I've never been to that part of Virginia, but I have been to the other side of the mountains (Tennessee) and would like to see West Virginia some day. I imagine it to be one of the most beautiful parts of the country, and fortunate to have been spared the invasion from Yankee territory or anywhere else so far.
My house could technically be considered a Victorian, but really it was built for the lower levels of the housing market at the time. It's a two-family exactly like the house next door, not much individual detail on the outside beyond the standard front porch. What I like is how much thought and visual interest was given to the interiors back then as a matter of course. You take the bad with the good (the wiring was terrible when I moved in and I'm not keeping the horsehair plaster walls) but I like it.
There are some truly fantastic Victorian single-family homes around the corner with exquisite details. They would have gone for a song twenty years ago when no one wanted to live in this town. Now they're worth $800,000 and up.
Old houses are a treasure, most of the time. Lots of beautiful timber in them usually, and workmanship.
I have found Americans friendly wherever I've been, including in Manhattan, to my surprise. I think folk just need to expect others not to be the same, then they'll find the common ground.