Very nice area but the political situation is ready to go from bad to worse.
We have a General Assembly election this November that will likely see the Democrats take the House and Senate and VA will be as blue as Washington State.
The legacy of letting McAwful in as Governor has been rampant vote fraud.
Clearly visit there before you move there. It’s got a lot DC vibe there, along with prices and taxes you may not like. But if ya look a little outside the city, you may prefer that. Va has its issue now. We used to live in Richmond and Willaimsburg. The state’s politics are dominated by the large metros which are very blue while western VA (except for areas around UVA and Tech) are quite red.
Why ya move g to VA?
That’s west Virginia not WEST VIRGINIA! as in Go Mountaineers!
My advice is get out of Virginia go a few more miles west and get into West Virginia! It’s just going to get worse in Virginia & you will continue to contribute with your taxes Richmond & NoVa dysfunctional behavior.
The Eastern panhandle is nice Harper’s Ferry, Charlestown, etc. I relocated from NoVa to the Morgantown area. I am originally from WV but from the Kanawha County area in the southeast.
Come to WV help me keep it going in the conservative direction!
Winchester, VA is a quant small town. But know it is a small town. Also, it is Virginia which is effectively a blue state. If you plan to live across the border in WV, just know that is really out there living with really no one around. If that is what you want, go for it.
JoMa
The Shenandoah Valley is a beautiful area. Winchester is in Frederick County, I am from Shenandoah County, the county to the south. The area is still fairly conservative. Unfortunately, the state is not. Things won’t change until we can move large chunks of the federal government out of Washington, DC. I have been in favor of moving whole federal departments to areas in the name of urban renewal- Detroit, Chicago, etc.
A number of my friends from HS live there, refugees from Falls Church and Fairfax County. They like it.
I haven’t been back there since the late 60’s but it was really nice back then.
According to family sources, what’s left of the REAL Virginia now lies west of Roanoke.
Dittos to comment 4. Moved to Hampshire Co. WV 10 yrs ago. Refugee from Montgomery Co. MD. Never looked back. Live only 1 mile from border with VA. It is really “almost heaven”. 40 Min to Winchester or Front Royal.
I am in Fauquier County, 30 minutes SE of Winchester. We tend to go red but our votes are nullified by the huge blue areas of Fairfax and Prince William. It is getting worse here as libs move west to get away from the high taxes and then once here, they demand more services the require higher taxes.
Might be time for a move further down the Shenandoah Valley and away from the socialist wave.
pretty, expensive and alot of libs!!! Taxes are pretty high too.
It all depends on what you’re looking for. Winchester is a nice place that’s red and blue politically. It’s on the outer fringes of the DC urban sprawl so there are some high density communities popping up yet it’s still mostly farm country. While only about 70 miles from DC, it now takes around two hours or more to make the drive, in case you were planning on making use of the metro DC amenities. It gets pretty hot in the summertime and there are limited water activities in close proximity (except for some creeks and rivers). The mountains and forest land to the west are nice but they don’t have enough elevation to cut into sweltering summer heat.
Know this about Virginia....in summer the humidity is TERRIBLE.
My new landlord moved here from Colorado for work purposes. Last summer his wife and kid refused to go outside during the summer due to the humidity. They felt like they were suffocating.
And in the dead of summer there aren’t many breezes to move that heavy, moist air around. Could be a little breezier in Winchester/Shenandoah valley though.
The further upriver you go the happier you will be.
Go a little further west to Hardy County. That’s where my wife is from. Rural and only lightly tainted by the effluent immediately to the east. Plus it’s quite cooler than NOVA.
I grew up between Shepherdstown & Harpers Ferry, Born and raised in the area. Played Winchester and surrounding areas in football and baseball. Back in the 60’s and 70’s, this was the place to be. Now it is loaded with meth, heroin and marijuana. Look at the crime stats (via citydata.com... http://www.city-data.com/city/Winchester-Virginia.html) It’s a great place to visit for history, has a decent hospital though quality has deteriorated over the years and the view and Apple Blossom Festival is the best.