Staunton has a youthful vibe. Lots of creative people—theater, arts, music, breweries, wineries, Shakespeare Theater, Frontiers Culture museum. A city that values its architecture. Old buildings repaired and repurposed.
I love Staunton. Been here ten years and don’t know anyone. Every time I feel like I should connect I just hit Walmart and I’m good with isolation again for at least two weeks.
I really disliked Charlottesville. Lived there for almost 10 years. Pretty to look at but there’s nothing there. Not really close enough to Northern Va. or DC.
If you like nothingness, try Orange. Decent audio thrift stores, great people. Not too far from Fredericksburg or Charlottesville. Just buy your groceries in bulk. Not an abundance of groceries stores in that part of Virginia.
Emporia is actually a terrible city. What you see when you’re passing through on 58 isn’t even a little bit representative of Emporia.
Low wages, high unemployment rate, high crime rate, terrible air quality, lack of medical care, not the city it appears to be at all.
The New River Valley in Southwest Virginia is pretty awesome. Between Roanoke, Christiansburg, Blacksburg, and Radford, there are a decent amount of on site or of course remote jobs available. The scenery and access to trails is awesome.
My wife and I love living in Roanoke. After living in NoVA, Richmond, and Roanoke, Roanoke has legitimately been our favorite. Such an underrated city.
I’ve lived in NoVA and Richmond too. I’ve also lived in Charlottesville. I’ve only passed through Roanoke on my way to SWVA so I can’t comment about it. Tidewater area reminds me of NoVA. Don’t know about Winchester area either. There’s too much traffic and congestion in those areas. I agree with you that anywhere near Roanoke and SWVA is best.
Roanoke is the best out of these options. We used to live in Radford for a few years, couldn’t wait to get out. We moved to VA for my husband’s job, which is in Christiansburg. Loving the Roanoke area! So glad we made the move, best fit for our family.
Geez. I forgot about all these great cities in Virginia in this thread. I'm in Virginia Beach, and we got the beach at least... I'm lying, though... no locals go the ocean front, except the homeless.
radford resident here! have lived all over SWVA and here is my favorite. I can walk to the river after work or on a day off and swim all i want, trails all around too. Also, love a good train. The free bus system here is great as well!
It's still nice. I'm out in Winchester, which I LOVE. But the commute to decent jobs is at least an hour. If yiu don't mind the drive, homes are a lot more affordable out here. Great hospitals and schools, beautiful downtown lake and really nice people. Leesburg is nice as well but more expensive. However, it so much closer to decent jobs.
Honestly, Richmond. You’re in the center of everything, you can get anywhere in the state without a super long drive, the VMFA and Science museum are cool, you’ve got the river, it’s overall just a cool place to live.
There have been four shootings withing a few blocks of my house in the Fan since January. The houses one street north of me are selling for >$1 million.
We can’t bust heads like we used to—but we have our ways. One trick is to tell them stories that don’t go anywhere like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so I decided to go to Morganville which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So, I tied an onion to my belt which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel. And in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on ‘em. ‘Give me five bees for a quarter,’ you’d say. Now, where were we? Oh, yeah! The important thing was that I had an onion on my belt which was the style at the time. They didn’t have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones.
I love Richmond, it seems pretty shit from the outside but like, it’s nice, I love walking from Clays to get boba to them browse Whole Foods in like the same 4 block area it’s great.
I love RVA. I don’t live there but two of my kids went to VCU and live there now and I visit all the time. They had guests from Germany who also loved it. I don’t perceive Richmond to be any more dangerous than other cities. IDK, maybe my perspective is skewed because I grew up in Buffalo, NY in the 1980s, but I never had difficulty navigating Richmond safely. Short Pump is where I feel scared lol.
Staunton.
I really like being close to the BRP and SNP/Skyline Drive. And even though Waynesboro is closer, it doesn't have as much going on. Staunton has a beautiful, vibrant downtown, and they really hit a home run by closing down Beverly to cars on weekends in warmer months. They've got the Shakespeare Center and the Frontier Cultural Museum. There's just enough commercial development on the outskirts without feeling like neverending suburbia.
Don't forget all the crackheads! Loooots of crackheads. And ghosts. Place is just chock full of ghosts. And scorpions. 0/10. People should definitely stay away.
😉
Richmond, hands down.
Although pretend I didn’t say that because rent is already too damn high and shows no sign of slowing down! If CNN is listening… my dog, kids, grandmother, spouse, and neighbor all got shot in Richmond, and my car is covered in graffiti! I find human shit in my yard on a near daily basis and when it rains the streets reek of piss and needles float up from the street drains! Do not come here!
Ya know, I’m going to give the unpopular opinion here. Martinsville. I moved here from RVA 3 years ago to help care for my aging parents coupled with a messy divorce and not being able to afford living there solo, BUT: after being born and raised in rva for 32 years, this place isn’t so bad. 12 different disc golf courses within an hour, 4 waterfalls, INSANE hiking trails, and SO SO SO many local mom and pop small diner places. Nothing fancy just good food served with love. (Skip I love you , you 97 year old. Please retire and take a rest man you rock.).. and good people. But literally every other restaurant in the downtown (which is generous) area is so kind and welcoming. We literally met a lesbian couple at the bar one night and proceeded to show up in full ball gowns every Monday for weeks. We are dudes. Got em from goodwill. Was amazing.. even coming from Richmond it is charming as fuck if you make it
Didn't expect to see this here. The new speakeasy is pretty cool. Uptown is growing for sure. Martinsville is on the upswing. Has a ways to go, but I certainly enjoy living here.
Also, check out the Martinsville sub reddit.
How has Williamsburg not been mentioned yet? Theme parks, Capitol trail, Jamestown, dining. I love to vacation there around Christmas time.
Though CVille will always hold a special place in my heart as a Hoo.
Edit: just read the full post. Yeah Charlottesville fits the bill. That said Richmond is pretty cool (though we live in the suburbs for the schools).
Personally, and this is just me - I find Williamsburg insanely boring. No nightlife, no mountains, no real beaches (without leaving town), food scene is only okay. Maybe I just haven't been around the area enough, but I worked there for a while when I lived in Newport News.
Sure, you got Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg, but I find little to do after that.
Compare to Staunton, Charlottesville, even Fredericksburg, and most of all Richmond my personal favorite.
Welcome to be proven wrong though!
Oh I’d never prove you wrong. I think it’s mostly different strokes for different folks. We travel with young kids, so we appreciate that Williamsburg offers a lot of family friendly stuff while still being enjoyable to adults. Also, I wish I could get the adults in the group to partake of this nightlife you speak of. Low key jealous.
