I just recently got a job that will be taking me to the mid-atlantic and have been given somewhat of a choice as to where I want to live. Since I'll be traveling throughout the region (as far north as delaware and as far south as S. Carolina) for my job, I've mainly been looking at Virginia since it's more central in the region. I'm not familiar with the region all that well and only ask that I be relatively close to some good climbing!! I'm hoping to live in a place that tends to be a little more "outdoorsy" and has a decent number of people around/near my age (24-30ish) who like to spend their time outdoors, to make meeting people a little easier.

ANY suggestions would be excellent! I'm relocating from Boston and will miss the city dearly, so a larger town wouldn't be such a bad thing either

Asheville NC? Charlottesville VA?

Charlottesville is really nice, it's got a weird mixture of very up-scale living and college town to it, but that's a good thing in this case. I'm up in Northern VA which is a really nice, well-rounded area, except for the traffic. Not too outdoorsy, but there are plenty of young people here and the businesses are popping up everywhere. It's an area relatively unaffected by the recession. A lot of the places you mentioned are going to be within a reasonable driving distance to the blue ridge and then the further north you go you get closer to better climbing.

Does Richmond, or Arlington VA count? Close to the ocean, and still driving distance from seneca rock, new river?

Definitely Asheville. Decent sized city. Tons of nearby mountain options. Lots of like minded outdoor folks.

johnmnichols wrote:Definitely Asheville. Decent sized city. Tons of nearby mountain options. Lots of like minded outdoor folks.

I like the idea of Asheville, NC...unfortunately, with my job, it would be better to centrally locate myself within the region (region includes Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina). Asheville seems to be a little too far south/west. I'll be spending my weeks on the road traveling throughout the region, which is why I've been looking a little more at Charlottesville and Roanoke, VA, just to make travel a little easier.

Anyone know if there would be any reason to live in Roanoke over Charlottesville? Is climbing more accessible or within reasonable distance? How do Roanoke, Charlottesville, and Richmond compare to Asheville?

Not wishing to offend any readers from the DC metro area, the traffic is horrendous and the cost of living is very high...OK, not unlike Boston. In my limited experience, both Charlottesville and Roanoke have more of a mountain "feel" to them than Richmond. They're also closer to WVA, which has a lot of amazing outdoor opportunities.

Florida Frank wrote:Not wishing to offend any readers from the DC metro area, the traffic is horrendous and the cost of living is very high...OK, not unlike Boston. In my limited experience, both Charlottesville and Roanoke have more of a mountain "feel" to them than Richmond. They're also closer to WVA, which has a lot of amazing outdoor opportunities.

No offense taken! There are places that grow on you, and there are places that wear on you. I place the DC area in the latter category. I'm definitely moving away when I retire.

Both Charlottesville and Roanoke are close to the mountains, but I would lean more towards Charlottesville. It is practically at the southern end of Shenandoah National Park, and many of the mountains of the Blue Ridge south of Charlottesville are part of the George Washington National Forest. Charlottesville is also closer to the Massanutten Mountains. If you're into winter sports, the Massanutten Resort is relatively close near Harrisonburg at the southern end of the Massanutten Mountains.

ForeignTraveller wrote:Since your coming from Boston, you may want to consider the Washington DC metro area. That way you won't have to give up the advantages of city living and you can still be relatively close to good climbing and hiking. The proximity of National and Dulles airports also provide you with very flexible flight options for business travel. Otherwise, based on your criteria, Richmond would be your next best bet.

Don't get me wrong, I really like Charlottesville as well as Asheville but.....they're very different from Boston.

I would prefer to live slightly south of DC. I would certainly love to live there, but I think I'd like to be away from traffic and closer to the mountains. I won't be traveling via airplanes nearly as much as I'll be on the road in my car, which is why I'd rather live central to the region I'll be covering. DC is really more towards the northern end of the region...and to making road trips to South Carolina from there is a long way!

I think I'm beginning to lean towards Charlottesville, but I've been reading some mixed reviews online. I know it's a college town, so there will be young people, but how about young professionals around my age? I really dig the fact that it's not very far from W. Va. Some activities I'd still like to do are CLIMB, hike/backpack, snowboard (I'm not even sure if there any ski resorts that far south), and ice climb (I should probably expect to leave my tools in the closet).

I think I'm still trying to find out more of the differences between Charlottesville and Roanoke...as far as ease of meeting people, flavor and feel of the towns, etc. I expect it to be a BIG change from Boston, which actually relieves me a little!

theBecca wrote:I think I'm still trying to find out more of the differences between Charlottesville and Roanoke...as far as ease of meeting people, flavor and feel of the towns, etc. I expect it to be a BIG change from Boston, which actually relieves me a little!

I have a good friend who lives in Charlottesville, but other than that not a lot of experience with either...but my impression is that Charlottesville will be MUCH more similar to Boston in terms of blue/red. Roanoke=red.
Look into it.

It's true, Charlottesville is a little smaller than Roanoke but it's quite a bit more liberal. I live in Bedford, VA (about halfway between Lynchburg and Roanoke) so if you have any questions about the region I might be able to help.

Thanks everyone for your input!

I'm making a trip down there next week to visit a few places before I decide where to live. Charlottesville is at the top of my list. At least I'll be able to get somewhat of a better idea of the different areas.

I've lived in Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Greensboro. I've been to both Roanoke and Charlottesville and both felt very rural to me. They are obviously smaller cities so that is not surprising. If you like rural living, then you might enjoy living there. However, if you are looking for better nightlife, restaurants, diversity, etc., then you should consider either Greensboro or Chapel Hill, NC. Both are fantastic areas to live.

Alpinist wrote:I've lived in Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Greensboro. I've been to both Roanoke and Charlottesville and both felt very rural to me. They are obviously smaller cities so that is not surprising. If you like rural living, then you might enjoy living there. However, if you are looking for better nightlife, restaurants, diversity, etc., then you should consider either Greensboro or Chapel Hill, NC. Both are fantastic areas to live.

Like I said, I'll be making a trip down there next week...I'm definitely keeping options open...I just discovered that there is actually ice climbing in North Carolina??? This changes everything!! Greensboro and Chapel Hill are both stops that we are planning on making, so I'll definitely be checking them out.

Can anyone tell me anything about the ice climbing down south???

Linville Gorge is about 3H from Greensboro. They climb ice there, though I'm not sure if it is every year or just the colder winters.

Roanoke is only 2.5H north of Greensboro. So you have similar choices for climbing in the Blue Ridge Mtns albeit with a longer drive. It's well worth the distance IMO considering what Greensboro has to offer as far as amenities.