Millenial Family Trying to Decide Between VA & NC for a Move (Virginia Beach: fit in, 2014)

[moderatelycrunchy]

Hello everyone — my husband and I are hoping to relocate from New England and we are hoping for suggestions. We are in our early 30s, college-educated, homeschool, are moderately crunchy, and have a combined salary of approximately 160k. We work remotely, so finding employment where we move is not an issue.

I posted in the General U.S. Forum and received some great advice to narrow down our search. It seems like Virginia and North Carolina are the two best fits for what we are looking for, so we are hoping to make a list of cities / towns and take a trip to narrow down our search a bit more.

What we are hoping to find:

Environment
- Sunny & mild winters
- Near a body of water, ideally ocean, but okay with lakes / rivers
- Near hikes & long scenic walks
- Nice scenery, trees in neighborhoods, etc. We prefer the feel of an older city/town that has nice architecture and a pleasant place to walk around.
- Few, if any, strip malls / chain restaurants — access to shopping is not important to us.

Politics/Religion
- We are libertarians who lean liberal on most social issues (pro choice, pro gay rights, anti mask mandates, anti compelled speech, etc.) and would like to have opportunities to make like-minded friends.
- We are nonreligious and don’t want to live in an area where church is the heart of the community and it’s difficult to fit in without taking part.

Culture/Community Feel
- A sense of community where people stop to have a conversation and say hi when walking the dog. General friendliness and openness.
- Lots of millennials / young families.
- An amazing farmer’s market / CSA.
- Things to do that don’t involve bars / drinking. Happy to go there with friends occasionally, but not constantly.
- Good schools are a plus, but we homeschool so we wouldn't need them for academics. If there is a vibrant homeschool community, this is a HUGE plus for us.
- Healthy culture like yoga studios, a great YMCA or gym, healthy eateries, people out running, walking their dogs, etc.
- Artsy culture with pottery studios, thrift stores, dance studios for classes, etc.

We would specifically LOVE any feedback on whether Virginia or North Carolina seems like a better fit, if you have any experience there. Otherwise, please provide information about any towns/cities that might be a good fit so we can put together an itinerary for a trip. We already have Charlottesville and Richmond on our list, so any feedback there is also appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!

[webster]

When it comes to coastal communities in either state, flooding is an issue as is sea level rising. Tidewater is affected by rising sea levels and subsidence. https://education.nationalgeographic...hesapeake-bay/

Localities in VA are responding; as an example see below. https://www.vims.edu/ccrm/advisory/c...eake/index.php

This is VIMS interactive map: https://cmap22.vims.edu/AdaptVA/AdaptVA_viewer.html

Henrico is diverse, tolerant with a diverse immigrant communities, but it is definitely suburban. Richmond City Council is on PBS TV once a month. VA has a unique political structure in that cities are independent of counties. Thus, Henrico and Richmond have separate governments, separate police and fire and even have separate 911 systems.

[Middlin]

Farmville, VA checks a lot of your boxes

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by moderatelycrunchy

Hello everyone — my husband and I are hoping to relocate from New England and we are hoping for suggestions. We are in our early 30s, college-educated, homeschool, are moderately crunchy, and have a combined salary of approximately 160k. We work remotely, so finding employment where we move is not an issue.

I posted in the General U.S. Forum and received some great advice to narrow down our search. It seems like Virginia and North Carolina are the two best fits for what we are looking for, so we are hoping to make a list of cities / towns and take a trip to narrow down our search a bit more.

What we are hoping to find:

Environment
- Sunny & mild winters
- Near a body of water, ideally ocean, but okay with lakes / rivers
- Near hikes & long scenic walks
- Nice scenery, trees in neighborhoods, etc. We prefer the feel of an older city/town that has nice architecture and a pleasant place to walk around.
- Few, if any, strip malls / chain restaurants — access to shopping is not important to us.

Politics/Religion
- We are libertarians who lean liberal on most social issues (pro choice, pro gay rights, anti mask mandates, anti compelled speech, etc.) and would like to have opportunities to make like-minded friends.
- We are nonreligious and don’t want to live in an area where church is the heart of the community and it’s difficult to fit in without taking part.

