Is Lynchburg VA a good place to live? (Roanoke, Charlottesville: apartments, leasing agent)

[writerg77]

We won't be moving for a bit but I was wondering how the area is (area code 24502 most likely) Is it safe...how is employment....do jobs pay good there? how are utilities (price wise) ? I am really hoping that jobs are good there and they are easy to come by. I also hope jobs pay well in this area. I've been looking at salaries in lynchburg for what I'm going into same for my husband as well. but..none of that matters if there arn't any jobs.

[badger74]

Everything is fine BUT jobs are hard to get unless you have the right skills/connections. Pay tends to be low by city stds. I would not move there without at least 1 job in hand unless you have $$$$ to live 2 years or start a business.

[writerg77]

that's depressing. lol We are trying to find a place in VA that is SAFE and isn't too expensive to live in as far as living costs. We will be moving from Cali so it's a big transition. We had our eye on Lynchburg for a while now...We won't move for another 3 years. do you think the jobs will pick up in that time?

[LynchburgLover]

Your questions are a bit nebulous.

"Good" jobs, "isn't too expensive" -- those terms leave much to interpretatioin. A "good" job might mean $40,000/year to one person and $140,000/year to another. The same is true about "too expensive". Look at what you are earning now and do a cost-of-living calculator to compare your current location with Lynchburg. You can find a cost-of-living calculator on the internet. It will show you, for example, $50,000 in your current city would be comparable to $40,000 in another.

As Badger74 said, it depends on what type of job and your skills/resume. And, certainly don't move without a job or a large savings account.

If you could be a bit more specific regarding the type of work you would be seeking, it might be easier to give you ideas.
I am curious as to how you chose Lynchburg or even Virginia?

Best of luck.

[writerg77]

Sorry, I tried to get everything but I guess not.

I will be just starting out. to me 30,000 a year is fine to start with so I'm not too worried,. It's just finding an internship/job after college I a worried about.

I have just done calculations for cost of living, thank you for the tip.

I have worked in a many different environments. leasing agent..Retail..arcade...food court..organizer for an office...an assistant in a mortgage closing office...Ride operator at an amusement part..waitress...hosting...cooking at restaurants.. dish washer. My husband is also an Intel Analyst in the USMC and getting out in 3 years. He may or may not use what he has learned.

I am getting some certs in personal training and rehab therapy...I have to see if I can use them in VA. I am also going to school to be a Holistic Dietitian. so for work...it's going to be whatever I can find at first. We aren't moving for another 3 years. We have only been saving for 8 months and already have 5 grand. By the time we move we are hoping for 15-20 grand saved. We are looking into places this far in advance so we have a plan..and we know how much we need to save. We want to be prepared.

We chose Lynchburg because from what I have heard..It's not as crazy as the city. I have some friends that live within lynchburg and a little ways. We also know the job market in VA is good (I know it depends on what part) We would move to North VA but we feel it's too busy being close to D.C and it's too expensive for us to just start out since we want to buy a house in VA a few years after we move there.

[LynchburgLover]

Sounds like you're preparing very well! You'd be surprised how many come on here with no education, marketable skills, savings etc and say "is it a good place?"

Lynchburg has a fairly large hospital system, so lots of doctors, rehab etc. It does sound like you have lots of options.

You can use the search function at the top of the page and in the Roanoke sub-forum as well. There are several threads discussing the pros and cons of Lynchburg. Lynchburg is kind of a "love it" or "hate it" kind of place. After you read through them, I think you'll know if it's your kind of place.

I understand you're focusing on Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Roanoke but I am curious if you might want to look into NoVa as well. Does your husband have high level security clearances as an intel analyst? You might be very surprised how marketable that can be in Fairfax County. There are many, many defense contractors (Booz Allen, Northrup Grumman, Lockheed in Bethesda etc etc etc) that do intel related contacts and they pay very well.

Best of luck!

[LynchburgLover]

I forgot to add this -- thanks so much to your family's service and sacrifices for our country.

[writerg77]

Thank you very much. It means a lot especially with my husband deployed right now.

I am not sure if my husband wants to use what he has earned/learned with the USMC. From what I know, he wants a break from the fast paced life. Yes, he does have the highest security clearance you can get. I will ask him about that, thanks so much!!

We are looking at Walden Pond, County Green, 37 West and WillowBrook Apartments for potential places to live. From what I've heard, they are all nice.

[writerg77]

oh! I also heard that (because Lynchburg is a college town) The best time to move there in in summer time? Because when the students come back they take just about all the jobs? lol

[badger74]

Many of the PT jobs, yes. Also fill many apts.