Best Small Town in Virginia

Old Dec 15th, 2005, 02:16 PM
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Best Small Town in Virginia

We are on a search for a retirement town and are considering VA.

With subzero temps and 36" of snow last Fri with another storm on the way tomorrow, I can't stop thinking about the day we can move to a milder climate!

Our requirements?

Under 50K or so population (although we are open to bigger if there are defined neighborhoods, but definitely under 100K)

Safe (No problem with violent crime)

MILD 3-4 season climate (sick of freezing temps!!) with low snowfall, if any

Cultural offerings - theatre, art galleries, library, possibly college nearby
Recreational offerings

Nice surrounding towns with things to do - not some great town stuck in the middle of nowhere

Within an hour of an airport

Active community

Vibrant downton

Things going on - festivals, house tours, farmers markets, etc.

Public transit (this is a wish, not a requirement)

Walkable town

Historic

Attractive

Moderate housing costs (anything under 375K is reasonable to us)

Charming/quaint

Good restaurants/shops in town and surrounding (not filled with chains and strip malls)

Good hospital in town

Advanced medical care nearby

Great architecture - we love old historic homes

Good vet, preferably a 24-hr animal hospital

Close to a larger city would be nice, but not a requirement as long as there is enough to do where we live

So far our list is as follows:

Charlottesville
Staunton
Lexington
Winchester
Abingdon

Please comment on any of these as to how they relate to our "wish" list.

Please also feel free to suggest others we may not have considered. Let us know why you like places, or why you don't.

We live in a town right now of 20K, which is very historic (1700 and 1800s era), and very quaint, with lots of activities going on. The downtown has brick and cobble streets, with lots of cute shops and restaurants, antique stores, bookstores, etc. housed in historic buildings. There are more historic Federalist homes here than any other town in the country.

We live in a house built in 1795 where we can walk to town, which we love. There's a great library in town, a live theatre, and 5 strip malls on the edge of town which have stores like KMart, CVS, White Hen, Ritz Camera, Marshalls, drycleaners, banks, pet food stores, liquor stores, hardware store, AAA, etc.

There's a very friendly small-town feel, but not so small we feel everyone knows our business. We are 45 minutes to Boston, and 30 minutes to smaller cities where we both work. The towns surrounding us are smaller, but equally beautiful and historic. Although it is definitely a "moneyed" town, people here are not snobby or uppity.

I'm not trying to "duplicate" our town, just the ambience. We want somewhere special. My hubby says despite the cold and snow, we are NOT moving unless we can find something as charming and nice as where we live now.

My husband says I would love the landscape of VA, and looking forward to our visit in April to C'ville. I am also very much looking forward to hearing from everyone.
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Old Dec 15th, 2005, 02:19 PM
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Forgot one -

we are also considering Waynesboro based on the suggestion of someone on this board.
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Old Dec 15th, 2005, 03:39 PM
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Every town you mentioned except Cville is in the I-81 corridor, and all got hit with the snow and ice storm today, even Cville has ice.
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Old Dec 15th, 2005, 03:57 PM
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We don't mind snow and ice, just not to the extent we get here.

We get 60" of snow a year, with brutally cold temps. Last winter we had many days that were 20 below with wind chill.

I believe that C'ville and surrounding get much less snow (??) and temps are not as frigid. Please correct me if I am wrong!!

Key is "milder".... less snow, warmer temps.
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Old Dec 15th, 2005, 04:13 PM
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Hi!,

I currently live in Leesburg, Virginia. It's in Loudoun County. Which has a lot of charming towns.
Leesbug, Middleburg, RoundHill * Purcelleville. Leesburg is surrounded by suburbia. But the town itself is separate. I can walk to town and do so often for wine tastings, or to look around the shops. Lot of antiques, but I always drive 5 miles away to Lucketts to get the cheap stuff. Lots of vinyards in the area. It's pretty pricey here as it's a suburb of D.C even though it's about an hour away. We have a movie theater in town as well. It's old and has a balcony, super cute. We have a great outlet mall outside of town (well considered Leesburg, but when I say Leesburg, I am thinking of The Historic District). Loudoun County(especially Middleburg) is Horse Country. There are some really nice parks.

