Covington--prelim inquiry? (Richmond, Lynchburg, Lexington: buying a home, buying, school districts)

[WyoEnglishRider]

Hi All--
I have searched & searched the forum & can't find any newer info on Covington, hence the new thread. Please be kind if I am in the wrong place!

I am trying to research the area-we would be coming from rural Wyoming (in the Denver metro area for 30 years prior to this Wyoming move 6 years ago). We love VA; spent time in the Lynchburg/B-burg area this summer & I grew up in NOVA, so not completely unfamiliar with the scenery, climate, etc. We have 2 boys-1 in MS & 1 in HS. We are looking to move out of Wyoming---the school district we are in is horrible, (my 9th grader had to list 5 verbs & 5 nouns yesterday in Lang Arts because kids in his class STILL don't understand what nouns & verbs are. And the list could go on & on....) the weather is brutal---weeks of negative degrees in the winter (and I am talking daytime highs; nighttime lows in the minus 20's), nothing grows here, it is brown & ugly & flat, no history, & frankly the people in this town are uneducated, mean, unhealthy...We want a nicer place to finish raising our kids before they head off to college & to live somewhere where Colleges & Universities abound. Our boys are bright & love to learn, but this school environment is not conducive to their growth-graduation rate at our HS is 72%. Does anyone have 1st hand info on the schools in Covington? Are there any STEM learning opportunities? My husband would be applying for a government job in Covington-this is why we are inquiring about the area specifically. Does the area get a lot of snow in the winter? Any info on the baseball program in town/school? We would be buying a home & would prefer at least a couple of acres-up to $310,000 would be our range. I looked on Realtor.com & didn't see much...

Also-I ride Hunters & we would be moving a horse with us- is there any sort of equestrian community in the area? Places to ride? This is not a deal breaker, but just curious. Veterinarian in town? Doctors? Urgent care clinic?

I know there is a paper mill in town, but what is the overall socio-economic feel of the place? Are people nice & welcoming? Is the town alive or dying?

Thanks-I tried to keep it somewhat brief, but any & all info is appreciated.

[cam4vt]

Covington is not my cup of tea, but that does not mean it could not be yours. Honestly I feel like you would do better in a bigger area (roanoke area , charlottesville, Richmond and if you have the money most of NOVA)

Usually better schools and such in the areas I mentioned. If you want rural I'm sure any of these places have outskirts where you can get that.

More than likely you will be driving to charlottesville or roanoke for anything more than the basics if you are in covington(which is fine for some, horrible for others).

[WyoEnglishRider]

Thank you cam4vt----after doing more research, I think your recommendations would be a better fit.

[choff5]

If you are looking at Covington due to a job, then there is the Virginia Horse Center, Virginia Horse Center Foundation - Home near Lexington. If you have more options than that then go with the above suggestions. To look at schools, you can use the school report cards on the VDOE website, https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/. School districts are either county or city in Virginia so you will need to know the name of the county a location is. Google can be your friend on that as well. Good luck.