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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.
All 3 cities have different things to offer and all can make great homes. Cville has the upper end shopping and amenities, but the expense of living there is quite high. (compared to the other two) And it is still a college town which can be a good or bad thing to someone. Lynchburg has grown alot since 2000 and is a great place to live especially if you agree with teachings of a religious college.. You don't have to be that way and most in lynchburg are accepting either way. They are also trying to get their downtown back up and going. Roanoke seems to have hit a downtown rebirth and is actually growing a decent clip this past two years or so. It should continue to grow with amtrack, the new developments of downtown (the bridges etc) and the continued partnership with VT. (drones research, the medical school etc).
As far as growth, according to Forbes the net migration in cville was first among the 3 at +1600. Roanoke was next a +1420 and then lynchburg right there at +1310. Now this is for the metros not the individual cities. The point I am trying to make is the one I said earlier. All three are growing areas with something going for them and something going against them.
Back to R v L
Neighborhoods: Roanoke's popular areas are SW city or country. NE city has bunch of shopping and some good neighborhoods. Like any city there are bad parts (some of SE and NW roanoke), but to me its not bad. I'm not big on lynchburg neighborhoods, but I know of boonsborro (sp?) which is a great neighborhood.
Transportation: Lynchburg has amtrak right now while roanoke is still setting everything up for it. If you want a federal interstate near by roanoke has 81 and Lynchburg doesn't have one...yet. (however 29 is a heavily traveled road especially NOVA) Airports are small in both cities but can get you to most major cities and other destinations. Roanoke had about 310,000 commerical passengers in 2012-2013. I'm not sure how L does with the airport but im sure its up there as well. (someone correct me if I'm wrong).
Jobs: Roanoke has more transportation/medical jobs while lynchburg is hitting some of the tech sectors well right now. Roanoke has some tech jobs and Lynchburg has medical/ transportation so its not all black and white. Each city just has its own.
Shopping depends on what you want. R and L are similar minus some restaurants and a few stores... If having a gap in your city matters (not me but whatever) then roanoke would suit you better. The same if you want a J crew warehouse in your city Lynchburg is better than roanoke. Hardcore Steak n shake fan? Then maybe roanoke looks better to you. Roanoke has Valley view mall if you want a mall area and tanglewood mall. Valley view is booming and will probably expand with the completion of the new diamond interchange/bridge over 581. Lynchburg has River ridge and it has its ups and downs. Hopefully someone can help me with that mall and how its doing.
Outdoors: Both cities have wonderful outdoor amentites that rival the best in the state. However this is where I think Roanoke and lynchburg seperate from each other. To me Roanoke has pushed well ahead of Lynchburg when it comes outdoor activites. Parks, the greenway, the AT and more. Lynchburg has plenty to do outdoors but I think roanoke is a step ahead in that regard.
And the little things such as weather is pretty much the same. The urban area of roanoke stays about the same as Lynchburg maybe a few degrees here and there, but the mtns in the roanoke area can differ by quite a bit.
I think your best bet is to come down and experience both areas. You truly can not go wrong, but I think you would like it more in roanoke. (I am biased though ). This area has much to offer to anyone.
Happy location hunting! If you want to know anything from my (biased) Point of view send me a message and I'll help how I can.
After reading all the responses, and a few coin tosses, I'm leaning toward Roanoke city. If anything, I'll try it out and if I don't like it, Lynchburg is an hour away.
Thank you so much for the responses! Everyone, even the defenders of Charlottesville, was very helpful. (Even though I don't plan to move there, I think I'll definitely spend some time visiting there. Sounds like a nice area.)
We looked at C'ville and found it overly expensive, bad traffic, and lacking in nicer older walkable neighborhoods with classic homes from the turn of the century thru the 1930's. We traded all that for a great older neighborhood in Lynchburg at less than half the cost and taxes of Cville. Good enough local shopping and Cville is only an hour away for those few times I need to go to Whole Foods or the like. Our area feels very safe and the money we saved allows us a better retirement lifestyle. The local colleges provide plenty of cheap good quality entertainment and sports also for far less $$$.