Culture/Community Feel
- A sense of community where people stop to have a conversation and say hi when walking the dog. General friendliness and openness.
- Lots of millennials / young families.
- An amazing farmer’s market / CSA.
- Things to do that don’t involve bars / drinking. Happy to go there with friends occasionally, but not constantly.
- Good schools are a plus, but we homeschool so we wouldn't need them for academics. If there is a vibrant homeschool community, this is a HUGE plus for us.
- Healthy culture like yoga studios, a great YMCA or gym, healthy eateries, people out running, walking their dogs, etc.
- Artsy culture with pottery studios, thrift stores, dance studios for classes, etc.

We would specifically LOVE any feedback on whether Virginia or North Carolina seems like a better fit, if you have any experience there. Otherwise, please provide information about any towns/cities that might be a good fit so we can put together an itinerary for a trip. We already have Charlottesville and Richmond on our list, so any feedback there is also appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!

Your criteria screams Carrboro NC and nails each of them. https://visitcarrboro.com/

[16 Acres]

Originally Posted by moderatelycrunchy

We are nonreligious and don’t want to live in an area where church is the heart of the community and it’s difficult to fit in without taking part.

In most communities in Virginia, there is a Church just about every other mile. We are proud of our Bible Belt status.

[moderatelycrunchy]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Your criteria screams Carrboro NC and nails each of them. https://visitcarrboro.com/

Thanks for the link. Carrboro is definitely on our list. We've been recommended to check out the triangle, but I will say I find it a bit overwhelming to figure out how to really differentiate any of the areas from each other in that spot.

[moderatelycrunchy]

Originally Posted by 16 Acres

In most communities in Virginia, there is a Church just about every other mile. We are proud of our Bible Belt status.

I'm happy for those who find community in church -- with that said, since we are not church-goers, we want to live somewhere where there are lots of other opportunities to socialize outside of church events.

[VA Outdoorsman]

You could probably fit in anywhere in NC or VA given your criteria, although neither state is the poster child for Libertarianism. The South tends to be way more socially conservative and religious-minded than your typical socially liberal/fiscally conservative Libertarian area from the Northeast. That said, college towns and cities will give you a mix of both so you won't ever feel left out if that's what you prefer.


Raleigh and NoVa will be the two most entrenched liberal areas in each state. You can achieve a better balance politically/socially in Richmond or Charlotte, at least those areas allow for some sort of dissent against woke or the insane leftist mandates, yet are socially liberal enough for you to care about the other things you mentioned.


Good luck!

[ersatz]

Based on what you said, you could also be interested in Staunton and in the Blacksburg areas of Virginia. Both of them lie along Interstate 81, which makes them easy to get to. Both are college towns, which means they have a healthy population of liberals as well as conservatives. Both of them are situated in rolling foothill country, near lakes and rivers, with great hiking trails.

I visit Staunton once in a while, and I always have fun when I do (the Shakespeare reproduction theater is awesome https://americanshakespearecenter.co...ars-playhouse/) but I know the Blacksburg area well. I am particularly partial to nearby Floyd, VA. Once upon a time, there were hippy communes nearby, so folks tend to be very accepting of all sorts of people, both liberal and conservative, especially those who are into artisanal crafts, and self-sufficiency. There has been a Friday night jamboree at the General Store for decades, and in the summer when the weather is nice, the music spills out into the streets and people just enjoy themselves.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...DF87&FORM=VIRE

There is a really small but nice Farmers Market on Saturday. Blacksburg has a nice farmers market on Wednesdays and Saturdays too and also hosts a local acoustic music jam at that location. Thanks to Virginia Tech, the area also supports a number of advanced technical jobs and eco-research.
Blacksburg lies in the New River Valley, near the Appalachian Trail. There are all sorts of hiking trails in the area. There are white water rivers and Smith Mountain Lake not too far away. If you are interested in Floyd, check out the street view feature on Google Maps to explore how beautiful the country road nearby truly are.

I love the mountains, but I love the ocean just as much. I could not possibly pick between one or the other. I live in Northern Virginia, which has its pros and cons, but I am always within a three hour drive from the mountains or the ocean beaches. Virginia Beach is five hours from Floyd, when the traffic is good (spoiler alert – it usually isn’t.)

If you have more questions, feel free to PM me.

[spencer114]

Originally Posted by 16 Acres

In most communities in Virginia, there is a Church just about every other mile. We are proud of our Bible Belt status.

BS. Florida is the only southern state LESS religious than Virginia.