Places in Virginia similar to CO, CA or Northeast MA? (Richmond: transplants, real estate)

[macalan]

We are living in a Charleston, SC burb now and considering a move due to the hurricanes and other issues, and also want to be closer to home (MA).

Although we love the west - CA, CO - a move there isn't likely due to family. We like the laid back vibe though and the beauty of those states and also that the people seem to be health conscious (we are not health nuts but choose to eat organic/good food and take care of ourselves).

We miss MA a lot - the proximity to a big city, public transit, the beauty, the ease of travel to different places/states, the Cape and Islands. What we don't miss are the 50" of snow winters and the high cost of housing.

We lived in the smallest city in MA (Newburyport) - 18K people, but Boston was less than an hour away by either bus or train. Medical care obviously was great, best of both worlds really. A lot of culture in a smallish town with mostly independent shops and restaurants, live theatre, waterfront concerts, strong arts culture, a funky old movie theatre, live music at a couple of the restaurants downtown, Irish sessions at the local pub, a great library, vet, police, fire station, dentists, doctors, etc. Only a couple of strip malls outside of town. Very progressive and upscale. Virtually no crime.

We're considering Virginia, but haven't seen a lot of the state. Have been to Charlottesville and Williamsburg, and driving to SC stayed in Fredericksburg and all I remember was traffic being a nightmare.

Are there any areas in Virginia that are laid back, not racist, accepting of transplants, not still fighting the war and are health conscious (i.e., understand the importance of wearing a mask during a pandemic)?

Coming from MA we're a bit shocked at the state leadership here, vowing not to impose any restrictions no matter how bad the virus gets even as we now have the South African variant, and people proclaiming no one is going to take their civil rights away and force them to wear a mask because it's a free country. It's a very religious area, which is fine, but people don't practice what they preach - there's no "love they neighbor" or concern for others which we find off-putting. There's a lot of really obstinate people. Sadly we're 2nd in the country for # of cases, 58% mask compliance, and 9th worse for vaccine administration. A great majority of our hospitals are at, over or nearing capacity.

What areas of Virginia might fit? Our budget is no more than 500K, for something small - @1,500 sf. We would consider a condo/apartment or even renting if we really like the area and couldn't afford to buy. We like walkable communities, under 50K but with a larger city (at least 125K) nearby for some culture, more things to do. We are looking for an area that is progressive (not politically, just not stuck in the past and fights change). We considered NC (Chapel Hill area) but wonder if it's more of the same.

Wondering how the Roanoke area, vs Richmond area vs Williamsburg area would compare based on what we are looking for. Access to good health care is a must. We are retired, so commute isn't an issue.

[YorktownGal]

Originally Posted by macalan

We are living in a Charleston, SC burb now and considering a move due to the hurricanes and other issues, and also want to be closer to home (MA).

Although we love the west - CA, CO - a move there isn't likely due to family. We like the laid back vibe though and the beauty of those states and also that the people seem to be health conscious (we are not health nuts but choose to eat organic/good food and take care of ourselves)

Are there any areas in Virginia that are laid back, not racist, accepting of transplants, not still fighting the war and are health conscious (i.e., understand the importance of wearing a mask during a pandemic)?

Coming from MA we're a bit shocked at the state leadership here, vowing not to impose any restrictions no matter how bad the virus gets even as we now have the South African variant, and people proclaiming no one is going to take their civil rights away and force them to wear a mask because it's a free country. It's a very religious area, which is fine, but people don't practice what they preach - there's no "love they neighbor" or concern for others which we find off-putting. There's a lot of really obstinate people. Sadly we're 2nd in the country for # of cases, 58% mask compliance, and 9th worse for vaccine administration. A great majority of our hospitals are at, over or nearing capacity.

What areas of Virginia might fit?

Wondering how the Roanoke area, vs Richmond area vs Williamsburg area would compare based on what we are looking for. Access to good health care is a must. We are retired, so commute isn't an issue.

So I'm from Westchester NY, but I previously lived outside of Boston for nine years and Austin, TX for a couple of years. I've recently moved to Williamsburg.

The worse state for covid deaths was New York. Thirty miles south of my Westchester home, there were strict lockdowns enforced by the the National Guard. Doesn't get worse than that! Read the New York Post today about Cuomo undercounting the covid death rates in nursing home. So, Virginia is looking pretty darn good to me!

I have to say the most racist people and least accepting of transplants I ever meet were in Massachusetts.

There are organic foods in every supermarket across the country.