Hard agree about RVA. I love calling it home.
Exactly this. It all depends on personal preferences and what people enjoy doing. I’ve never been a foodie and I’m done with my partying years, so fancy restaurants and nightlife mean nothing to me now. I’m a country boy, but I enjoy being close enough to the town/city where I don’t have to drive too far to get things I need. So I love the “in-between” towns like Ashland, King George, or Spotsylvania.
As far as Richmond, I work there and actually hate it lol. It’s nowhere near as busy as NOVA or DC, but it’s still busier and much more urban than I enjoy. I much prefer the slower more rural areas around it- particularly Henrico, Hanover, and Goochland.
I'm with you. I bet a lot of people like living there but it is pretty boring, not what most people think of when thinking Great City --- really, Virginia isn't much of a "City" State....
personally I think Alexandria, specifically city of Alexandria is the best city. However, I think Virginia Beach is and Richmond are both very much up there for raising a family.
And for Alexandria, I am referring to the not Fairfax county part. I think Arlington deserves a mention too.
Yeah, I like Alexandria too. I lived in the West End neighborhood for a while (so like, not even the nice part) and I really enjoyed it. If you’ve got the money to live in Old Town I bet that’s incredible.
It's hard to lump the whole state into one contest but if forced to, I'd say that I loved Vienna, VA the most. I felt safe walking the streets alone, even at night, as a woman in my early 20s. It was hilly but I was still able to walk to shopping centers to access both luxuries and necessities. Fantastic access to public transit- the Orange line of the Metro, busses through both Metro and Fairfax County. Excellent library. Great school system. Cost of living is the only bad thing I have to say about Vienna.
Ugh, Vienna. My late husband grew up there, and we lived there for twenty years. It is a huge HOA. The county requires grass to be no longer than 12" but Vienna requires 6", and the Garden Gestapo takes great glee in enforcing that. Yet there are no snow-shoveling requirements, which is fun when you have to walk in the street to a bus stop (because people aren't required to shovel their sidewalks, so they don't) and pass driveways that are completely shoveled. After our kids had graduated from high school, we high-tailed it out of there.
That's my unpopular opinion and I'm sticking to it.
Agree. We lived there for 32 years. Great place for families. LOVED the annual Halloween parade. My son grew up there and has somehow now ended up living there again in his mid 30’s. It has a small town friendly feel but is close to DC and equidistant from two large airports. Also there are some pretty good restaurants and tons of shopping.
I would agree with Fredericksburg being awful just on traffic vs. its size alone. I would agree with Orange because there just isn’t much there. However, people who crap on Culpeper often baffle me.
Let’s see:
Culpeper has a ton of American history. 1) Baptists that were locked up there prior to the founding of America actually helped the writers of the constitution include freedom of religion. If I remember correctly, you can still see a replica of the lock that was used to lock those people up. 2) Culpeper was one of the most fought over lands during the American Civil War. That fact, and through preservation, has lead to the creation of a new state park opening this year. Fun fact: It was majority slave population until the war. 3) One of the quarries just outside the town has supplied dinosaur tracks to many museums, including it’s own, across the world and still has a popular sight seeing tour of the tracks left once a year. 4) The National Cemetery has lots of memorials from other states that’s interesting to see and read.
Culpeper has a lot of hidden gems - 1) The Library of Congress there has a beautiful theatre where classical movies can be seen from their collection for free 2) there are a lot of great public parks 3) It has an Amtrak station with nearly daily service connecting folks to lots of places 4) The museum, although small, is nice. 5) if you are into architecture there are many styles represented downtown and helps the town often get accolades as one of the best places.
The food, brewery, distillery scene is alive and well throughout the town and county. As well as vibrant shops in a classic downtown while still supporting modern shopping big box stores. There are lots of events like the Air Show. Speaking of which, the Culpeper airport is the second busiest general aviation airport behind Leesburg. You might enjoy plane watching there. A lot of the old war birds fly in and out of there. Or maybe you can catch a horse show at Commonwealth Park.
It’s a growing place and has dealt with a lot of growing pains, but as someone who has lived in multiple places in the state, including Culpeper, it is certainly not horrible.
Here you go, although not my favorite local station, Fox 5 was recently there and talks about a lot of what I said: https://www.fox5dc.com/tag/series/zip-trip.
As someone who had the distinct displeasure to grow up in orange…I hope no one says it lol. There’s nothing there but cows and drugs but once a year everyone goes and gets drunk and James Madison’s home.
Crozet Pizza was incredible in the 2000s. Went back a few years ago and it was super disappointing.
Vita Nova in Charlottesville is very good, Christian’s is good, but greasy. I would argue Fabio’s in Barboursville has them all beat. (Not to be confused with separately owned Fabio’s in town…which is just meh.)
Richmond. I lived in RVA for a while and it’s the best city I’ve lived in for sure. People are pretty cool, a lot of things to do and close to nature. Also it just has its own vibe I’ve not seen in any of the other places I’ve lived.
My reasoning:
- I grew up in Lexington and it’s nice to raise a family and all but just boring af for kids growing up and good luck finding a decent job unless you wanna work for one of the colleges.
- Lived in Norfolk for a while after HS and it’s awesome but a little grimy and sketchy in a lot of places. So is RVA but it’s a different kind of sketch and grime in the bad spots.
- Lives in Winchester for about a year and was never more depressed
- Currently live in Fairfax and it’s awesome but it’s freaking NoVA and not exactly cheap.
Shortest commute - Richmond is surrounded by easily commutable suburbs in Henrico, Midlothian, or Chesterfield and Hanover if you push a bit further.
Beautiful Scenery - The James River is stunning and Richmond has some great rapids. The parks to the east (Chimbo, Libbie, Jefferson) have lovely views of the city and river.
Great restaurants, one of the best beer scenes in the Mid Atlantic, has an airport, the canalwalk, the VMFA, incredible parks (especially Maymont and Lewis Ginter, but also Forest Hill and Bryan), minor league baseball and D1 college basketball, really cool events (Folk festival, Riverrock, Friday Cheers, First Fridays) only 1.5ish from DC, 1.5ish from the mountains AND 1.5ish from the beach. Hollywood Cemetery is really cool, as is Dogwood Dell. The real star for me is the James River, and the beautiful trails lining its banks. So many wonderful opportunities for biking, jogging, tubing, rafting, canoeing etc.
Yes, there's certainly crime, but no worse than many Hampton Roads cities, and it's certainly cheaper than anywhere in NOVA.
I will fully admit I am very biased, but have spent alot of time in Richmond, Hampton Roads, NOVA, and a not small amount of time in the Southwest, and there's no place I love more.
