Roanoke v. Lynchburg (Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Bristol: 2014, crime, hotel)

[Cville2RoanokeWahoo]

And while I'm on this posting barrage: Happy New Year, everyone!

[Watchful]

So we spend several years trying to decide where to relocate for last chapter of career and then retirement - coming from the Houston area - and we wound up in Roanoke - so we are definitely biased. In addition, I know fairly little about Lynchburg #disclaimer. Having said that - here are my thoughts on your categories!

1) Education.

Probably fairly similar. Mrs. Watchful is a teacher, and for this first year she is having to settle for subbing. She had a few good interviews - but we moved here the last week of June, so there was not a lot of time to get in the mill. One suggestion - she had offered to fly up for face to face interviews and was told that was not necessary. Now I wish she had come on up. Honestly, I can't imagine a huge difference between L'burg and R'noke on this one.

2) Culture.

We love the opportunities here in Roanoke - museums, theatres, etc. The Kirk Avenue Music Hall is a jewel for seeing various musicians, as is the Jefferson Center. I'm sure there is quite a bit in Lynchburg as well. The children's museum in Lynchburg comes highly touted and I plan to visit in '14. The proximity of the little town of Floyd is a plus for us.

3) Transportation.

Amtrak is coming to Roanoke in the next couple of years. Right now you can take a very easy bus shuttle and catch the Lynchburg train to DC/NY/Boston. Lynchburg still has better service. Great shuttle bus to Blacksburg from Roanoke for only $4. I don't know about the public transit in Lynchburg but here in Roanoke it is tolerable for those who have no vehicle - definitely better than nothing - but I do not see the bus system catering to people who have a choice, with the exception of the higher frequency (free) "Star Line" that runs from downtown to Roanoke Memorial Hospital. No park and rides or anything like that. Don't know about L'burg.

4) Cost of living.

Reasonable in Roanoke. Can't imagine it will be much different in L. One big difference for us (compared to Houston) is that we drive MANY fewer miles because the metro area is so compact!

5) Economy.

Not aware of much difference here. The areas south of here (Martinsville, Danville, etc.) had a lot higher unemployment due to closed plants, etc.

6) Weather.

We were SO excited to get away from the long, hot, sticky summers in the Houston area that we will never complain about the weather here. You will have the opposite experience coming from Milwaukee. Here in Roanoke we giggle when they complain about a random hot day in the summer! I would guess it is just a touch milder in the winter in Lynchburg, and just a touch warmer in the summer in Lynchburg. Blacksburg would be just the opposite - colder winter and not so hot in the summer. Roanoke definitely gets some cold in the winter but it comes and goes. Some winters little to no snow at all. Some winters it can be quite strong!

7) Crime.

Things happen, but Roanoke seems quite safe. There is a significant homeless population in Roanoke, but there are also excellent services available (such as the Rescue Mission). Don't know about Lynchburg.

8) People.

There is certainly a broad range represented in Roanoke, but it is very easy to find a progressive crowd to "hang with" here in Roanoke. Start listening to WVMP online - great music mix and exposure to more progressive scene - Home | 101.5 the valley's music place

Lynchburg definitely oozes a much more traditional vibe overall due to Liberty University and the Falwell tradition. Others have said that Lynchburg has the same broad range, but honestly I would never have considered moving to Lynchburg, and the Liberty factor is a big part of that. I was moving away from an area near Houston where the Tea Party was entrenched, and I would never have considered jumping into that again.

9) Resources.

Start listening to WVMP online - great music mix and exposure to more progressive scene of Roanoke - Home | 101.5 the valley's music place

I LOVE the redevelopment of old buildings that is taking place in Roanoke. Read this article!
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/us...town.html?_r=0
Ed Walker is a jewel!

I still like this film from a few years ago. (The filmmaker - Noah Hutton - is the son of actor Timothy Hutton.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3NsB6RSVzY

Do a search for posts by badger74 - this person has offered a good perspective on positive attributes of Lynchburg in the past.

If you are looking for a "progressive" vibe, Roanoke City will likely be more to your taste than Roanoke County, unless you really prefer suburbs. For example, in election years, the City definitely trends blue and the County definitely trends red. I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions. Raleigh Court, Old Southwest and downtown proper will be the neighborhoods to begin looking.

Honestly, the topography of the two areas is significantly different. The foothills surrounding the Lynchburg area are very beautiful...but we wanted to be IN the Blue Ridge - and we love being surrounded by the mountains but also having some of the relatively flat spaces of the valley.

[Francis.]

Originally Posted by Cville2RoanokeWahoo

This isn't at all accurate, on any level. Young professionals are constantly flocking to the Charlottesville area, whereas Roanoke is generally known to have an older population. Also, a quick look at income numbers, population trends, and a simple drive through both areas clearly tell the tale of which is more economically vibrant.

Albemarle County is one of the quickest growing, most prosperous counties in VA, whereas the Roanoke area's population isn't changing. Every time I go to Charlottesville, a new neighborhood is being constructed. The same can't be said for the Roanoke valley. Also, Roanoke is struggling with a "brain drain" in which young, educated professionals (outside of the medical field) are being forced to leave the area due to a lack of white collar jobs. This isn't an issue in Charlottesville.

ok well I know there are better engineering companies and jobs in both Roanoke and Lynchburg than Charlottesville. I think those count as white collar jobs.