Anywho just a thought. The town has a website http://www.leesburgva.gov/.

Saying this I am contemplating a move to a City. I am single and have lived in Virginia all my life and am ready for a change. But I still like Leesburg. It's cutesy historic, and still very friendly.

The other towns you mentioned sounded great too, and are likely less expensive.

I would also consider Fredericksburg, VA. Very nice Historic district on the river. I used to live there and loved it. College(not a huge University but a good size college) right in town. Suburbia surrounds it, but the town remains nice. You are close to History, and hour from D.C. Beautiful old buildings, country is nearby too.

Anywho this is my first post and very long I'll try to better next time.

They are probably bigger than you are thinking of (I actually don't know) but both Leesburg and Fredericksburg have old historic districts that are well defined.
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Old Dec 15th, 2005, 04:34 PM
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Suggest you check out Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Newport News.
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Old Dec 15th, 2005, 05:20 PM
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We live on the coast now, and love it. We really are water people, but we are trying to avoid the really hot, humid summers, which we've heard the coast has.

We were hoping inland wasn't quite so humid.
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Old Dec 15th, 2005, 05:22 PM
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I think Charlottesville is the closest to your requirements. It does snow, but nothing like Boston!! It is expensive. It may run higher than your 375 for what you want, but compared to Boston, it is a lot cheaper. It has a cute town with cobblestone streets. I would say it is more liberal and artsy than compared to my area just west of Richmond. You would be one hour from Richmond. You would be about two hours from DC (maybe less than that). I don't know about crime rates. The University of VA has a great hospital attached to it. There is a ton of historical places in the area. This is Thomas Jefferson's home place (Monticello) is nearby. I would say the climate in Charlottesville is relatively mild. You get more snow than we do, but not that much. Springs and falls are generally long with fall being the best time of year.
You really have to visit to see if you would like it. It does get hot and humid in the summer and that was the biggest adjustment for me (I came from NJ). But it is getting hotter and more humid in the summer there too.
Moving to VA with our kids was the best move for us. We have really enjoyed living here. My parents retired in Williamsburg and don't love it. It was just not the right place for them. I think they would have liked Charlottesville more.
So, the only way to decide is to come for a visit!!
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Old Dec 15th, 2005, 05:25 PM
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You were typing the same time as me! You mentioned you live on the coast. Va Beach is probably not what you would be looking for. The Hampton roads/Newport news area the other poster mentioned has a lot of traffic. I doubt you would find that appealing. Just had to add my 2cents!
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Old Dec 16th, 2005, 02:42 AM
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We've got a visit planned for mid April. Can't wait to see the area!
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Old Dec 16th, 2005, 02:51 AM
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p.s. Someone mentioned Culpeper, Manassas and Lynchburg to us.

Worth considering?
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Old Dec 16th, 2005, 04:18 AM
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I can't help with these other towns. I am not a native Virginian, but I can tell you something. I find that when you get any real distance from a city, it gets country really fast. I live in the suburbs of Richmond. The west/southside of Richmond city is a big area of suburbs with good schools and lots of neighborhoods. I am just south of the James River. I cross over the line from Chesterfield county into Powhatan county and the landscape changes dramatically. About 10 miles into Powhatan and you are in a very country area. It is pretty, but remote. It is not for me. I like a nice setting, but I need stores and people not too far away. So, keep that in mind. You are from a big metropolitan area and are used to all of your suburbs of Boston being hip and up to date even if the buildings are not. Get too far away from a city in VA, and it won't be hip or up to date. Some people look for that and others would go crazy! Just a thought.
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Old Dec 16th, 2005, 04:45 AM
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wanderer, the weather in Virginia in the summer is very hot and humid.