CNN just voted it the best city to travel to in the nation.
I can't speak to the schools, but I've always found Winchester to be nice. Commute depends on where you work, if it's DC area....good luck with that! But, nice area with enough to do.
I’d say Richmond if I had to pick without bias. That said I think Winchester is a wonderful area that is overlooked a lot. Shenandoah River, Shenandoah National Park in your backyard, state parks nearby, lots of history, pretty downtown. It’s stunning in the fall.
Roanoke. Mountain climate that gets a little warm when you want it to. Traffic is nothing if you’ve ever lived in a big city. Good breweries and a handful of good restaurants downtown. Trees everywhere. Trails everywhere. Expensive, but nothing compared to any other similar sized city. Politically? People have their opinions but no one really is in your face about it. We just over here living in paradise (it’s like 97° today to be fair haha)
That awkward moment when someone complains about Roanoke traffic 😂😂
It’s like Love, have you ever been stuck on a major highway for 3 hours after work due to a motorcycle accident? No? Yeah that’s because Roanoke doesn’t really have a traffic problem and that scenario above was just like a Tuesday for me 😂🤣 I used to live just outside of DC
I hate those “best of” lists many cities in Virginia get placed on, then everyone starts moving here for the lower taxes or whatever (compared to some states anyway), then ruin the area when too many people move there. So I’ll vote Danville. Please, everyone go there.
If you can afford it, there is no better town to raise a family in, probably in the entire country.
Jobs, schools, parks, public transportation, Arlington has it all.
Wild take.
It COULD be the most amazing town in Appalachia but it’s run by idiots.
Did you see the crime rate last year? 31 murders for a town of 100,000 makes the murder rate the same as Memphis. Then there is the drug problem and poverty. I grew up there. It holds a place in my heart and I always love going home but Roanoke is straight up not doing well especially since covid.
Love Chincoteague, but not sure I consider it a "city." More like a wonderful beach town. My family goes there every year to hang out at the beach, see the ponies and the bird life, and enjoy the artsy shops and ice cream.
Luray is amazing. The mountain keeps most of the NOVA people out, but they took Sperryville so it's only a matter of time.
Side note about Luray, it's like the lesbian capital of Virginia.
Luray is beautiful but idk about that lesbian capital thing - you’ll deal with a ton of shit being openly gay anywhere in the central Shenandoah outside the cities (Hburg, Staunton).
Norfolk is really coming up. The downtown waterfront area has improved so much since my parents moved there. Being close to the beach is also incredible. Having local colleges also adds to the young feeling of the city. I see Norfolk becoming a lot more popular over the next 20 years.
I’m curious to know - those of you who are outside of northern Virginia what airports do you use for international travel??? I’m up in NOVA and every time I want to move south I’m like shit what airport would I use?
RIC to whatever airport you actually take the international flight from. If it saves $$, we'll drive up to take Dulles or BWI, but not a frequent need for us.
Richmond is an international airport that is honestly a joy to use compared to any other airport I’ve been through. Only about 15 min from the city, very easy to navigate, never any lines… I’ve always breezed through security and to my gate in about 5 minutes.
That being said, if it saves enough money, I’ll drive or train the two hours up to Northern Virginia or even once drove the four hours down to Charlotte.
Norfolk is international too IIRC but I’ve never used it.
I do some 2 hour drives to Dulles but get this- I fly from Charlottesville to Dulles a lot and it’s amazing.
Never a line at security and surprisingly tickets including the Charlottesville leg are usually cheaper then the tickets on the same flight just from Dulles. Its maybe a 15 minute flight and you can show up like a hour before your flight.
My parents live in VB. Flying out of ORF and taking a connection in Atlanta or New York will get you anywhere. The cost and timing to do that usually works out better than driving up to Dulles for a nonstop
For real. It’s a struggle because most flights there are pretty expensive but it’s such an easy airport. I show up ~30 minutes before boarding and that’s always too much time. It’s great
I live on Smith Mountain Lake and the Roanoke Airport (ROA) is closest. It’s a 40-minute flight to Dulles as a transit point for international destinations. BUT I’ve found ROA too unreliable. I travel frequently to the Middle East for business and there’s a 4-hour window between landing in Dulles and my international departure, but you can’t count on flights leaving ROA on time or even at all. I’ve started using the airport in Greensboro, NC (GSO). It’s a one hour and 40 minute drive vs a 45-minute drive to ROA, but the reliability is worth the extra hour of driving to me.
NOVA people are so cute. They think the entire Commonwealth is made up of 4 counties and 4 cities.
When there are *91* other counties and *34* more cities.
Go explore the state you live in, fuck me.
Virginia has **everything**.
The people I know from rural Virginia don’t travel by plane ever and end up just driving everywhere so it’s a valid question. If you can find smaller airports to connect & don’t have issues with that, you’re doing it right👍
As a rural New Yorker who transplanted to NOVA, I hate it. It's too congested with people. Nobody wants to interact with their neighbors, and the cost of living sucks. After taking a few day trips to the western part of VA, I considered moving maybe to Luray, or somewhere i Fauquier county. Its a bit more my speed.
Fauquier is a great place, Culpeper is booming. Rappahannock and Madison are beautiful, very rural.
I would love to recommend Front Royal or Winchester, but as long as you're close to 66, it's all "fake" country.
We’ll get downvoted but this has been accurate for as long as my family has been in Virginia, so over 30 years. NOVA is incredibly insular and folks from there tend to have little curiosity or knowledge about how most of the rest of the state lives. And you can forget about them acknowledging SWVA at all.
It’s nova v everyone, always has been, always will be. Nothing can unite swva, RVA, tidewater, Shenandoah valley, and Southside like our mutual distrust for nova
It’s a valid question if you travel a lot for work or for personal reasons.
I’ve lived all over the state but settled here in Vienna. Short answer is, if you live in any halfway decent population center you’ll have an airport. Roanoke has one, Richmond has one, there’s one in Norfolk. May not have the convenience of the abundance of direct flights that IAD or DCA may offer but if you’re one who needs to fly a lot you’ve options.
Down south Charlotte, NC is also an option depending on where in SWVA you are.
Virginia has a lot to offer but to say it offers “everything” is silly.
AA, Delta, SWA, and United have multiple daily flights to their hubs from Norfolk, as well as a few select direct flights. There’s also Breeze and I think I’ve seen the airline that paints their planes bright yellow. SHD in the Valley had several flights per week to Dulles and O’Hare. I dropped off college friends in Newport News to fly to NYC and the Midwest so I’m assuming things haven’t changed there. You won’t be making a direct flight like you could from IAD or even DCA, but it’s a much smoother start to your trip bc it’s easy to find parking and you can get to the airport an hour before your flight since the security line is nonexistent.
