Lexington area move (Roanoke, Harrisonburg, Blacksburg: real estate, health insurance, houses)

[teaolive3]

My husband and I currently live outside of Chattanooga, TN in a suburb outside of the city but we have always wanted some acreage. Neither of us like the area anymore (getting too crowded, poor infrastructure, traffic, etc) and are eager to get out. We have thought about areas in TN but have been looking into Lexington and think it could possibly work for us. The climate seems much better and it’s a smaller city so less pollution and crowding and land seems affordable. Are there decent paying jobs within a 30 mile drive? I currently work for a large health insurance company and my husband works for a disability insurance company (but has extensive financial experience) We don’t want to move and then struggle but we are really looking for a place that feels like home. The beauty of Lexington when we visited is hard to beat but the job issue is the only thing that could give us pause for the move. If you live around the Lexington area could you please provide insight on living there?

[Carrie987]

Lexington is a gorgeous town, but I don't think there are many large health insurance or disability companies around there. There are two colleges, so if you can get a job at one of those, you'll be set.

We had looked at Lexington before choosing the Blacksburg/Roanoke area. One thing that made us change our minds about living there was that a realtor said it takes over a year to sell a house, so it's not an economically fast-growing place.

[TN Lily]

It is easy to commute to Staunton from Lexington. I don't know if there are the type of employers you are looking for there.


Lexington is very much a college town and a tourist destination. Real estate is expensive in Lexington.



Buena Vista is nearby and it is not as expensive as Lexington, but that town has financial issues connected with a municipal golf course. We looked at houses there and passed. I am sure B.V. has many good points, but to us it looked grungy with many homes needing lots of work. It is also on a mountain side and has had flooding issues in years past.



Have you considered Roanoke? One of my neighbors works for Anthem.

This webpage shows Anthem jobs in Roanoke: https://antheminc.jobs/roanoke/virginia/usa/jobs/

[aspenpine]

I was searching the web for a wooded, affordable lot near a city, and I found one near Lexington. It looks like a beautiful place and I am definitely left leaning. I would love to hear from any retirees in Lexington to hear their opinion. Also, I am an artist - any artists living in the area? Thanks in advance.

[ExAustin]

Roanoke has massive healthcare infrastructure. If that is your industry, you should be here. No need to subject yourself to a 30min-1hr commute with such pretty country all around the area. Be here and spend your time enjoying, biking, etc. instead of doing the big city car commute prison sentence just to keep the lawn green at home which you will never see.

Spoken from experience, of course.

[Panna_Manna]

Lexington is BEAUTIFUL!
But...It is't a very large town, but your husband should able to find a job in Roanoke (two massive hospital systems, and a surprisingly large finance sector) or Staunton.

Most folks that live in Lexington tend to work OR attend one of the two universities, or be retired.

Real estate in Lexington itself is pricy, outside of the city limits it is much cheeper, but rather tired and beat up.

Nearby Buena Visa and Glasgow, just like the rest of Rockbridge county is impoverished.

Around 3.5 yers ago I opened up an office for for my at the time employer. It was close to impossible to find staff, because most people in Lexington either has a job (often at the universities) , are retired or are a student. Most folks outside of Lexington in the county, do not have a college degree.

So to to sum things up. Living in Lexington and your husband having the job he prefers could be tricky, but with a bit of creativity and community definitely doable.

I would recommend that you two also seek out the OTHER towns/small cities in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley such as Staunton, Harrisonburg and Winchester, because while they all are different, they all share similarities that set them apart from Northern Virginia or Southwestern Virginia and has IMHO a very distinct Shenandoah Valley identity. Just image google "Downtown Staunton VA" or "Winchester VA Old Downtown" and I think you will see what I mean.
Winchester is fairly easy to get a job in because so many that live there, tend to work in Fairfax or Sterling/Leesburg (Northern Virginia "proper")

Best of luck.

[nm9stheham]

This thread got resurrected by aspenpine in post 4. Their questions were about retiring and artists in the Lexington area.

With a screen name like 'aspenpine', are you coming from CO? Just wanting some perspective as to what you might be used to. Lexington is more liberal in-town and more conservative out of town... so just where your candidate lot is located might make a difference. But, again, it depends on your tolerance of others; you are going to find a mix in the area.

I can't give you a good answer on the artists who may live there. This area is a southern extension of the Shenandoah Valley and shares a lot of the strong agricultural history. With the 2 universities in Lexington (VMI and W&L), it has attracted a few more people with backgrounds in higher education. I do know there were a couple of hippie communes there in the 70's when that movement was at it s peak, if that is of any use!

As noted, the area has attracted a number of retirees. Many seem to be from northern VA and up into the PA/NJ area.