Thinking of Moving to Western Virgina

[Nomad1320]

Honestly a bit of what you're asking for is contradictory to itself. Small but big enough, City services but rural. Nice but not preppy, accepting but...you get my point.

Honestly you're looking for Vermont but I will stick with VA so try...

Lexington and Abingdon

BTW, a teaching position in these areas are typically tough to come by so that alone may be your deciding factor.

[bemer]

If you want to avoid rich and preppy, Lexington is off your list.

[Watchful]

Try Rocky Mount (Franklin County) Virginia - I didn't really understand the thing about not wanting a city but wanting to teach in a city - so I am guessing maybe you meant commuting distance to a larger municipality that would have better teaching opportunities?

Rocky Mount/Franklin County would be commutable to Roanoke/Salem - and the teaching opportunities in Franklin County itself might work out.

How is your search going?

[CosmicWizard]

Originally Posted by Nomad1320

BTW, a teaching position in these areas are typically tough to come by so that alone may be your deciding factor.

Although not the case in bigger cities, in rural areas, teaching is a high paid job compared to most jobs in the area. Imagine that~

[Artist83]

Originally Posted by FLTeach1

I am a single teacher in Florida sick of the weather and looking to relocate. I want to move somewhere that I can enjoy more of outdoor life such as hiking, camping, etc.
As a teacher here in Florida having the summer's off doesn't do me any good when it's too hot to do anything before dark.
Years ago I had fallen in love with and settled on the idea of moving to Fredericksburg, VA I loved the history and the relative nearness to DC, a city that I love. But since then I have decided that I want a more rural life with a lot less traffic. I still love Fredericksburg but I would like to buy a small house with at least an acre of land and have a garden and animals.

For the past two years, I have concentrated my search towards the Western part of the state. I drove through a cute little town called Wytheville and loved it but then doing research heard bad things about it.
So I have been concentrating on other cities along the 81 corridor. I love the look of Staunton but I hear it's growing more and more crowded. I want to get away from that. I have been doing a lot of work and research, I have my Virginia teaching license. I also know the pay scales of teachers in Virginia so I need to teach in a city to make more money.
But I want ideas and thoughts from people who know the places.
So...long story long...I guess my question is, for those of you who live in the area or have lived there, where would you recommend along that 81 corridor? Maybe from Abingdon to Staunton.
I know there are a lot of towns and miles there, but I am looking for a bigger town (not in the hundreds population-wise), but not a big city like Charlottesville.

I am also concerned that I will not be welcome. I don't want to move to a town that will always think of me as an outsider. Looking at Instagram I am also struck with the idea of Staunton being a "rich" town full of preppy people. I just want a nice working-class/middle-class town that I can feel comfortable in and make a home.
I understand that Virginia will be more conservative than what I am used to but at this point, I think that would be a fair trade for the weather and crime here.
Thanks in advance for any replies!

Based on what you said, I'd recommend the Roanoke area. I lived there for a couple of years. It still has it's poverty like most of southwestern VA has, but it has a lot of room for middle class people.

[ersatz]

I used to live in Spotsylvania County just outside Fredericksburg limits and (mostly) enjoyed the area. I suspect I know why you enjoyed it. In western VA, I think Staunton is the closest equivalent.

I often hang out in the New River Valley area https://www.newrivervalleyva.org/, which In My Humble Opinion is one of the best parts of Virginia. I agree with Watchful's earlier comment that Christiansburg probably most closely fits your stated preferences. It is nestled in a lovely area with outstanding outdoor opportunities. Christiansburg has multiple shopping and business opportunities and good public services. Local real estate listings offer plenty of properties nearby with big yards and a few outbuildings that will let you build your garden and raise some animals. You can teach in Christiansburg or commute to larger communities such as Roanoke for a slight bump in pay (but added commuting costs). Blacksburg and Roanoke also have significant cultural opportunities, if you enjoy that sort of thing, and more opportunities are not that far away. You can drive to Richmond in 3 to 4 hours, or DC in 4 to 5 hours, or to the ocean beaches in 5 hours if you want a break from the mountains. There are even public transit options.

You were concerned about acceptance. Virginia Tech in Blacksburg attracts diverse staff and students, many with international backgrounds. Not all of them live in Blacksburg, some live in Christiansburg. The immediate surrounding county area is fairly red conservative, Blacksburg skews blue liberal, but the larger area community is kinda purplish and tends to "live and let live."

I don't know Wythesville (only driven through) but I know Christiansburg fairly well. It is solidly middle-class. If you compare Christiansburg vs Wythesville, Christiansburg scores significantly higher on quality of life. City Data Terms of Service prohibit linking to comparison sites, but you can easily find them if you Google "city comparison" websites.

I hope you find your Happy Place. Virginia is mine.

[Artist83]

Originally Posted by Watchman57

Look at Marion, Galax and Hillsville close to interstates, lower cost of living, lower crime, close to lots of recreation and yet close to larger cities.

I live in Marion currently, I would not recommend it.

[Bigfoot424]

Galax has been listed as an unsafe city for violent crime for a number of years. I researched for a friend several years back and it seems as it has not improved. While the numbers are not necessarily high in comparison to larger cities they are high for the number of people. Of course most of these crimes can be avoided by staying out of certain areas but the fact remains its ratings still can scare people away.

[Watchful]

I helped contribute to the confusion of this thread - the original post was from 2019 and got resurrected by a 2020 question about Galax but I did not notice the date thing...

Would have been better to start a new thread but maybe keep the discussion on Galax question as most have done!

(Though I would love to know what FLTeach1 decided haha!)