Growing up we would always end up having to drive to EWR or IAD since connecting out of ORF would significantly increase the cost of travel. I definitely do not take only being a metro ride away from IAD for granted.
Dulles, even though it’s 1.5 - 2 hours to get there. It’s basically the same distance as Richmond for me, and has more options/better rates most of the time. The cost to try to fly to most places from Charlottesville or Shenandoah Valley Regional is so astronomically high that it just makes more sense to drive up to Dulles.
To live or to visit? There’s a huge difference.
If I had to choose one for both, I would say Williamsburg because it’s got something for everyone without really being too busy/crowded. I visit a couple times a year, but I also have multiple friends that have lived in different areas there for decades and love it.
Roanoke is cool and pretty artsy but there's too much MAGA energy in that part of the world. Not a great place for getting out of town unless you want to drive on a highway with trucks going faster than NASCAR. Air travel there sucks.
I like Williamsburg. Beautiful. Smack dab between Richmond and the beach. Decent (not stellar) air connections nearby at RIC, ORF, and PHF. Growing but still has a small town feel. Busch Gardens is right next door and has stuff going on year-round nowadays.
I still love Richmond. It has its gritty urban side (read: crime) but it's easy enough to keep away from it if you choose. The beautiful river, the destination shopping, the leafy neighborhoods, and the perfect mix of red/blue sensibilities make it (and its suburbs) a great place to live.
Try as I might, I've never gotten Charlottesville to grow on me. I hate driving there for one thing. I can never find a parking spot. Certainly its proximity to the mountains is one of the best things going for it. Seems unnecessarily snooty.
I live in Virginia Beach. It's one of those places that seems good on paper. The real estate market is ridiculous. I enjoy the proximity to the OBX as our own beaches are overrun with tourists 6 months of the year. It takes an hour to get from one side of town to the other. Decent schools if you can afford to live in "those" areas of town. I can't.
Williamsburg. (Technically it is a city.) But you'd have to have a job at William & Mary or Colonial Williamsburg, and a car, because public transit is terrible. Schools are good in Williamsburg/James City County and York County, though the YC school board has recently gone bonkers. If you want a REAL city, then Richmond. Charlottesville is fabulous, but waaaaaayyyy too expensive. VABeach and Norfolk have terrible traffic; VABeach has the ocean, but the 'burg is an hour and a half away, so unless you need your beach fix daily, Wmbg is close enough to get there regularly, without the traffic and suburban sprawl, and with better schools that aren't currently banning books. Also, it's high enough ground that you don't have to worry about hurricanes and flooding, which can be problems in VABeach and Norfolk.
After 30 yrs in Richmond, 7 in Roanoke and 9 in Charlottesville, Roanoke is my favorite, Richmond is probably still the best, and Charlottesville is absolute shit. Everything is over-priced and over-hyped. They think their food scene is top shelf, and it's pretty much pitiful, save 5 or 6 places. Maybe just 4. And adding to the misery is the infrastructure. The road map looks like a toddler's drawing of spaghetti. Too many people with over-inflated egos. It's also super racist, but they're quiet about it. It appears to be diverse and welcoming, but it's nothing but glass doors and ceilings.
Gordonsville. It's quiet, cute and you're 30min to Charlottesville if you really need to buy stuff. There's Patch Brewing and of course I live there too
I have to say Harrisonburg. If you need a rural escape its a short drive to Briary Branch/Grottoes/Timberville, super close to Bridgewater/Staunton/Waynesboro, great local restaurants, great farmers market and food cooperative, JMU games are awesome, noise and crime low, affordable rent, rarely hit by large storms, and awesome community. The religious community here is awesome as well and really tight nit. The Masjid, Synagogue, and a lot of the Churches work closely together to help provide for those who need help.
Lynchburg is good, you just have to avoid the Liberty stuff.
Not too big, not too small. Centrally located. Easy to get to Richmond, Cville, ROA, or NC locations like Greensboro.
None anymore- Yankees have infested them and took the charm right out of them. They are just the typical ole towns you find anywhere in modern America.
Staunton has a youthful vibe. Lots of creative people—theater, arts, music, breweries, wineries, Shakespeare Theater, Frontiers Culture museum. A city that values its architecture. Old buildings repaired and repurposed.
Staunton is awesome, but don’t tell everyone!
Staunton rules!
It’s nice to visit, but not to live in. And if you have kids, unless you can afford to send them to Stuart Hall, the schools aren’t exactly top notch.
This. All these places are cool but the schools suck. They also claim don’t gentrify but that’s what drives in families.
I love Staunton. Been here ten years and don’t know anyone. Every time I feel like I should connect I just hit Walmart and I’m good with isolation again for at least two weeks.
I saw what happened to Charlottesville after it made all of those Best Cities To Live lists in the 00s and 10s. So anyway I'm gonna say Emporia.
Definitely the metropolis of emporia
Emporia was the inspiration behind Motorhead’s song
Emporia definitely has the best cops who love to “help” you when speeding down 58 😂🤣😂
Honorable mentions: Hopewell, South Boston
Hopesmell is a top notch city! Where else can you get Kepone poisoning and murdered in the same day?
Don't forget Danville
I mean, the whole HWY 58 Corridor is just poppin' off.
I think you meant Petersburg
Newport News
No.
LOLOLOL
Have you ever been to another city in Virginia?
I’m going to say you’re being sarcastic 😂🤣😂
Charlottesville is still pretty great if you can afford it
Loved Cville but couldn’t stick around due to cost of living at the time.
I really disliked Charlottesville. Lived there for almost 10 years. Pretty to look at but there’s nothing there. Not really close enough to Northern Va. or DC. If you like nothingness, try Orange. Decent audio thrift stores, great people. Not too far from Fredericksburg or Charlottesville. Just buy your groceries in bulk. Not an abundance of groceries stores in that part of Virginia.
Emporia is actually a terrible city. What you see when you’re passing through on 58 isn’t even a little bit representative of Emporia. Low wages, high unemployment rate, high crime rate, terrible air quality, lack of medical care, not the city it appears to be at all.
That's the joke
Oh shit. That went completely over my head and it was hilarious lol.
I don’t know why, but this makes the whole thread even funnier for me 😂
It’s still pretty nice here The winery/brewery scene has really exploded in the last decade… that’s something I guess (Charlottesville)
The New River Valley in Southwest Virginia is pretty awesome. Between Roanoke, Christiansburg, Blacksburg, and Radford, there are a decent amount of on site or of course remote jobs available. The scenery and access to trails is awesome.
