Haha, "country as cornbread"... I have a bit of a southern twang (not extremely bad)... and a basic training drill sergeant coined the phrase. He ended up calling me private cornbread...... In my moves since then, my accent has diminshed quite a bit (I don't sound like a New Yorker or anything), but it sounds a little better
I lived in Giles County for about 4 years it is great if you like the outdoors due to the amount of activities you can participate in. There is Mountain Lake Hotel which has miles of trails, a lake for boating, fishing, and swimming, as well as the Sunday Brunch which is amazing! (having worked there for 2 years, i should know!), there is also the Cascades, an amazing waterfall at the end of a great and beautiful trail, theres many camping sites, you're near the New River so there is plenty of opportunities to go fishing. You will be at least a half hour from your job due to the fact there is a very low supply of good paying jobs in Giles itself. Virginia Tech is a half hour away as well as Christiansburg where all the malls and resturants are. The only negative i have is that people tend to gossip a lot since they have nothing else to do, neighbors are nosy and what to know what you are doing, and if you have children, i would STRONLY suggest sending them to Blacksburg or Christiansburg because Giles and Narrows school will end up effecting your child in a redneck sense. There is a very large redneck majority in Giles which gets old fast. Taxes are lower, houses are cheaper, but in the end, you are living in a redneck town with redneck ideas, traditions, schools, stores, style of living, and overall sense of community.
I have lived in Giles County for 10 years: Pearisburg, which is supposed to be the nicer area. I have lived all over the country and moving here was a terrible mistake. Since I have been here, I have been ripped off by countless Giles County "contractors", to the point that it is my policy and my companies policy to not hire any contractor from Giles County. I have had my animals poisened twice (once on Christmas Eve so that I would find them dying on Christmas Day), my house broken into twice...after complaining about "law enforcement", I have been followed by every cop in the town and harrassed endlessly...The "neighbors" in Giles County I believe have the saying "MY land is MY land, and YOUR land is MY land". There are constant property boundary disputes. The word "redneck" is not strong enough. Hillbilly would be more accurate. Hillbillies are dangerous rednecks. The police and judges protect the locals. If you are an "outsider", such as myself (although being there for 10 years), you are shunned. The local "businesses" are a joke. There are no restaurants, except for a couple of fast food places, and one that has given me food poisening three times (once hospitalized). Even then the doctor tried to cover for the local restaurant! The small businesses are run by unprofessional locals and they go out of business frequently. I personally know of a situation where a family was harrassed so badly by the school board (to include 2 teachers and the cop this man called to help him who drove by his house repeatedly, opened his dog pens in the middle of the night...(all on film) with the intent of scaring his family) that they had to move. Everyone is always in your business, the gossip, extreme corruption...all true. This stuff is too incredible to make up. This is just a fraction of what I have seen. The New River is nice. The rest of the county is bad news.
I lived in Giles County for about 4 years it is great if you like the outdoors due to the amount of activities you can participate in. There is Mountain Lake Hotel which has miles of trails, a lake for boating, fishing, and swimming, as well as the Sunday Brunch which is amazing! (having worked there for 2 years, i should know!), there is also the Cascades, an amazing waterfall at the end of a great and beautiful trail, theres many camping sites, you're near the New River so there is plenty of opportunities to go fishing. You will be at least a half hour from your job due to the fact there is a very low supply of good paying jobs in Giles itself. Virginia Tech is a half hour away as well as Christiansburg where all the malls and resturants are. The only negative i have is that people tend to gossip a lot since they have nothing else to do, neighbors are nosy and what to know what you are doing, and if you have children, i would STRONLY suggest sending them to Blacksburg or Christiansburg because Giles and Narrows school will end up effecting your child in a redneck sense. There is a very large redneck majority in Giles which gets old fast. Taxes are lower, houses are cheaper, but in the end, you are living in a redneck town with redneck ideas, traditions, schools, stores, style of living, and overall sense of community.
What wrong with bein a redneck I get a lot of laughs out of it
I live in Giles County, and I own a business here. I have lived in a lot of different places (MD, FL, Europe, and all over VA), and I chose to move back to Giles because it is so beautiful here. I disagree that all residents are rednecks and all business owners are crooks. The county is growing, though slowly. Sure, it's a small community, and people will know some of your business, but the people here are generally kind and helpful, not malicious. I'm sorry that some of you have had such bad experiences. I hope you give it another chance.
