Best place to live in VA? (Roanoke, Lynchburg: school, universities, things to do)

[Ebck120]

Originally Posted by DAXhound

I just looked at areavibes. They give the George Mason zip of Fairfax an A+ on crime, Harrisonburg B+, Blacksburg A+, Williamsburg A, Charlottesville C.

And Areavibes gives Boulder a C-, Berkeley, Tempe and Eugene an F in crime which you praised earlier...... You sure you want to use this source to back up your point?

Originally Posted by DAXhound

Without hurling insults, I would be interested to know what other university towns/cities you have spent time in, which you believe C'ville is superior, too. Personally, I can't stand it. And even as a Conservative, I would choose Boulder, Berkeley, Tucson, Tempe, Eugene, Laramie any day of the week over C'ville. There is money there, but COL wise it is like DC Metro, with wages equivalent to the worst parts of DC Metro.

[DAXhound]

Originally Posted by Ebck120

And Areavibes gives Boulder a C-, Berkeley, Tempe and Eugene an F in crime which you praised earlier...... You sure you want to use this source to back up your point?

I stated it would be an easy choice over Charlottesville. Berkeley has some of the same negatives as Charlottesville.. but Berkeley is often rated the top city in the entire Bay Area for food and entertainment. The only race track in the Bay Area is in Berkeley. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's (Emeryville) were there decades before they had even heard of them in Virginia. There is also easy access to prime ocean beaches, and Lake Tahoe, also in its own league, is 3.5 hours drive. The Berkeley Hills offer some of the best views on the planet.

[Ebck120]

Originally Posted by DAXhound

I stated it would be an easy choice over Charlottesville.

Then your point in bringing up the crime stats via areavibes up was?

[DAXhound]

Charlottesville is a perfect place... for some...

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by DAXhound

I just looked at areavibes. They give the George Mason zip of Fairfax an A+ on crime, Harrisonburg B+, Blacksburg A+, Williamsburg A, Charlottesville C.

Uh oh. Cue in the CA guy to tell you how wrong you are. Ebck?

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by DAXhound

Charlottesville is a perfect place... for some...

C'ville certainly has many good points. UVA is top notch and its proximity to some beautiful countryside is something worth looking at. But in the last 5-10 years I've watched it changed to where personally it is no longer the small college town it once was and with this growth comes problems. Rising COL being just one. At 6'6 I can easily defend myself but I've seen some of the most aggressive panhandlers here that I wondered if I was in DC. Thankfully they do not dominate the areas but in my humble opinion they bring the attraction down for any town or city. Harrisonburg has beggars at the intersections off I-81 on Rt. 33. But they just sit there with signs and I've never seen aggressiveness at red lights. I saw a guy last year pissing on the sidewalk in plain view of anyone driving or walking by. Just outside a restaurant I visited after leaving an appointment at UVA. Again, not a normal view except in places like C'ville or places where growth is coming in too fast. And it may be a stretch but unbelievable liberalism overtaking these colleges seem to play right into this kind of behavior. But that's for another topic.

Okay Ca Ebck. Go ahead and tell us what it really is from your left coast.

[Ebck120]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

Uh oh. Cue in the CA guy to tell you how wrong you are. Ebck?

Did you read my comment above? The other cities he listed were rated worse then Charlottesville. What are you talking about? What is he telling me?

[dbcook1]

I like Cville. Before the pandemic, I would take the train up once a month for a little day trip escape and hit the breweries, eat downtown, shop at the bookstores on the Mall, and catch a movie at Violet Crown Cinema. I have taken the train up once since the pandemic began.

It definitely has a lot of amenities for a city of its size. I do wish the prices were a little less so someone like myself can afford it... I am an urban guy and the prices to buy a condo downtown are a bit outside my price range. Otherwise, a lovely place.

I really hope the rail system between Roanoke and Cville gets upgraded. I would love to see more frequent regional service and a reverse train route as well so I can take day trips to Roanoke without having to stay the night. I am definitely one of those people that likes do brewery crawls when I go to a place and driving is simply not worth the risk. I love taking the train and glad Virginia at least has a vision for increased and better rail service in the coming decade.

I think the best place to live will be highly subjective based on people's lifestyle and preferences. For me, I would say Richmond is the ideal place. The walkable urbanism of Richmond, the amazing historic neighborhoods, incredible brewery scene, diverse art scene, relatively affordable, access to the river and robust trail system (the Capital trail is just awesome), and investments the city has made in biking and BRT are all things that appeal to me. It is not for everyone, but I love it there.

[Bigfoot424]

Richmond has made some huge strides over the years and hopefully they stay on top of the crime issues and never go back to what it once was. One friend was a LEO there in the worst of days with the highest homicide rate per capita before he became a lawyer and he felt like it was worse there than in his Baltimore days growing up. Thankfully that has improved dramatically.

[Nomad1320]

Originally Posted by LtDan95

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

I currently live in Jacksonville, FL and I plan on moving to a state that’s a bit cooler and has mountains. I’m a 25 y/o male and will be starting EMT training to become a firefighter. I’m looking for specific things when moving:

1) state with all 4 seasons close to the mountains
2) somewhere within driving distance to my family in Jacksonville, FL
3) somewhere full with young, single people
4) close to a city with all 4 sport teams (VA has Washington teams)
5) prefer a place more conservative but not rural

Any recommendations?

Virginia has the mountains and the beach and is close to major sport events. The state just seems a little too rural to me

So without jumping into the Charlottesville back and forth...

The first thing I would look into is the waiting lists for firefighter positions, I know two places we've lived had over a five year wait.

Second, please clarify all 4 seasons. Georgia has 4 seasons though winter is fairly mild. So I'd ask "do you want snow?".

Third, what is your idea of "driving distance"? I can drive 10 hours in a day without thinking about it but others wouldn't want to spend 4 in a car.

Finally, you mention conservative, so I'm going to assume this meant pretty solid red as it was important enough for your to mention it.

This all being said and making a few assumptions...

Virginia is a blue state, true your day to day life in someplace in the Shen Valley may feel like your in a red state until you realize who's steering policy. You can't run away from the fact that blue votes from NOVA, Richmond, and Charlottesville are enough to make VA a solid blue state. Now there will be people who respond that it's "moderate", but I think if you look at some of the bigger issues, gun control, the right to life, etc you'll see how far left a large number of politicians lean. Is it Portland, no, but as a state VA wasn't to far off percentage wise than WA or NJ.

If I were in your shoes I'd look at:

Charlotte, NC - As other said, besides Mecklenburg County itself, a pretty red area of NC. Also a better city than any VA has to offer IMO.

Greenville / Spartanburg, SC - hour or so from CLT sports teams, mountains close by, closer to JAX

Morgantown, WV area - True not a big city, but pretty cool, close to Pittsburgh, and actually in the mountains. Though a tougher drive to JAX

Tennessee - Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville are all fairly close to each other. Yeah you don't get baseball and basketball (Pros) but you get the mountains, a solid red state, young crowds, 4 seasons, etc.

Also look at some of the mid size NC cities.

And I guess despite recent results, try the burbs around Atlanta. North GA mountains are beautiful and Atlanta is a great city.