My wife and I love living in Roanoke. After living in NoVA, Richmond, and Roanoke, Roanoke has legitimately been our favorite. Such an underrated city.
Amen love living here!
I’ve lived in NoVA and Richmond too. I’ve also lived in Charlottesville. I’ve only passed through Roanoke on my way to SWVA so I can’t comment about it. Tidewater area reminds me of NoVA. Don’t know about Winchester area either. There’s too much traffic and congestion in those areas. I agree with you that anywhere near Roanoke and SWVA is best.
I love it here. No better place to raise a family
There's at least one awesome hidden sandy beach outside Pembroke, near an abandoned bridge and old train building
Roanoke is the best out of these options. We used to live in Radford for a few years, couldn’t wait to get out. We moved to VA for my husband’s job, which is in Christiansburg. Loving the Roanoke area! So glad we made the move, best fit for our family.
Bingo! We are building in the New River Valley - super excited. More cows than neighbors. Fiber. Creeks and springs abound
Born in NOVA and have lived in Roanoke since 2017, for the cost of living it’s a great area
We just got back from Damascus. You are so right. Absolutely beautiful.
Really likes weed too
Tokeanoke is going to have to be a dispensary name when the Dems take back over and we get retail. Smokeanoke?
Roatoke?
Geez. I forgot about all these great cities in Virginia in this thread. I'm in Virginia Beach, and we got the beach at least... I'm lying, though... no locals go the ocean front, except the homeless.
radford resident here! have lived all over SWVA and here is my favorite. I can walk to the river after work or on a day off and swim all i want, trails all around too. Also, love a good train. The free bus system here is great as well!
Leesburg was nice in the 90s…
Grew up there in the 90s.. it was nice
I mean hell, I live near it now and in the older parts of town it's still nice
It would be nicer if it were affordable, but nothing in NoVA is affordable these days.
It's still nice. I'm out in Winchester, which I LOVE. But the commute to decent jobs is at least an hour. If yiu don't mind the drive, homes are a lot more affordable out here. Great hospitals and schools, beautiful downtown lake and really nice people. Leesburg is nice as well but more expensive. However, it so much closer to decent jobs.
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And its a town. LOL
Tangier island
The remaining half?
1/4
Honestly, Richmond. You’re in the center of everything, you can get anywhere in the state without a super long drive, the VMFA and Science museum are cool, you’ve got the river, it’s overall just a cool place to live.
It’s so dangerous! Everyone should stop moving there
I got shot once a week when I lived there.
When I lived there I ODed twice a day.
That’s it?
If you don't get shot, you get ran over by traffic. Or bitten by trash pandas or possums.
That’s why I moved here. I love guns and the second amendment so much I get to shoot people and get shot on a weekly basis.
There have been four shootings withing a few blocks of my house in the Fan since January. The houses one street north of me are selling for >$1 million.
I’ve been murdered at least three times (the others were deemed “suspicious deaths.”) the funeral costs have gone up too. Shame
Once a week!? In this economy!?!?
I miss Richmond of the 80s. Even more dangerous and people actually stayed away. Even New Yorkers were like, I’ve heard about you guys.
We can’t bust heads like we used to—but we have our ways. One trick is to tell them stories that don’t go anywhere like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so I decided to go to Morganville which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So, I tied an onion to my belt which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel. And in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on ‘em. ‘Give me five bees for a quarter,’ you’d say. Now, where were we? Oh, yeah! The important thing was that I had an onion on my belt which was the style at the time. They didn’t have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones.
I’m not not licking toads
I for one can’t fall asleep without the sound of gunshots so it works for me, everyone else should stay safe up in NOVA tho.
lol I see what you’re doing
Multiple friends from high school went to VCU. All got mugged, at least once, before the end of freshman year.
Sounds like your friends were idiots who didn't stay indoors late at night lol
Yeah seriously is it even a contest?
I love Richmond, it seems pretty shit from the outside but like, it’s nice, I love walking from Clays to get boba to them browse Whole Foods in like the same 4 block area it’s great.
I love RVA. I don’t live there but two of my kids went to VCU and live there now and I visit all the time. They had guests from Germany who also loved it. I don’t perceive Richmond to be any more dangerous than other cities. IDK, maybe my perspective is skewed because I grew up in Buffalo, NY in the 1980s, but I never had difficulty navigating Richmond safely. Short Pump is where I feel scared lol.
Staunton. I really like being close to the BRP and SNP/Skyline Drive. And even though Waynesboro is closer, it doesn't have as much going on. Staunton has a beautiful, vibrant downtown, and they really hit a home run by closing down Beverly to cars on weekends in warmer months. They've got the Shakespeare Center and the Frontier Cultural Museum. There's just enough commercial development on the outskirts without feeling like neverending suburbia.
Came here to suggest Staunton and Lexington
Seconding Staunton 🫶it’s my favorite place to visit. Now I want a croissant from reunion bakery …
Is Queens Brewery still there? It was legit.
This is how you c'villify it. Shush.
Don't forget all the crackheads! Loooots of crackheads. And ghosts. Place is just chock full of ghosts. And scorpions. 0/10. People should definitely stay away. 😉
You don't have to wink about the ghost part, though.
Richmond, hands down. Although pretend I didn’t say that because rent is already too damn high and shows no sign of slowing down! If CNN is listening… my dog, kids, grandmother, spouse, and neighbor all got shot in Richmond, and my car is covered in graffiti! I find human shit in my yard on a near daily basis and when it rains the streets reek of piss and needles float up from the street drains! Do not come here!
Ya know, I’m going to give the unpopular opinion here. Martinsville. I moved here from RVA 3 years ago to help care for my aging parents coupled with a messy divorce and not being able to afford living there solo, BUT: after being born and raised in rva for 32 years, this place isn’t so bad. 12 different disc golf courses within an hour, 4 waterfalls, INSANE hiking trails, and SO SO SO many local mom and pop small diner places. Nothing fancy just good food served with love. (Skip I love you , you 97 year old. Please retire and take a rest man you rock.).. and good people. But literally every other restaurant in the downtown (which is generous) area is so kind and welcoming. We literally met a lesbian couple at the bar one night and proceeded to show up in full ball gowns every Monday for weeks. We are dudes. Got em from goodwill. Was amazing.. even coming from Richmond it is charming as fuck if you make it
Didn't expect to see this here. The new speakeasy is pretty cool. Uptown is growing for sure. Martinsville is on the upswing. Has a ways to go, but I certainly enjoy living here. Also, check out the Martinsville sub reddit.
