READ if you are asking about where to live in VA (Chesapeake: oceanfront, day care)

[Norcali]

Looking to move in 1-2 years but want to start researching now. Have family in the Leesburg and Purcellville area and would like to be near enough to them with and be in a highly rated school district.

- Engineering manager and project manager can work anywhere with hi-tech.

- Much higher cost of living in Cal so housing prices are not a factor. Need a large house for our brood of 4 kids that is fairly new or new.

- Hate commutes, like land (.5 acres or more), don't want to be in the boonies but need a safe environment for the younger kids. (small city?)

- TOP public schools are a priority. Where are the best school districts? I hear that some of the elementary schools in Loundon and Fairfax counties offer foreign languages. This and a chess club would be a huge plus.

- Community amenities would include swim center and tennis, baseball and basketball leagues. Good libraries and maybe a nice downtown area for walking, eating, etc. Bike trails also a plus. Oh, and Coffee. Lots of good coffee.

- Pie or cake... if it's chocolate, does it really matter? It's all good.

[PerditaFairy]

Hi, I'm in a large inner city in PA and I DO NOT like it here, never really did.

I would like to live in more of a country-like setting, where the homes are spaced apart, there must be significant trees, grass, etc. I would like to live just outside of a major city or in a small city considering it not to be exactly like what I'm trying to leave.

Right now I"m a secretary (haven't been able to find a job in a year and a half), but I'm going to college and would like to go into Accounting or Real Estate. Moreso accounting.

A 20-30 minute drive to and from work is comfortable.

I don't have kids yet but when I do I want them in Private school.

I might like to rent a home initially until I know I am comfortable with the area as I do not know VA at all, I've never even visited. I would like to know the cheapest areas to rent or buy in southern VA not more than 2 hours from the ocean. I suppose anything from $700-$950 rent, or a rent to own anything from $150,000 - $250,000.
Again, I hope not to be laughed at, I know these figures are low, but I do not know what VA has to offer and I'm not working right now so I'm starting low. If my career as an accountant takes off then I'll definately be able to afford a real home.

I appreciate your feedback. Thank you. ~Pansy

[T_Que]

Wytheville is the place! It is absolutely great! I moved here in January from Texas and haven’t regretted a minute! The seasons are gorgeous, it’s the first summer in my lifetime I have spent without experiencing 100 degree weather. A “hot” day is mid 90’s. I worked as a Dental Assistant back home and had many offers here; always see something in the paper looking for Dental Receptionist, Insurance Claims and assistants. I went to work for the Town of Wytheville because I enjoy the perks!

I would be happy to send you some brochures on the area and town if you would like. The best thing about Wytheville is its small community feel. There is low crime, small intimate schools that pay close individual attention to the students, including Christian Academies. My 17 year old son is a Senior at Fort Chiswell High School and loves it. I love the staff. There is also George Wythe High School and I have heard nothing but glowing remarks from parents of their students. We also have two little boys, 6 and 11. They never want for anything to do on the weekends! There are various parks and hiking trails, lots of rivers and creeks in the area, Jefferson National Forest, Big Walker Mountain and Lookout (where they have mountain man storytelling and blacksmith demonstrations as well as old fashion candle making and lotion classes, art exhibits right there on the mountain crest! Beautiful! Last week we took the boys to Virginia City’s Gem Mine Cowboy Days.. with western shootout show, everyone dressed in period costumes, authentic jailhouse and great little shops, they also have a sluice mine for the little kids! That’s only about 10-15 minutes from Wytheville and on the way to Big Walker Mountain Lookout, makes for a great CHEAP weekend! There is the fish hatchery, both state owned and Brackens private ponds that are in a backdrop of historical house and building and beautiful rolling hills and ancient trees where even the smallest tyke is guaranteed to catch a trophy fish! There is also a Dinner Theater (Wohlfahrt Haus) which will be showing 7 Brides for 7 Brothers soon.. I am very excited! They have a matinee which is very affordable. There is also a Safari Park which is small, privately owned and truly a gem with the little bus tours, kids LOVE it because they can hand feed Humphrey the Camel, ostriches, Humphrey’s Best Friend the Zebra, goats, monkeys, wallabees, llamas… and everyone is so nice and personable.

