What kind of people live in or are moving to Staunton? (Danville: for sale, apartments)

[SwampFox35]

i think Danville is supposed to be one of the poorer areas in Virginia. Not a lot of jobs there and not a whole lot of restaurants and retail there. I driven through the town several times when I used to take the scenic route to my brother's house in richmond.. it's a pretty area though.

[emsman]

It will be cheaper to live outside the actual city limits of Staunton in Augusta County if you want to be near Staunton. You get more land for the money and the taxes are less. The 'farm animal laws' are less restrictive also. I don't think you can have chickens and goats in a designated residential zone inside city limits, it has to be zoned 'mixed use' or 'agriculture'. As you mentioned they are up in the North/Northeast corner of the city, and that's it, so your choices inside the city limits are limited. The county is the same way, there's just a lot more rural than residential.

Check Rockingham County, next county North of Staunton/Augusta Co., a lot of farms, farmlets, and space. A good mix of people there also from Amish to Die Hard Consertives to Same-Sex couples.

The area in general has a huge mix of "groups" that really don't bother each other, people just go about there business. Don't get me wrong, it's not utopia, but there are a lot worse areas in America.

[Charlesaf3]

Originally Posted by Dan_in_DC

Have you visited Danville yourself in the last few years? I have, several times. And I also talk to people in Danville regularly, as well as to neighbors in NoVA who are from Danville. And I haven't heard any comments such as you've alluded to in your post.

For awhile, we had considered moving from NoVA to the Richmond area. Parts of Richmond are pretty, but it is terribly polluted, and we didn't want to deal with all that crime.

Although Richmond's crime situation has been cleaned up quite a bit since it was named "murder capital of the United States" a few years back, Richmond's violent crime rate is still substantially higher than that of either NoVA or Danville.

So we kept looking further around the Commonwealth, and finally decided that Danville would probably be most suitable for us. Still have to be in NoVA about another year or so to finalize several projects, but then will probably be moving to Danville. Consequently, I'm very curious about your comment.

Like any other city, Danville does have its good sections and bad sections. But their crime problems are being dealt with aggressively, and Danville's crime rate is now about on a par with Arlington's.

Danville's infrastructure is up-to-date and well-developed. New medical facilities are up-to-date, and tied to Duke University's medical school. Most of Danville's media and telecommunications services are now run on fiber-optic (substantially faster than conventional cable), and Danville is rapidly on its way to becoming the technology center of south central VA.

Cleaner air and water than either NoVA or Richmond area. Less than half the average snowfall of either. Also, Danville has a lower cost of living than either Richmond or NoVA.

But I don't understand what you (or all your friends who have lived in Danville) mean by that "desolate hellhole" reference to Danville. Please elaborate on that.



Thanks,
Dan

You don't seem very interested in anything but your own opinions. Enjoy Danville.

Your statements about Richmond certainly display vast ignorance...

[Dan_in_DC]

Originally Posted by Charlesaf3

Your statements about Richmond certainly display vast ignorance...

Not quite sure what you meant by that, Charles, but thank you anyway. And I'm certainly glad that you and I can both be proud of the fact that for at least one year, our beloved Richmond held the title of "Murder Capital of the United States" ...

... it was the year right after Washington DC had held that same title. This year, I believe New Orleans has that distinction. It's charming to see how the killing is getting distributed around America so equally. Doesn't it make you Proud to Be an American!!!

However, you still haven't told me what you (or all your alleged friends who have allegedly lived in Danville) meant by that "desolate hellhole" reference to Danville. Please elaborate on that.

Also, since this is primarily a thread about Staunton, I thought it might be helpful to include a couple of links to historical discussions about Staunton's Western State Hospital (originally called Western State Lunatic Asylum), a lovely place where my wife used to transport many of Arlington's jail inmates who had been charged with murder and other extremely violent crimes for pre-trial psychiatric evaluations, to determine their legal competency to stand trial.

Here are those links:

Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_State_Hospital_(Virginia)

Historical article, with photos:
http://dayinthelyfe.com/lyfe/western-state-lunatic-asylum-staunton-virginia.html

Please keep me posted on that "hellhole" stuff, Charles. Thanks.

Best regards,
Dan

[Charlesaf3]

I think you can do your own research. It's not very hard. If I, as a Bostonian, can meet people from Danville, I'm sure you'll find it easier
Or you can read the threads on here about Danville, you might find those helpful.