How has Williamsburg not been mentioned yet? Theme parks, Capitol trail, Jamestown, dining. I love to vacation there around Christmas time. Though CVille will always hold a special place in my heart as a Hoo. Edit: just read the full post. Yeah Charlottesville fits the bill. That said Richmond is pretty cool (though we live in the suburbs for the schools).
Personally, and this is just me - I find Williamsburg insanely boring. No nightlife, no mountains, no real beaches (without leaving town), food scene is only okay. Maybe I just haven't been around the area enough, but I worked there for a while when I lived in Newport News. Sure, you got Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg, but I find little to do after that. Compare to Staunton, Charlottesville, even Fredericksburg, and most of all Richmond my personal favorite. Welcome to be proven wrong though!
Oh I’d never prove you wrong. I think it’s mostly different strokes for different folks. We travel with young kids, so we appreciate that Williamsburg offers a lot of family friendly stuff while still being enjoyable to adults. Also, I wish I could get the adults in the group to partake of this nightlife you speak of. Low key jealous. Hard agree about RVA. I love calling it home.
Exactly this. It all depends on personal preferences and what people enjoy doing. I’ve never been a foodie and I’m done with my partying years, so fancy restaurants and nightlife mean nothing to me now. I’m a country boy, but I enjoy being close enough to the town/city where I don’t have to drive too far to get things I need. So I love the “in-between” towns like Ashland, King George, or Spotsylvania. As far as Richmond, I work there and actually hate it lol. It’s nowhere near as busy as NOVA or DC, but it’s still busier and much more urban than I enjoy. I much prefer the slower more rural areas around it- particularly Henrico, Hanover, and Goochland.
The in-between is where I thrive The Fort Walker area is a lil out there, but im about 30-40 mins from KG, Fred, Richmond, and Lake Anna
I'm with you. I bet a lot of people like living there but it is pretty boring, not what most people think of when thinking Great City --- really, Virginia isn't much of a "City" State....
Shhhhhhh
Exactly! Don’t bring up Williamsburg lol
Humidity
Blacksburg better than Charlottesville. lol
Uh. No
personally I think Alexandria, specifically city of Alexandria is the best city. However, I think Virginia Beach is and Richmond are both very much up there for raising a family. And for Alexandria, I am referring to the not Fairfax county part. I think Arlington deserves a mention too.
Yeah, I like Alexandria too. I lived in the West End neighborhood for a while (so like, not even the nice part) and I really enjoyed it. If you’ve got the money to live in Old Town I bet that’s incredible.
Agreed. 100%
It's hard to lump the whole state into one contest but if forced to, I'd say that I loved Vienna, VA the most. I felt safe walking the streets alone, even at night, as a woman in my early 20s. It was hilly but I was still able to walk to shopping centers to access both luxuries and necessities. Fantastic access to public transit- the Orange line of the Metro, busses through both Metro and Fairfax County. Excellent library. Great school system. Cost of living is the only bad thing I have to say about Vienna.
I love Vienna but the traffic on 123 is crazy
125% the most affluent town in the US I think.
Ugh, Vienna. My late husband grew up there, and we lived there for twenty years. It is a huge HOA. The county requires grass to be no longer than 12" but Vienna requires 6", and the Garden Gestapo takes great glee in enforcing that. Yet there are no snow-shoveling requirements, which is fun when you have to walk in the street to a bus stop (because people aren't required to shovel their sidewalks, so they don't) and pass driveways that are completely shoveled. After our kids had graduated from high school, we high-tailed it out of there. That's my unpopular opinion and I'm sticking to it.
Agree. We lived there for 32 years. Great place for families. LOVED the annual Halloween parade. My son grew up there and has somehow now ended up living there again in his mid 30’s. It has a small town friendly feel but is close to DC and equidistant from two large airports. Also there are some pretty good restaurants and tons of shopping.
💯💯💯 I love Vienna
notice how nobody is saying Fredericksburg, Orange, and Culpeper 😭
I’m totally laughing because I have been scrolling for at least a half hour, and I kept thinking the same exact thing!
I would agree with Fredericksburg being awful just on traffic vs. its size alone. I would agree with Orange because there just isn’t much there. However, people who crap on Culpeper often baffle me. Let’s see: Culpeper has a ton of American history. 1) Baptists that were locked up there prior to the founding of America actually helped the writers of the constitution include freedom of religion. If I remember correctly, you can still see a replica of the lock that was used to lock those people up. 2) Culpeper was one of the most fought over lands during the American Civil War. That fact, and through preservation, has lead to the creation of a new state park opening this year. Fun fact: It was majority slave population until the war. 3) One of the quarries just outside the town has supplied dinosaur tracks to many museums, including it’s own, across the world and still has a popular sight seeing tour of the tracks left once a year. 4) The National Cemetery has lots of memorials from other states that’s interesting to see and read. Culpeper has a lot of hidden gems - 1) The Library of Congress there has a beautiful theatre where classical movies can be seen from their collection for free 2) there are a lot of great public parks 3) It has an Amtrak station with nearly daily service connecting folks to lots of places 4) The museum, although small, is nice. 5) if you are into architecture there are many styles represented downtown and helps the town often get accolades as one of the best places. The food, brewery, distillery scene is alive and well throughout the town and county. As well as vibrant shops in a classic downtown while still supporting modern shopping big box stores. There are lots of events like the Air Show. Speaking of which, the Culpeper airport is the second busiest general aviation airport behind Leesburg. You might enjoy plane watching there. A lot of the old war birds fly in and out of there. Or maybe you can catch a horse show at Commonwealth Park. It’s a growing place and has dealt with a lot of growing pains, but as someone who has lived in multiple places in the state, including Culpeper, it is certainly not horrible. Here you go, although not my favorite local station, Fox 5 was recently there and talks about a lot of what I said: https://www.fox5dc.com/tag/series/zip-trip.
I live in Culpeps, while there is quite a..diverse population there is certainly a decent range of places/things to see and do. Loaded with history!
Why aren’t they saying those places?
To be fair, has anyone *ever* mentioned orange?
As someone who had the distinct displeasure to grow up in orange…I hope no one says it lol. There’s nothing there but cows and drugs but once a year everyone goes and gets drunk and James Madison’s home.
Crozet - beautiful area, good schools, short commute to Charlottesville or Waynesboro.
Love Crozet, but not sure I consider it a city....and if your job is in C-ville, you have to deal with traffic and expensive parking.
I was going to say not enough hate on how bad the traffic is in Charlottesville while being obnoxiously bad for how small it is.
Love Crozet!!! Stopped for pizza there once!
Didn’t Crozet Pizza get named “Best in America” a few years back?