They have one festival after another and I cant wait until next year to start all over again! Chautauqua is GREAT fun for the whole family.. a week long festival with food, entertainment (great for families) contests and show. Then the carnival comes to town.. not like the carnivals we had in Texas.. this one is an entire weekend with some really great rides for both adults and kids. The Heritage Festival is coming up (YAY) and that is a whole week of apple butter making, blacksmithin, weaving.. if they did it back in the “old days” they are going to teach us how to do it during the festival. Everyone dresses in period costumes and are so sweet and considerate. In fact, they had the whole “may-pole” at the festival in May. There is an Indian Village and Museum that has the All Nations Gathering and Pow-Wow.. yep, full head dress dancing contests, rituals, great authentic food.. lots of fun!

The churches are great. We have been attending a young church (under a year old) in Fort Chiswell. I am 35 and I was considered the “old” lady of the group! It is refreshing to see so many teens on fire for Christ! We really enjoy it, it is very inclusive, lots of sharing and fellowship. There are many churches of many denominations and all are welcoming to young families! They also have the Christian Teen Fellowship offered at the school (prior to class and not a school function for clarity, optional!)

The housing is very affordable, we recently purchased a home 12+ acres, 3 bedroom cedar sided cabin with acre pond, creek runs through the property, small guesthouse, rolling hills, covered in hard wood trees, orchard, artesian well, two story.. really great place for 175,000 and they came down from 225,000! Now Is the time to buy if you can. There are some great little houses for rent however and apartments, but very few are listed online. Your best bet is to take a weekend and come on up, get a feel and look around.

Another perk.. the recreation dept.. WOW! It’s the greatest place for families in Southwest Virginia. 6 lane Olympic swimming pool, waterpark with a slide and fountains for the kids, therapy pool, hot tub, basketball courts, racquet ball court, climbing wall, teen center with all the different video games, tvs, computers, air hokey, table tennis, teen fun nights, movie night, weight room, volley ball, team sports like soccer, swim team, softball, tball, baseball, indoor walking track, yoga, dance classes AND child care! All very reasonably priced for families (will send a brochure and price guide if you like as well as a relocation guide) WalMart is here, Lowe’s, Movie Theater, Library (awesome library), Goodys, Old Navy, StarBucks, GameStop, Food City, Food Lion, a golf course, every kind of eatery you can imagine including some AWESOME local flavors like The Log House, Snow House Café and Skeeter Dogs as well as nationwide franchises like Rudy Tuesday, Applebees, Cracker Barrel and Shoney’s. The Kimono Japanese Restaurant with Hibachi Grill and Sushi Bar is wonderful. 1500 Hotel Accommodations are available for visiting family members.

Wytheville is known as “The Crossroads of America” because of its intersection of I81 and I77. Fuel prices stay well below the national average, its down to 3.33 today and diesel is under $4! The key point to its locality is.. not only are you an hour away from the rich offerings of Roanoke, you are also an hour away from Bristol Tennessee in the other direction, an hour south puts you in North Carolina with all of its historical offerings and an hour north you are in West Virginia where bluegrass festivals RULE ! So Wytheville is a centralized locations to many cultures, opportunities and family fun!

Grahamfest is coming up Labor Day weekend.. lots of fun for the whole family, I will be giving the Ghost Mansion Tours in full period costume.. yay! Lots of great music, food and fun, including air jumps for the kids and their very own stage! (three music stages with Confederate RailRoad making an appearance as well as many others) Its a little pricey but is worth it!

Josiah's GrahamFest 2008 - Feel The Spirit

Visit Wytheville! has a list of events and a little more about the attractions and offerings of the town!

**out of breath but excited about Wytheville**
And dont think anyone is laughing at you about your figures being low.. those figures are high for Wytheville. You will be able to find yourself a nice apartment or house for those numbers!

[cloaver02]

my husband and i with our 4 kids are thinking of moving to VA, but we need some help on were to move to that the school are nice and low crime things to do with the kids parks etc. , we want to rent an appartment first, were do you all think is good?.