[CapsChick]

The Roanoke Region website is an excellent resource for information about living and working in Roanoke. Don't accept the opinions of folks here as gospel. Roanoke and Blacksburg are forging closer ties for technology and research.

See this link: ROANOKE REGION ACHIEVES HIGHEST ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE RANKING

In terms of LGBT acceptance, Wikipedia lists Lynchburg as one of the "buckles" of the Bible Belt, FWIW. However I have no specific knowledge on the differences between the LGBT communities in the two cities.

Good luck with your decision. I love Roanoke!

[springgrl]

Originally Posted by CapsChick

In terms of LGBT acceptance, Wikipedia lists Lynchburg as one of the "buckles" of the Bible Belt, FWIW. However I have no specific knowledge on the differences between the LGBT communities in the two cities.

Interestingly, I have many more friends who are part of the LGBT community (and open about it) here in Lynchburg than I have after spending 25 years in NoVA. If you would like more info and find you are definitely interested in Lynchburg, send me a PM and I'll ask some of my friends if they have better resources.

[Watchful]

One other thing re cost of living - it seems to me that the downtown condos in Roanoke come at a pretty high price, while the ones being rented as apartments are fairly reasonable.

For example...
A CONDO The Candy Factory | Downtown Roanoke, VA

and A RENTAL The Cotton Mill | Downtown Roanoke, VA

One interesting thing is that the old buildings that are remodeled into apartments do not immediately go up for sale as condos - because in order to qualify for the historic tax credits that make the projects feasible, they aren't allowed to turn around and immediately re-sell them as condos. (At least that's the way I understand it!)

The apartments seem to be fill up very quickly!

[badger74]

Downtown Lynchburg continues to improve. I prefer the homes and neighborhoods of L over R as well as the location somewhat closer to more interesting things. Also economy is more diversified. Most else similar.

Revitalization group heralds growth in downtown Lynchburg - NewsAdvance.com : Local News

[roanoker 4]

The interesting fact about the gentrification of downtown Roanoke is that most of downtowns' older buildings & warehouses are quickly filling up. I am wondering when new construction will add to the approximately 2000 people who live downtown. I understand a pharmacy is u/c and more grocery shops have opened. The definition of downtown has been expanded southward to the Va Tech Research Medical complex with construction of The Bridges, similar in my view of Wyndhurst in Lynchburg. I see a lot of new faces downtown, many more tourists but mostly Va Tech people. I believe more New River valley students will come downtown when the Amtrak service connects us finally to DC. Blacksburg-Roanoke-Lynchburg-Charlottesville-DC train service will add to more business prospects within the state. Virginia is finally seeing intra city rail as an economic engine.

[Francis.]

Originally Posted by roanoker 4

The interesting fact about the gentrification of downtown Roanoke is that most of downtowns' older buildings & warehouses are quickly filling up. I am wondering when new construction will add to the approximately 2000 people who live downtown. I understand a pharmacy is u/c and more grocery shops have opened. The definition of downtown has been expanded southward to the Va Tech Research Medical complex with construction of The Bridges, similar in my view of Wyndhurst in Lynchburg. I see a lot of new faces downtown, many more tourists but mostly Va Tech people. I believe more New River valley students will come downtown when the Amtrak service connects us finally to DC. Blacksburg-Roanoke-Lynchburg-Charlottesville-DC train service will add to more business prospects within the state. Virginia is finally seeing intra city rail as an economic engine.

lol at intra city rail being an economic engine. just another government boondoogle where other people will be subsidizing middle class transportiation choices.

[sregorat3]

Originally Posted by Cville2RoanokeWahoo

This isn't at all accurate, on any level. Young professionals are constantly flocking to the Charlottesville area, whereas Roanoke is generally known to have an older population. Also, a quick look at income numbers, population trends, and a simple drive through both areas clearly tell the tale of which is more economically vibrant.

Albemarle County is one of the quickest growing, most prosperous counties in VA, whereas the Roanoke area's population isn't changing. Every time I go to Charlottesville, a new neighborhood is being constructed. The same can't be said for the Roanoke valley. Also, Roanoke is struggling with a "brain drain" in which young, educated professionals (outside of the medical field) are being forced to leave the area due to a lack of white collar jobs. This isn't an issue in Charlottesville.

You might want to check your stats. Cville has density, but as a metro it is smaller than Roanoke and Lynchburg. There are underlying problems with the growth in Cville that neither Lynchburg or Roanoke have to deal with, density being one of them. In terms of growth, the city of Lynchburg outpaces both Cville and Roanoke by a wide margin, having seen more than a 20% increase in population since the year 2000, rising from 66,000 to just under 80,000. Albemarle is growing rapidly and the surrounding areas around Lynchburg are growing, though at a slower pace, but to suggest that growth is only being seen in the Cville area is way off base. I guess when you squeeze 40,000 people into the confines of Cville, it's density makes it seem larger. Yes, Cville has some great new places and its demographics are more appealing to some of the newer upscale retailers, but some of those retailers would fair just as well in Lynchburg or Roanoke. Cville also has a trendy little downtown strip, but both Roanoke and Lynchburg have downtowns where people actually work, and neither have a skeleton of a building. Lastly, crime is somewhat of an issue for Cville, so if I were looking based on that, Lynchburg would place well above Roanoke and Cville.