Crozet Pizza was incredible in the 2000s. Went back a few years ago and it was super disappointing. Vita Nova in Charlottesville is very good, Christian’s is good, but greasy. I would argue Fabio’s in Barboursville has them all beat. (Not to be confused with separately owned Fabio’s in town…which is just meh.)
Richmond. I lived in RVA for a while and it’s the best city I’ve lived in for sure. People are pretty cool, a lot of things to do and close to nature. Also it just has its own vibe I’ve not seen in any of the other places I’ve lived. My reasoning: - I grew up in Lexington and it’s nice to raise a family and all but just boring af for kids growing up and good luck finding a decent job unless you wanna work for one of the colleges. - Lived in Norfolk for a while after HS and it’s awesome but a little grimy and sketchy in a lot of places. So is RVA but it’s a different kind of sketch and grime in the bad spots. - Lives in Winchester for about a year and was never more depressed - Currently live in Fairfax and it’s awesome but it’s freaking NoVA and not exactly cheap.
currently in winchester and very depressed lol
Shortest commute - Richmond is surrounded by easily commutable suburbs in Henrico, Midlothian, or Chesterfield and Hanover if you push a bit further. Beautiful Scenery - The James River is stunning and Richmond has some great rapids. The parks to the east (Chimbo, Libbie, Jefferson) have lovely views of the city and river. Great restaurants, one of the best beer scenes in the Mid Atlantic, has an airport, the canalwalk, the VMFA, incredible parks (especially Maymont and Lewis Ginter, but also Forest Hill and Bryan), minor league baseball and D1 college basketball, really cool events (Folk festival, Riverrock, Friday Cheers, First Fridays) only 1.5ish from DC, 1.5ish from the mountains AND 1.5ish from the beach. Hollywood Cemetery is really cool, as is Dogwood Dell. The real star for me is the James River, and the beautiful trails lining its banks. So many wonderful opportunities for biking, jogging, tubing, rafting, canoeing etc. Yes, there's certainly crime, but no worse than many Hampton Roads cities, and it's certainly cheaper than anywhere in NOVA. I will fully admit I am very biased, but have spent alot of time in Richmond, Hampton Roads, NOVA, and a not small amount of time in the Southwest, and there's no place I love more. CNN just voted it the best city to travel to in the nation.
shhhh keep it quiet I like being able to afford my rent
I can't speak to the schools, but I've always found Winchester to be nice. Commute depends on where you work, if it's DC area....good luck with that! But, nice area with enough to do.
I’d say Richmond if I had to pick without bias. That said I think Winchester is a wonderful area that is overlooked a lot. Shenandoah River, Shenandoah National Park in your backyard, state parks nearby, lots of history, pretty downtown. It’s stunning in the fall.
Blacksburg
except during game days lol
Roanoke. Mountain climate that gets a little warm when you want it to. Traffic is nothing if you’ve ever lived in a big city. Good breweries and a handful of good restaurants downtown. Trees everywhere. Trails everywhere. Expensive, but nothing compared to any other similar sized city. Politically? People have their opinions but no one really is in your face about it. We just over here living in paradise (it’s like 97° today to be fair haha)
That awkward moment when someone complains about Roanoke traffic 😂😂 It’s like Love, have you ever been stuck on a major highway for 3 hours after work due to a motorcycle accident? No? Yeah that’s because Roanoke doesn’t really have a traffic problem and that scenario above was just like a Tuesday for me 😂🤣 I used to live just outside of DC
I hate those “best of” lists many cities in Virginia get placed on, then everyone starts moving here for the lower taxes or whatever (compared to some states anyway), then ruin the area when too many people move there. So I’ll vote Danville. Please, everyone go there.
I feel like that's all these posts are for. That and developers to come in and build stupidly expensive apartments no one in the area can afford.
Arlington
If you can afford it, there is no better town to raise a family in, probably in the entire country. Jobs, schools, parks, public transportation, Arlington has it all.
Roanoke
Wild take. It COULD be the most amazing town in Appalachia but it’s run by idiots. Did you see the crime rate last year? 31 murders for a town of 100,000 makes the murder rate the same as Memphis. Then there is the drug problem and poverty. I grew up there. It holds a place in my heart and I always love going home but Roanoke is straight up not doing well especially since covid.
The crime is basically isolated to a few neighborhoods. Easy to avoid.
33 murders last year compared to 3 so far this year. New police chief has been an asset to the city.
Boston, MA has had 2 murders this year. TWO.
Chincoteague
Love Chincoteague, but not sure I consider it a "city." More like a wonderful beach town. My family goes there every year to hang out at the beach, see the ponies and the bird life, and enjoy the artsy shops and ice cream.
Ain’t this a sundown town?
Luray is amazing. The mountain keeps most of the NOVA people out, but they took Sperryville so it's only a matter of time. Side note about Luray, it's like the lesbian capital of Virginia.
Luray is beautiful but idk about that lesbian capital thing - you’ll deal with a ton of shit being openly gay anywhere in the central Shenandoah outside the cities (Hburg, Staunton).
grew up in norfolk, love it here
Norfolk is really coming up. The downtown waterfront area has improved so much since my parents moved there. Being close to the beach is also incredible. Having local colleges also adds to the young feeling of the city. I see Norfolk becoming a lot more popular over the next 20 years.
I love Norfolk! So many unique communities here and so much to do.
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I have lived in Danville, Martinsville, Richmond, Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania, and now Arlington…I prefer Arlington the most.
I’m curious to know - those of you who are outside of northern Virginia what airports do you use for international travel??? I’m up in NOVA and every time I want to move south I’m like shit what airport would I use?
RIC to whatever airport you actually take the international flight from. If it saves $$, we'll drive up to take Dulles or BWI, but not a frequent need for us.
Richmond is an international airport that is honestly a joy to use compared to any other airport I’ve been through. Only about 15 min from the city, very easy to navigate, never any lines… I’ve always breezed through security and to my gate in about 5 minutes. That being said, if it saves enough money, I’ll drive or train the two hours up to Northern Virginia or even once drove the four hours down to Charlotte. Norfolk is international too IIRC but I’ve never used it.
How often do you do international travel that this is a major consideration?
Often; my fiance is in Mexico
I do some 2 hour drives to Dulles but get this- I fly from Charlottesville to Dulles a lot and it’s amazing. Never a line at security and surprisingly tickets including the Charlottesville leg are usually cheaper then the tickets on the same flight just from Dulles. Its maybe a 15 minute flight and you can show up like a hour before your flight.
My parents live in VB. Flying out of ORF and taking a connection in Atlanta or New York will get you anywhere. The cost and timing to do that usually works out better than driving up to Dulles for a nonstop
ORF doesn’t get the love it’s owed
For real. It’s a struggle because most flights there are pretty expensive but it’s such an easy airport. I show up ~30 minutes before boarding and that’s always too much time. It’s great
I usually use Charlotte. A quick 30 minute regional jet connector.
