Looking at the Bland County area....opinions? (Roanoke, Blacksburg: for sale, homes)

[Dr.Jim]

Greetings,
I am going to be relocating very soon and have been doing tons of web research on homes for sale and areas spanning central VA into eastern WV.

I will spare you all the WV questions...

In general I am looking to live in an area with epic rural scenery and mountains.
I love nature, and want no neighbors in view, with woods and hiking available.
I do not need nightlife per se' and do not mind a 30-45 minute drive to 'a town with a movie theater or walmart'.
I do love the idea of some of the 'quaint', historic, old fashioned towns I have seen via the web.

A particular area that I am looking at is the Bland county area, I have my eye on a home about halfway between Wytheville, and Roanoke(sp) on little creek rd,.....it appears to be between 2 mountain ridges, and the home property backs up to the Jeff. Nat. Forest.

Anyone have any thoughts or opinions on this general area? Is it a 'depressed' area? Are people friendly? Any thoughts on just how 'rugged and beautiful' the mountains are here vs. other areas?
Any info at all would be very much appreciated!

Another home I am looking at is in Woolwine. On Charity hwy, about 10 miles from the BRP, and maybe 7 miles east of Mabry Mill.....
Anyone have any opinions on this area as well?

Thanks!

[seanpecor]

Woolwine strikes a positive chord with me. Anything near to Mabry Mill (Meadows of Dan) will have some views and friendly country neighbors. Plenty of hiking everywhere in Roanoke and surrounding counties continuing westward, that's for sure.

If you love the idea of quaint historic towns then stick closer to towns like Rocky Mount but far enough into rural areas (Ferrum, Callaway) so you can get away from neighbors through the acquisition of a large enough or a wooded property. That might even include Giles County, north of Blacksburg. Real epic views up there too. I drove alot of Giles when we were horse farm shopping. After looking at properties in Giles and Montgomery we jumped ship and selected a farm in Boones Mill and we're quite happy here, although this area is not as secluded as I believe you're looking for.

However, if you're open to building I am aware of a 300 acre farm being developed by the owner as a green community (http://www.fsboroanoke.com/house_det...house_id=1280). I gather the lots offer privacy and that sense of seclusion w/ a minimal impact on the surrounding woods. This is not going to be a traditional subdivision; the land itself is pretty well removed from throughways and with the hills we have here, it's not hard to obtain neighbor-free views. I know her prime homestead has some epic rural views given the home's location on a mountain ridge; whether or not she's going to make lots along that ridge is unknown to me, but you'd have my view and perhaps a bit more given she's about 200' higher than I am.

http://www.oakhillstablesva.com/images/photo_cahas.jpg (broken link)

Hope this helps,

Sean

[KewGee]

I'm wondering how far away from the NASCAR raceway in Martinsville does one have to be to avoid all the noise, crowds, and all the melee that goes along with it? Would Patrick County be too close or would any of the counties that border Henry be too near it?

Some place on one of these threads, I read that a person who lived quite a distance from Martinsville could still hear the racket. I may be wrong, but I think they even lived in a different county.

[seanpecor]

Race cars are loud but even on a clear cool morning you probably wouldn't be able to hear a thing if you were 7 or more miles away as the crow flies. Probably even 5 miles would be sufficient. There is a short track in Callaway (Franklin County Speedway) that's probably 6 miles from me as the crow flies and I can't a hear a thing when they're running.

Even if you heard something at 5 miles, it would be mostly the low frequency sounds, like very distant rumbles of thunder. The mid-frequency sounds wouldn't make it that far.

Sean

[Dr.Jim]

Aside from the NASCAR thread hi-jack ;-) Anyone else have any thoughts about the Bland county area? I am looking at a property on Little Creek Rd,...halfway between Wytheville and Roanoke...

And the other property is in Woolwine,....about 8 miles from the Parkway and Mabry Mill.....?

thx!

[jdodson]

Bland County is a paradise. Beautiful land, perfect climate, and wonerful people. It has zoning. Little Creek is a shale valley next to Wythe County and a little cut off from the rest of Bland County. Check out www.bland.org for more information. I moved up from down south 25 years ago and have never regretted it.

jd

[crockettscove]

You will love this area without a doubt.....but this just my opinion.

[Dr.Jim]

I agree, Little Creek is beautiful.

Thanks to all that answered, we ended up getting a place in the mountains outside of Elkton adjoining the Shenandoah Natl Park. Great views, and better yet...endless hiking and camping right off my property into SNP, with no hunters to ever worry about.

thx again,