[bblaine]

-Where you are working...
i am a photographer, my husband is in telecommunications.
-How much you are willing to spend on housing...
rent around $600-700 a month for 2 br...
-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate...
30 minutes 45 minutes tops
-If you have kids: Private school or public school?...
good public school
-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: small town feeling? small city excitement? suburbia delight?...
eh the third one?
-Community amenities important to you...
parks, a lot to do, close to nice malls, walkable, water- lakes, rivers...
-Pie or cake?
depends

we live in myrtle beach and hate it... we don't like living in a town that lives on tourism. people can't drive here. i hate humidity, my husband hates snow but we would rather have some snow than humidity. my family is in pa and ca and his is in sc... i am from san diego, he is from sc, we met in az (i hate dry heat too). we are army veterans and are kind of just starting out so, we dont make a lot of money and we have a daughter who is 14 months. i mainly just want to live in a closeknit neighborhood that is safe for a young family. any suggestions? even out of va? but somewhere between sc and pa?

[wintergoodbye]

My husband was just offered a job in Petersburg, VA (don't know the name of the facility, but he is a registered dietitian). I wasn't too impressed with some of the stats, particularly in that area. I am a CCU nurse and would love to work at a Level I or Level II trauma center (so that will probably be in Richmond). My husband will go ahead if he accepts the job probably this November and just rent a 1 bd apartment and then start doing some house hunting. Next spring, I will relocated with our two little children. The MOST important characteristic for our neighborhood/town would be safety and quality education for our children. Commuting 40 minutes or less would be ideal (for each of us) and our budget should fall around $175,000 to $225,000 for a home.
I have tried to narrow down some choices from the tidbits of details I have picked up from searching the web and wonder what others would suggest for us. Midlothian/Chester are two areas I have been looking at.
Parks and trails are great, but we are willing to travel for these. Malls are definitely NOT necessary. We enjoy being outdoors with the kids and a more rural area would be acceptable.
Oh, and cake for me, pie for the hubby. Kids--BOTH!

[lil_lisa1018]

-Where you are working
my husband is in the navy and is being stationed @ the norfolk navy base
i'm a stay at home mom
-How much you are willing to spend on housing
i've found afew houses we like within our price range but we're currently living in Illinois so i'm trying to get a better idea of the neighborhood before i even look any further.
-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate
probably no more than a half an hour to/from the navy base, less is better
-If you have kids: Private school or public school?
good public school
-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: small town feeling? small city excitement? suburbia delight?
suburbia delight i guess, i grew up on chincoteague island, VA and i love the small town feel, but not THAT small. my husband grew up just outside of philly so he likes the city. mostly i'm trying to find a place close to base for him that i can feel safe with small children even when he's out to sea.
-Community amenities important to you
a mall close by would be good, but parks and outdoors things to do with small children are also important.
safety is my biggest concern, it's been years since i've been anywhere near norfolk but back then it seemed like more big city and high crime rates then i personally am comfortable with. Chesapeake looks more like what i have in mind from what i've seen online, but i can't really tell. i'm also curious about the cost of living in Norfolk and it's surrounding areas.
-Pie or cake?
both!

[pole_bender_00]

Hi, I am looking to move to Virginia with my fiance, he is in the process of getting a job with the Pentagon as a police officer and so we will probably be relocating within the next couple of months. Here is what we are looking for, any help would be greatly appreciated.
-Where you are working
He will be working as a cop with the Pentagon and I am a licensed hairstylist (in Colorado) and am currently working as a Sheriff's Office Dispatcher/jailer
-How much you are willing to spend on housing
We are looking to rent in the country as we have dogs and 2 horses
-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate
we could do an hour, however we would like to make it closer to a half in an area were I could work close to home, doing anything.
-If you have kids: Private school or public school?
No kids
-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: small town feeling? small city excitement? suburbia delight?
We definately need in the country
-Community amenities important to you
The only thing that is important to us is a short commute for me and land for the horses
-Pie or cake?
Pie for both of us, Banana Cream to be exact

[Rosinante]

Originally Posted by EricD

Also, I vote for Pie 100%... Cake is for losers.

Don't forget, Pi are not squared, Pi are round.

[bblaine]

so... we post our situations here and then what?