As far as growth, according to Forbes the net migration in cville was first among the 3 at +1600. Roanoke was next a +1420 and then lynchburg right there at +1310. Now this is for the metros not the individual cities. The point I am trying to make is the one I said earlier. All three are growing areas with something going for them and something going against them.
Back to R v L
Neighborhoods: Roanoke's popular areas are SW city or country. NE city has bunch of shopping and some good neighborhoods. Like any city there are bad parts (some of SE and NW roanoke), but to me its not bad. I'm not big on lynchburg neighborhoods, but I know of boonsborro (sp?) which is a great neighborhood.
Transportation: Lynchburg has amtrak right now while roanoke is still setting everything up for it. If you want a federal interstate near by roanoke has 81 and Lynchburg doesn't have one...yet. (however 29 is a heavily traveled road especially NOVA) Airports are small in both cities but can get you to most major cities and other destinations. Roanoke had about 310,000 commerical passengers in 2012-2013. I'm not sure how L does with the airport but im sure its up there as well. (someone correct me if I'm wrong).
Jobs: Roanoke has more transportation/medical jobs while lynchburg is hitting some of the tech sectors well right now. Roanoke has some tech jobs and Lynchburg has medical/ transportation so its not all black and white. Each city just has its own.
Shopping depends on what you want. R and L are similar minus some restaurants and a few stores... If having a gap in your city matters (not me but whatever) then roanoke would suit you better. The same if you want a J crew warehouse in your city Lynchburg is better than roanoke. Hardcore Steak n shake fan? Then maybe roanoke looks better to you. Roanoke has Valley view mall if you want a mall area and tanglewood mall. Valley view is booming and will probably expand with the completion of the new diamond interchange/bridge over 581. Lynchburg has River ridge and it has its ups and downs. Hopefully someone can help me with that mall and how its doing.
Outdoors: Both cities have wonderful outdoor amentites that rival the best in the state. However this is where I think Roanoke and lynchburg seperate from each other. To me Roanoke has pushed well ahead of Lynchburg when it comes outdoor activites. Parks, the greenway, the AT and more. Lynchburg has plenty to do outdoors but I think roanoke is a step ahead in that regard.
And the little things such as weather is pretty much the same. The urban area of roanoke stays about the same as Lynchburg maybe a few degrees here and there, but the mtns in the roanoke area can differ by quite a bit.
I think your best bet is to come down and experience both areas. You truly can not go wrong, but I think you would like it more in roanoke. (I am biased though ). This area has much to offer to anyone.
Happy location hunting! If you want to know anything from my (biased) Point of view send me a message and I'll help how I can.
I was just pointing out that Lynchburg is seeing pretty high growth rates. Lynchburg's airport does not have great service, though it is adequate. I think we suffer for being an hour away from Roanoke and an hour away from Cville, both of which have pretty good connections. I do believe that the outdoor scene easily rivals that of Roanoke, and both are pretty tremendous in the way. One thing I might disagree with is the assumption that Liberty and people associated with Liberty dominate the area. While the school is an influence, Lynchburg certainly has a wide range of people and lifestyles.
I was just pointing out that Lynchburg is seeing pretty high growth rates. Lynchburg's airport does not have great service, though it is adequate. I think we suffer for being an hour away from Roanoke and an hour away from Cville, both of which have pretty good connections. I do believe that the outdoor scene easily rivals that of Roanoke, and both are pretty tremendous in the way. One thing I might disagree with is the assumption that Liberty and people associated with Liberty dominate the area. While the school is an influence, Lynchburg certainly has a wide range of people and lifestyles.
Lynchburg is a wonderful area. I never meant to say that lynchburg isn't growing fast, just giving the OP some numbers if that matters to them. Lynchburg does have some great outdoors, but I just feel like roanoke has put more money in and has more resources around it than Lynchburg. Like you said both are a hiker/ outdoor person's dream.
