Having lived thru many corporate relocations as a byproduct of my husband’s work assignments, I have experienced the joys of getting to live in new areas and the discovery benefits that often times accompanies the move. For example, once you tasted Texas BBQ, your hooked. The bluegrass community of Lexington KY and the horse farms, living with white fences in Lexington Kentucky are amazing to be around. The beaches on the Florida gulf coast are serene but who knew how great Virginia wines have become!
When my kids signed up for graduate programs in Virginia, and my husband’s company decided to shift to a work from home approach, the opportunity arrived to make one more relocation – only this one was for us to decide where. We began our search rethinking about former areas that we lived which resulted in several flights down to Florida, but ultimately, we came to the conclusion that the central Virginia truly is a great place to live. With its low crime rate, great quality of healthcare, surrounded by natural beauty and deep history and of course, a growing wine industry, we knew we have found the region to establish roots in.
We narrowed our search to the Lynchburg metropolitan area in part because it was between our children’s colleges in Richmond and Blacksburg, and would make it easier for them to visit. While that was the reason to consider this area, the time we dedicated to visiting the area revealed a truly special community.
The natural beauty of being near the Blueridge mountains would make those weekly trips into and town more visually pleasant. Our interaction with community merchants and homeowners in the area uncovered a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. The area’s climate was also ideal for us – from colorful autumns to occasional snowfalls, to beautiful springs and perfect summers.
We especially liked the lower cost of living. For example, the average cost of living in Lynchburg is 14.2% lower than the national average. It has also been ranked as of one of the lowest cost of living cities by Kiplinger which is one of the reason millennials have rated this region at the top of their list.
Healthcare is top notch and Lynchburg has been ranked among the top 10 cities in the country for happiness and well being. The downtown area is being revitalized and we found the restaurants and ambience of that area to be quite pleasant for the date night dinners.
As our search wound down, we realized that the Lynchburg area had risen to the top of our list and we found the perfect home for us near Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest retreat in Forest Virginia. At just 15 minutes away from downtown Lynchburg, Forest offers its residents a natural setting where they can avoid the stress of city living. but be near enough to enjoy downtown activities.
It has been several years now, and I can tell you that the appreciation we have for this area has only grown. It appears others share the same view as Forest Virginia recently made the 2022 Niche top places to buy a house in Virginia coming in at #6. I only wished we had made the move sooner!
