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Old 07-18-2011, 02:24 PM
 
1 posts, read 2,894 times
Reputation: 10

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My finance and I currently live and work in Winchester, I am in the legal field (not an attorney) and he is in retail. We have wanted to leave Winchester for a very long time, due to lack of job opportunities. My job is low paying and I am underemployed (have a BA in Communications, working a job that requires only a GED). His retail job recently had him commuting to Fairfax, VA for a month. Living in Fairfax is not an option for us because it is too expensive. However, we have started the discussion of where else in VA we could live.
We currently spend $850 a month for a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom second floor apartment. I don't want the % we spend on housing to dramatically increase.
We are not commuters! Less than an hour commute is tolerable. Less than 30 minutes would be preferable. We are currently spoiled with workplaces that are minutes from home and enjoy that lifestyle very much.
No kids in the picture at the moment ... but babies likely in 1-2 years, so family friendly would be nice.
My husband to be would like a bigger city than Winchester (he used to live in LA), or at least be closer to a bigger city. However, we also enjoy the quiet of Winchester and just being homebodies. Something in the middle would be nice. We could live in an apartment, townhouse, studio, house, anywhere. Pet friendly - we have one cat. We'd even downsize to a one bedroom to save money and begin saving up for a future house. We like to be near good restaurants, I'd like to be in a neighborhood where I can go outside for a walk/run, we love being close to the grocery store and good doctors, a library or bookstore would be nice, gyms, etc. A cute neighborhood coffee shop to frequent and an occasional music concert, pick up basketball game, or yoga class would be nice too.
Any town/city with more job opportunites would be great too - my experience in Winchester job-hunting has been very difficult (I want options beyond retail, waitressing, local government, medical and factories). Social activities beyond the local bars are pretty limited in Winchester too for the late 20s - 30s group.
My family does have roots in Winchester, so any towns/cities not too far away would be great for us.
We are 29 and 38 if that matters, and getting married in September (after which we will more seriously consider a relocation).

-Pie or cake? CAKE, CHOCOLATE.

p.s. I do love many many things about Winchester, it's a great City. Just not the place for us at this point in our lives.
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Old 07-18-2011, 07:46 PM
 
Location: Macao
16,259 posts, read 43,228,858 times
Reputation: 10258
Quote:
Originally Posted by eec31782 View Post
My finance and I currently live and work in Winchester, I am in the legal field (not an attorney) and he is in retail. We have wanted to leave Winchester for a very long time, due to lack of job opportunities. My job is low paying and I am underemployed (have a BA in Communications, working a job that requires only a GED). His retail job recently had him commuting to Fairfax, VA for a month. Living in Fairfax is not an option for us because it is too expensive. However, we have started the discussion of where else in VA we could live.
We currently spend $850 a month for a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom second floor apartment. I don't want the % we spend on housing to dramatically increase.
We are not commuters! Less than an hour commute is tolerable. Less than 30 minutes would be preferable. We are currently spoiled with workplaces that are minutes from home and enjoy that lifestyle very much.
No kids in the picture at the moment ... but babies likely in 1-2 years, so family friendly would be nice.
My husband to be would like a bigger city than Winchester (he used to live in LA), or at least be closer to a bigger city. However, we also enjoy the quiet of Winchester and just being homebodies. Something in the middle would be nice. We could live in an apartment, townhouse, studio, house, anywhere. Pet friendly - we have one cat. We'd even downsize to a one bedroom to save money and begin saving up for a future house. We like to be near good restaurants, I'd like to be in a neighborhood where I can go outside for a walk/run, we love being close to the grocery store and good doctors, a library or bookstore would be nice, gyms, etc. A cute neighborhood coffee shop to frequent and an occasional music concert, pick up basketball game, or yoga class would be nice too.
Any town/city with more job opportunites would be great too - my experience in Winchester job-hunting has been very difficult (I want options beyond retail, waitressing, local government, medical and factories). Social activities beyond the local bars are pretty limited in Winchester too for the late 20s - 30s group.
My family does have roots in Winchester, so any towns/cities not too far away would be great for us.
We are 29 and 38 if that matters, and getting married in September (after which we will more seriously consider a relocation).