Also I never meant that liberty dominated the area, but there is quite a bit of influence from the college. I made sure to put that whether you agree with a the college or not most are accepting so it would not matter either way. There is nothing wrong with liberty being a influence because they have helped Lynchburg in many ways that I wish Roanoke college could do for salem/roanoke. However, with the support comes some sort of influence. Its not dominating, but that can be a turn off for some people which is why I mention it. It can also help because some people want that in a city. I would take roanoke/lynchburg over any other area in SW/Central Va, but once again.. I'm biased.
Costco, Whole Foods, Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, Bone Fish Grill, Qdoba, White House/Black Market, Chilis would be my
2014 New Year wish list. The new I581 diamond interchange will take 2 years to complete to the future retail development across from Valley View Mall. I expect the economy to improve to make room possible for more retail. Roanoke -Blacksburg is definately on a growth course I concur. Blacksburg is becoming optimistic about its technology manufacturing potential and their new Medical campus in Roanoke has become a big success. The new "outdoor tourism" mantra for Roanoke is attracting more visitors as more Hotels are planned. The Amtrak to Dc, in my view will be a big hit here, like Lynchburg as more people from the rural areas come here to ride the train to DC. A recent study showed many people in the state just do not want to fight the horrific traffic in NoVa (including myself). Hopefully, rail will logically extend to Christiansburg and onward to Bristol.
I was just pointing out that Lynchburg is seeing pretty high growth rates. Lynchburg's airport does not have great service, though it is adequate. I think we suffer for being an hour away from Roanoke and an hour away from Cville, both of which have pretty good connections. I do believe that the outdoor scene easily rivals that of Roanoke, and both are pretty tremendous in the way. One thing I might disagree with is the assumption that Liberty and people associated with Liberty dominate the area. While the school is an influence, Lynchburg certainly has a wide range of people and lifestyles.
That babe who does siderreporting for football games on ESPN Samatha Ponder when to Liberty. That school can't be that bad if she's the average young lady who goes there. lol
Costco, Whole Foods, Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, Bone Fish Grill, Qdoba, White House/Black Market, Chilis would be my
2014 New Year wish list. The new I581 diamond interchange will take 2 years to complete to the future retail development across from Valley View Mall. I expect the economy to improve to make room possible for more retail. Roanoke -Blacksburg is definately on a growth course I concur. Blacksburg is becoming optimistic about its technology manufacturing potential and their new Medical campus in Roanoke has become a big success. The new "outdoor tourism" mantra for Roanoke is attracting more visitors as more Hotels are planned. The Amtrak to Dc, in my view will be a big hit here, like Lynchburg as more people from the rural areas come here to ride the train to DC. A recent study showed many people in the state just do not want to fight the horrific traffic in NoVa (including myself). Hopefully, rail will logically extend to Christiansburg and onward to Bristol.
I sometimes do wonder why Roanoke doesn't offer many of the dining/shopping options that seem almost basic to the majority of other areas of its size. Not to keep obsessing, but Cville, for instance, while smaller, has 6/8 of the options you mentioned. I'm sure they'd also thrive in the Roanoke area.
With that said, I have been MORE THAN IMPRESSED with many of the local eateries/shops in Roanoke. If attracting the aforementioned chains means pushing the local businesses out, no thanks!
Aside from the endless outdoor activities/beautiful natural surroundings, my favorite aspect of Roanoke is its apparent ability to maintain its local/historical/mom-pop charm despite its significant metro population/size. I'm not sure I've experienced many cities that have so masterfully sustained a truly unique, non-cookie cutter vibe (Valley View area being the exception). Yet, if I'm being honest, I sometimes do yearn for more options (namely Bonefish, of the listed restaurants -- the Bang Bang shrimp are dangerously good!).
OP -- as others have eloquently noted, you truly cannot go wrong! There is no wrong answer here. While it's painfully obvious I'm partial to C'ville and Roanoke, I could easily live in Lynchburg as well. As you said, if your first pick doesn't work out, the other 2 are both less than 2 hours away.
If Roanoke is, in fact, the pick, you will come to love the mountain vistas, the humble/hard-working people, and being a part of the continuous rejuvenation of a city with much to offer and tons of potential.
Last edited by Cville2RoanokeWahoo; 01-04-2014 at 12:20 AM..
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). This area has much to offer to anyone. 