[Dan_in_DC]

Originally Posted by Charlesaf3

... If I, as a Bostonian, can meet people from Danville, I'm sure you'll find it easier ...

Most of the Danvillers with whom I have spoken usually worked for one government agency or another, and most likely had different viewpoints about the City (and probably about life in general) than your "hellhole friends" you seem so fond of quoting. I wouldn't even know how to meet someone like that ... and frankly I'm not sure that I'd even want to, from what you've told me.

Did you meet your "hellhole friends" when you shared a ward at the mental hospital in Staunton while you were both waiting to be lobotomized? Or were they just your old drinking buddies?

[emsman]

While I applaude your civic pride and love of city/town, can we put this train back on the track and help the OP with the original question? If not I hope a moderator deletes it.

Also, Staunton has more than just a mental hospital going for it. But at least I'll have a place to live nearby when I get old

[Dan_in_DC]

Originally Posted by emsman

While I applaude your civic pride and love of city/town, can we put this train back on the track and help the OP with the original question? If not I hope a moderator deletes it.

Also, Staunton has more than just a mental hospital going for it. But at least I'll have a place to live nearby when I get old

Yes, I agree. Staunton is a beautiful place, with quite a number of examples of stunning architecture. And that's one of the important features that I believe the OP is seeking, after she elaborated further on their goals. Only reason I mentioned Danville was that Danville also has equally stunning architecture, and real estate prices in Danville are currently a bit less than Staunton. Goats and chickens are pretty easy going, and not too particular. They can live pretty much anywhere (as long as it's zoned for them).

I was just trying to be helpful and suggest another possible option for the OP, based on comments OP had made previously. Didn't realize I'd be setting myself up for personal attacks and a flame war for doing that. If OP likes Staunton area, let's keep thread to that.

[st63]

I'm coming to this thread a bit late I'm afraid, but I think I can answer your questions from the perspective of one who has made a similar move. I too, came from a large city seeking a simpler lifestyle. I moved here about 10 years ago after considering many different areas. I bought a small farm south of Staunton...far enough out to have peace and quiet, yet close enough(about 20 minutes) to be able to drive in easily for entertainment, shopping etc. I love Staunton, as it offers very nice restaurants(for its size) and has plenty of things to do. There are a couple of nice, independent movie theaters downtown, one of which shows classic films once or twice a month. The Blackfriar's Theater stages some very good productions, and there is a nice farmers market on the weekend. It's smaller and less populated than Charlottesville, and doesn't suffer from the same suburban sprawl or inflated cost of living. There are a couple of strip malls on the south end of town, but those are easily avoided. There is very little crime here, and I've never felt unsafe at all. The architecture is indeed interesting, and the town was fortunate in that the "urban renewal" of the 50's and 60's generally passed it by. It's generally a friendly town, and you'll run into people of from all walks of life with different points of view. As I said, I bought a small farm south of town, and I enjoy being able to raise keep a few chickens and a couple of goats. I grow plenty of fresh vegetables which I sell at the farmers market, and there is a growing trend towards locally sourced food here. I too am a fan of architecture, and I managed to find a mid 19th century farm house which I've restored from the ground up. I thoroughly enjoy it here.

[sregorat3]

Originally Posted by Dan_in_DC

Also, since this is primarily a thread about Staunton, I thought it might be helpful to include a couple of links to historical discussions about Staunton's Western State Hospital (originally called Western State Lunatic Asylum), a lovely place where my wife used to transport many of Arlington's jail inmates who had been charged with murder and other extremely violent crimes for pre-trial psychiatric evaluations, to determine their legal competency to stand trial.

Here are those links:

Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_State_Hospital_(Virginia)

Historical article, with photos:
http://dayinthelyfe.com/lyfe/western-state-lunatic-asylum-staunton-virginia.html

Please keep me posted on that "hellhole" stuff, Charles. Thanks.

Best regards,
Dan

Dan... The Western State facility is amazing. Beautiful condos and grounds, probably one of the better examples of adaptive reuse in Virgina. Too bad Danville was not able to capitalize on Schoolfield before it burned.

OP... Just spent the weekend in Staunton. A common theme in the area is the sustainable and organic food movement. Local and small producers seem to dominate and their is a great network of folks who take part in this, from the well known, like Joel Salatin to the individual on their own 2 acres. Architecture is incredible for such a small city; It is a rare gem.