EDIT - Mass residents are really anti-New Yorkers. It's about baseball - particularly to Yankee fans whereas New Yorkers don't focus on Red Sox. Really, never heard of the Red Sox rivalry until we moved to MA. Literally, parents of my children's classmates had "F_ck the Yankees" stickers on the bumpers. Besides the swear, it's inappropriate. We were definitely unwelcomed outsiders as other New Yorkers and New Jersey transplants were.

If you aren't happy and aren't adjusting to the South, then move out of the region.

[gemstone1]

Floyd, VA ?
Baltimore Magazine article
City-Data demographics

Regards
Gemstone1

[Watchful]

I was gonna say Charlottesville - but then read your whole list.

I think your best bet would be Roanoke or Lynchburg or Blacksburg/Christiansburg and just be very discerning on choosing your neighborhood. (There’s plenty of craziness around but it is not monolithic...if you get my drift...)

[DAXhound]

I think you would have to be in NoVa to get a similar level of obnoxiousness as anywhere near Bahsten, but Charlottesville is trying its best, but is mostly just pretentious. There is world class healthcare, though. I used to do radius searches for real estate based on Trader Joe's locations, not that I am a huge fan of it anymore, but they do a ton of demographic research, when selecting a location... a large base of educated, good earners, and health conscious.. bought a condo, sight unseen, in the nicest part of Vegas, developed by Howard Hughes, for 35,000...location was as advertised. Sold it at full price/cash in less than a week after spending 9 months in it. The Vons 300 yards away was so good, I rarely shopped at TJ (except for wine, lol).. Fresh strawberries were 99 pp and Sunkist jumbo pistachios were 2.99 pp.

[macalan]

Originally Posted by Watchful

I was gonna say Charlottesville - but then read your whole list.

I think your best bet would be Roanoke or Lynchburg or Blacksburg/Christiansburg and just be very discerning on choosing your neighborhood. (There’s plenty of craziness around but it is not monolithic...if you get my drift...)

Ha ha. Which part doesn't fit with C'ville? Feel free to private message me.

[nm9stheham]

Hurricane fatigue is understandable! C'ville or near northern VA is probably your best fit, not further west or SW in VA. Those are the 2 areas most like MA. It seems like you are looking for a warmer Massachusetts. But you are not really going to find Massachusetts outside of Massachusetts.. it is too unique.

Not that it matters so much, but where on earth is that very bad data on SC Covid coming from? Newspapers? SC has never been any where near the 2nd worst in the country for Covid case numbers or case rates. (You might be looking at prevalence which recently peaked up for SC, but that measure has some very real problems/variables that make it a very questionable yardstick.) And the overall Case Fatality Rate in SC is barely over half of the CFR for MA, so SC is doing much better then MA has done with this. A quick look at the actual data for SC hospitals does not show any real issue....???? So there are quite some big problems in your Covid data, or perceptions of the situation.

It is a big country with a lot of cultural variety so I am sure you can find somewhere that comes closer to your cultural tastes. And every area can be knocked for something that someone else might no like or understand: When citizens of the Bay Sate drop their old Puritanical criticism of everyone else then southerners will 'stop fighting the war', New Yorkers won't be brash, the western Great Lakes regions will drop their Scandanavian traditions, Mainers will forget the recent 'unpleasantness with Massachusetts' (in 1820 LOL) Wyoming won't have cowboys, etc., etc. ... none of which is likely to happen!

[ersatz]

Watchful's recommendation of Roanoke, Lynchburg and Blacksburg are all solid choices in Virginia. Based on your want list, I think you should also look into Asheville NC.

North Carolina is a very conservative state, but the Asheville area is fairly progressive. It has a vibrant cultural scene and is very popular with retirees. I know you wanted to be closer to MA, but I think that the drive to the Boston area would be best split into two days. Asheville is 3 and a half hours south of Blacksburg via I-81/I-26. It would still be a reasonable drive back to MA if you overnighted along the route.

Asheville real estate prices have really climbed in the past few years because so many people find it attractive, but your stated price range is still practical. I am not so familiar with medical care in the area, but it is considered competent, and many people go to Charlotte for expanded options.

I (used to) know retirees who relocated to Williamsburg and are happy there. That is also a very popular choice for retirees, though I think traffic is more of a quality of life issue there. You might want to write a more specific post for the Virginia Hampton Roads subforum, detailing what qualities would appeal to you the most, to get more detailed responses for that area.

[slowlane3]

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is a highly progressive metro area full of northern transplants, Asian immigrants, academia, and high-tech research jobs.

Chapel Hill in particular is very liberal, although be aware it has high property taxes.

[LynchburgLover]

Might I suggest Frederick, Maryland? You might be surprised.