You people make me laugh! I have lived here all my life and it is an amazing place to live and work. I have taken my children to Vegas to New York and many other wonderful places in this great Nation. When you tour these wonderful places you are only taken to the better parts of townships etc...Here it is what it is...the good and the bad. Just like every other American town. It seems to me you FOLKS are just negitive to begin with...glad you chose not to pick us!!
Robin Y's like a lot of people on City-data, it would appear.
I've been insulted, H8'ed on, and called a religious bigot, because 'this forum is open to anyone' and then, when I give my opinion, I'm told my opinion is worthless; and I've only been on for less than three days!
Perhaps it's because I am not liberal, 'trendy' or an Obamadrone. Those are the only reasons I can figure out....
But that prior post? Robin's just acting as if it were all someone else's problem, when, in every human interaction, it 'takes two to tango.' As a cleric, it's my business to know something about sin and human relations, after all.
I'm looking at the area from Pearisburg/West VA- Bluefield/Va for my family and I- job offer possible. Talked to a friend who taught (Faculty) at VA Tech, and he said some nice things about Pearisburg, esp. the part that it's 'out in the country' - but pretty. After dealing with increasing crime, shootings, and other 'benefits of diversity' this MN. Metro white-bread family is looking for a place to work, worship, have the kids finish school, and settle into a gentle retirement- without all the so-called 'cultural enrichment'- like those poor students had at Va. Tech a few years ago, for instance....
If I want 'progressive', I can to go Roanoke- or DC- and frankly, Roanoke or Winchester's about as 'progressive' as I want to ever get- again, sort of an escorted tour bus to Europe. As a Doctoral-holding academician, having lived in Upstate NY, So Cal, London, Vienna, Paris, and Berlin, and taking the time to learn language and culture BEFORE I went, I prefer the America I grew up in- moral, small town, religious (Christian) and concerned for your children's welfare. Pearisburg sounds pretty nice, actually...
If the polls are any indication, I'm not the only one thinking so. So are a lot more Americans, after losing 40% of our wealth during the Obamanation.
Frankly, this dad would like to learn MORE about P'burg from the natives here, and not from some disgruntled sourpuss.... for it's only the locals who can tell you about the locals.
If that translates out to 'narrow-minded,' 'zealot' 'small-townie' or 'not progressive,' then count me in.
Zut alors! The utter narrow-mindedness of some of the posters on this forum would chill most normal folks. I guess the vast majority of posters here
Hello to all fellow posters--this is my first ever post. We've been looking for a home in SWVA for a long time and the information we've read in forums here has been of tremendous help. We just spread out our search into Giles County (looking at a house there tomorrow) and we looked up any related postings here. That has prompted us to write because the post by "Robin Y" below was so appalling. We don't want to take the word of just one poster, but the message was pretty darn terrifying. We are not looking for great schools (have no kids here) but want peace, privacy, protection from police, seclusion, and good neighbors. From what Robin Y says, we won't find any of that in Pearisburg. Can someone else please give us an experienced and honest assessment of what an "outsider" (NJ bred) will find in Pearisburg? We appreciate all the help you can give. Thank you.
Following is the post we are referring to by Robin Y: I have lived in Giles County for 10 years: Pearisburg, which is supposed to be the nicer area. I have lived all over the country and moving here was a terrible mistake. Since I have been here, I have been ripped off by countless Giles County "contractors", to the point that it is my policy and my companies policy to not hire any contractor from Giles County. I have had my animals poisened twice (once on Christmas Eve so that I would find them dying on Christmas Day), my house broken into twice...after complaining about "law enforcement", I have been followed by every cop in the town and harrassed endlessly...The "neighbors" in Giles County I believe have the saying "MY land is MY land, and YOUR land is MY land". There are constant property boundary disputes. The word "redneck" is not strong enough. Hillbilly would be more accurate. Hillbillies are dangerous rednecks. The police and judges protect the locals. If you are an "outsider", such as myself (although being there for 10 years), you are shunned. The local "businesses" are a joke. There are no restaurants, except for a couple of fast food places, and one that has given me food poisening three times (once hospitalized). Even then the doctor tried to cover for the local restaurant! The small businesses are run by unprofessional locals and they go out of business frequently. I personally know of a situation where a family was harrassed so badly by the school board (to include 2 teachers and the cop this man called to help him who drove by his house repeatedly, opened his dog pens in the middle of the night...(all on film) with the intent of scaring his family) that they had to move. Everyone is always in your business, the gossip, extreme corruption...all true. This stuff is too incredible to make up. This is just a fraction of what I have seen. The New River is nice. The rest of the county is bad news.
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Thanks Steven!