-Pie or cake? CAKE, CHOCOLATE.

p.s. I do love many many things about Winchester, it's a great City. Just not the place for us at this point in our lives.
How about moving northward to Pittsburgh?

It would have all of the larger city amenities and access to more jobs, but you'd still have similar rent and housing options as Winchester. Most people in Pittsburgh are able to live near their jobs as well, as the cost of living is much lower than say DC.
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Old 07-19-2011, 03:53 PM
 
Location: Thornrose
894 posts, read 2,317,467 times
Reputation: 1308
Interesting. I was thinking of Pittsburgh too. But if you want to stay in VA, I'd look into Lynchburg, Roanoke, or Richmond. But Richmond will be the most expensive of those. Good luck.
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Old 07-21-2011, 06:13 PM
 
Location: Sun City, AZ
501 posts, read 1,193,067 times
Reputation: 157
Maybe head to Summerville, South Carolina? It's smaller than Charleston, but not as small as Winchester. The beach is about 20 minutes away, and there's plenty to do there. Boeing is opening in Charleston, and employment for everything is available. Housing is inexpensive as well.

Or if you want to stay in VA, perhaps Front Royal, Gainesville or Warrenton?
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Old 07-21-2011, 07:10 PM
 
Location: Spartanburg, SC
4,900 posts, read 7,456,327 times
Reputation: 3876
OP -- read the South Carolina boards (and especially Charleston)very carefully before you run to Summerville. There's lots of discussion about lots of people relocating there without jobs and having a hard time.

Also, the National Labor Relations Board is suing Boeing about that plant over closed shop/right-to-work (union) issues.

If you go the SC route, just like anywhere else, get the job lined up before moving. It's a tough world out there.

Lastly, there was a news article in the News & Advance (Lynchburg paper) about Lynchburg becoming a draw for young people lately. (Who knew?) I'm sure you can find it on google.

Good luck.
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Old 07-22-2011, 09:06 AM
 
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,781 posts, read 15,804,357 times
Reputation: 10894
OFf the top of my head - my suggestions:

Charlottesville
Richmond
Roanoake
Harrisburg, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Baltimore, MD
Greensboro, NC
Raleigh, NC
Columbus, OH
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Old 07-25-2011, 11:38 AM
 
6,565 posts, read 14,304,946 times
Reputation: 3229
Roanoke or Richmond would be my suggestions.
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Old 07-26-2011, 07:20 AM
 
1,290 posts, read 2,571,297 times
Reputation: 686
Come to Ashland. Quiet, and 15 miles north of Richmond.
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Old 11-18-2011, 03:29 PM
 
1 posts, read 2,493 times
Reputation: 11
Help, I am totally new to this forum, not sure if i am using it correctly. My husband has been offered a job in Winchester, he is an Anesthesiologist. We currently live in Fairfax, VA. We have three daughters, 16, 13, nd 7 yrs old. We are looking for homes in the $600,000 range, any suggestions? Im freaking out, I do not know anything about this town. Can you provide me with some positives and negatives? School systems?
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Old 11-18-2011, 03:45 PM
 
Location: Spartanburg, SC
4,900 posts, read 7,456,327 times
Reputation: 3876
You are in pretty good shape for a house. Look around Handley Heights (behind the high school), the Historic District (if you like older houses) and you might be able to find a smaller house in Meadow Branch. You'll want Handley High School and John Kerr Elementary. All of those neighborhoods are in the City limits and feed into Kerr, Daniel Morgan Middle and Handley High School.

No reason to freak out. Winchester is a great place for a doctor's family. They jokingly call Meadow Branch "Medical Branch" because that is where all the doctors live.

There are tons of opportunities for sports, fine arts (ballet, etc), etc. There's a beautiful Country Club and the price will blow you away compared to Fairfax. Shenandoah University and The Winchester Little Theater offer some cultural stimulation. Shenandoah offers a great Summer Music Theater Series. There is also a beautiful Wellness Center connected to the hospital. There's The Apple Blossom Festival in the Spring that is a tremendous small town festival. www.thebloom.com

The shopping is the pits except for a few small boutique stores downtown but Tyson's is only about an hour or so (non-rush hour)

I'd suggest Colony Realty on Cameron Street (I think it's Cameron). They are "old Winchester" and know everything about where to live.

Best of luck -- you're going to love it.
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