That said, I went to college in Lynchburg and it is a gorgeous, historic little town. It is 45 minutes for C'ville, two hours from Richmond, and three from DC. Ten miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
 
Old Dec 16th, 2005, 06:54 AM
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You asked me about Charlottesville and Fredricksburg on another thread. I am the one who is seriously considering moving to Winchester. Fredericksburg might fit what you are looking for- very charming small college town. We would consider it except it is more expensive than what we are looking for. Charlottesville is very nice, but it is bigger and more commercial than we want. You might consider Culpeper. Our son is moving there and took us to see it a couple of weeks ago. It is very attractive, but I don't think it would have the activities that you are looking for. It is very close to Warrenton which probably has more activities and it is about fifty miles from Charlottesville. Of all the places you have mentioned, I think that Winchester and Fredricksburg would best fit your description. Someone mentioned Middleburg. My mother is from that area and it is a charming small town. However, so many wealthy people have moved there from other areas, and housing prices have go up so much that it is probably well over your price range.

As far as the humidity is concerned, we think that is is only bad during the month of August except on the coast. Of course we currently live in Louisiana where there is high humidity year round! At any rate we find Virginia to be very comfortable most of the year.
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Old Dec 16th, 2005, 07:03 AM
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Wanderer, approaching retirement and living in eastern MA, we're going through the same issues. We've looked all over and its certainally an overwhelming and daunting task. Your list put into words all the things we're considering. Thanks for being so organized and good luck.
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Old Dec 16th, 2005, 07:43 AM
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If you want generally mild weather all year, you'll probably want to stick to the central strip of VA (Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, and surrounding areas). The areas near the coast tend to get a little more hot and humid and the areas in the west (closer to the mountains) are more brutal in winter.

I grew up in Virginia Beach, went to William and Mary for college, lived in Northern VA for 2 years after graduate school, and have just this past spring moved to Charlottesville.

I have honestly found something to love in every area. I'd really like to move back to the Virginia Beach area someday (I miss the beach!) - it is obviously a larger town than you are looking for but there are smaller neighborhoods that might feel more homey. However, you won't find a downtown (Norfolk pretty much serves as the downtown for Virginia Beach). Other than that and the weather, it might have potential.

Williamsburg also seems like a town that might fit your description. It does get humid there as well, if that is a major issue. The "downtown" is Merchants Square and Colonial Williamsburg - nice area to stroll but also can have a lot of tourists if that bothers you. Also, unless it's changed since I've been there, the hospital in W'burg leaves a lot to be desired.

I did like the northern VA area because there was SO much going on. However, the traffic is terrible! I'd watch out for any of the rapidly expanding NoVA suburbs...when I was working in the area I had colleagues who were commuting from as far away as Fredericksburg.

I've lived in these places at such different times of my life, but I've always felt like I could "fit in" and was never bored.
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Old Dec 16th, 2005, 07:52 AM
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Williamsburg has a large community of retired folks.
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Old Dec 16th, 2005, 01:41 PM
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Thanks everyone for all of your help.

Which areas on our list would be considered "central strip" and which more brutal in the winter?

We need to be careful with extremely hot and humid, as my husband has asthma, that's why we ruled out anything right on the coast.

We definitely want a downtown also, so I think have ruled out Williamsburg.
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Old Dec 16th, 2005, 01:43 PM
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p.s. to girlonthego

Good point. Yes, I would not like isolated and outdated. I like hip and updated.

We do like country, but I guess you would define our style as "upscale country", i.e., Sonoma CA, Yountville CA, St. Helena CA, where the landscape is definitely rural but there's upscale shopping and restaurants and things to do.
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Old Dec 16th, 2005, 03:35 PM
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Hey, can you guess where I live?
I live in a small town about 45 minutes away from Fredericksburg and although I like a faster pace life I still would not consider moving there.And I'm 22!It's nice for shopping and I love the downtown area(very historic and cute shops).The town itself was not planned out very well.Hence, you have alot of congested traffic in a relatively small area;causing a wee bit of chaos.Also, it's not generally thought of to be a retirement area.Hope that helps.Personally, (though in the mountains)I like C'ville.Did anyone mention Staunton?Hmm.
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