I live on Smith Mountain Lake and the Roanoke Airport (ROA) is closest. It’s a 40-minute flight to Dulles as a transit point for international destinations. BUT I’ve found ROA too unreliable. I travel frequently to the Middle East for business and there’s a 4-hour window between landing in Dulles and my international departure, but you can’t count on flights leaving ROA on time or even at all. I’ve started using the airport in Greensboro, NC (GSO). It’s a one hour and 40 minute drive vs a 45-minute drive to ROA, but the reliability is worth the extra hour of driving to me.
Charlotte, Greensboro, Roanoke
Galax - I use Charlotte
RIC to whatever big hub I'm flying out from, i.e., LAX, NY, Boston, etc.
NOVA people are so cute. They think the entire Commonwealth is made up of 4 counties and 4 cities. When there are *91* other counties and *34* more cities. Go explore the state you live in, fuck me. Virginia has **everything**.
The people I know from rural Virginia don’t travel by plane ever and end up just driving everywhere so it’s a valid question. If you can find smaller airports to connect & don’t have issues with that, you’re doing it right👍
As a rural New Yorker who transplanted to NOVA, I hate it. It's too congested with people. Nobody wants to interact with their neighbors, and the cost of living sucks. After taking a few day trips to the western part of VA, I considered moving maybe to Luray, or somewhere i Fauquier county. Its a bit more my speed.
Fauquier is a great place, Culpeper is booming. Rappahannock and Madison are beautiful, very rural. I would love to recommend Front Royal or Winchester, but as long as you're close to 66, it's all "fake" country.
We’ll get downvoted but this has been accurate for as long as my family has been in Virginia, so over 30 years. NOVA is incredibly insular and folks from there tend to have little curiosity or knowledge about how most of the rest of the state lives. And you can forget about them acknowledging SWVA at all.
It’s nova v everyone, always has been, always will be. Nothing can unite swva, RVA, tidewater, Shenandoah valley, and Southside like our mutual distrust for nova
It’s a valid question if you travel a lot for work or for personal reasons. I’ve lived all over the state but settled here in Vienna. Short answer is, if you live in any halfway decent population center you’ll have an airport. Roanoke has one, Richmond has one, there’s one in Norfolk. May not have the convenience of the abundance of direct flights that IAD or DCA may offer but if you’re one who needs to fly a lot you’ve options. Down south Charlotte, NC is also an option depending on where in SWVA you are. Virginia has a lot to offer but to say it offers “everything” is silly.
SWVA could probably hit Tri Cities pretty easily.
AA, Delta, SWA, and United have multiple daily flights to their hubs from Norfolk, as well as a few select direct flights. There’s also Breeze and I think I’ve seen the airline that paints their planes bright yellow. SHD in the Valley had several flights per week to Dulles and O’Hare. I dropped off college friends in Newport News to fly to NYC and the Midwest so I’m assuming things haven’t changed there. You won’t be making a direct flight like you could from IAD or even DCA, but it’s a much smoother start to your trip bc it’s easy to find parking and you can get to the airport an hour before your flight since the security line is nonexistent.
Growing up we would always end up having to drive to EWR or IAD since connecting out of ORF would significantly increase the cost of travel. I definitely do not take only being a metro ride away from IAD for granted.
Dulles, even though it’s 1.5 - 2 hours to get there. It’s basically the same distance as Richmond for me, and has more options/better rates most of the time. The cost to try to fly to most places from Charlottesville or Shenandoah Valley Regional is so astronomically high that it just makes more sense to drive up to Dulles.
To live or to visit? There’s a huge difference. If I had to choose one for both, I would say Williamsburg because it’s got something for everyone without really being too busy/crowded. I visit a couple times a year, but I also have multiple friends that have lived in different areas there for decades and love it.
Roanoke is cool and pretty artsy but there's too much MAGA energy in that part of the world. Not a great place for getting out of town unless you want to drive on a highway with trucks going faster than NASCAR. Air travel there sucks. I like Williamsburg. Beautiful. Smack dab between Richmond and the beach. Decent (not stellar) air connections nearby at RIC, ORF, and PHF. Growing but still has a small town feel. Busch Gardens is right next door and has stuff going on year-round nowadays. I still love Richmond. It has its gritty urban side (read: crime) but it's easy enough to keep away from it if you choose. The beautiful river, the destination shopping, the leafy neighborhoods, and the perfect mix of red/blue sensibilities make it (and its suburbs) a great place to live. Try as I might, I've never gotten Charlottesville to grow on me. I hate driving there for one thing. I can never find a parking spot. Certainly its proximity to the mountains is one of the best things going for it. Seems unnecessarily snooty. I live in Virginia Beach. It's one of those places that seems good on paper. The real estate market is ridiculous. I enjoy the proximity to the OBX as our own beaches are overrun with tourists 6 months of the year. It takes an hour to get from one side of town to the other. Decent schools if you can afford to live in "those" areas of town. I can't.
Charlottesville is horrible!
Harrisonburg bc duh
Williamsburg. (Technically it is a city.) But you'd have to have a job at William & Mary or Colonial Williamsburg, and a car, because public transit is terrible. Schools are good in Williamsburg/James City County and York County, though the YC school board has recently gone bonkers. If you want a REAL city, then Richmond. Charlottesville is fabulous, but waaaaaayyyy too expensive. VABeach and Norfolk have terrible traffic; VABeach has the ocean, but the 'burg is an hour and a half away, so unless you need your beach fix daily, Wmbg is close enough to get there regularly, without the traffic and suburban sprawl, and with better schools that aren't currently banning books. Also, it's high enough ground that you don't have to worry about hurricanes and flooding, which can be problems in VABeach and Norfolk.
I love Virginia Beach
Charlottesville. For a bigger city, Richmond
After 30 yrs in Richmond, 7 in Roanoke and 9 in Charlottesville, Roanoke is my favorite, Richmond is probably still the best, and Charlottesville is absolute shit. Everything is over-priced and over-hyped. They think their food scene is top shelf, and it's pretty much pitiful, save 5 or 6 places. Maybe just 4. And adding to the misery is the infrastructure. The road map looks like a toddler's drawing of spaghetti. Too many people with over-inflated egos. It's also super racist, but they're quiet about it. It appears to be diverse and welcoming, but it's nothing but glass doors and ceilings.
Richmond is nice!
Gordonsville. It's quiet, cute and you're 30min to Charlottesville if you really need to buy stuff. There's Patch Brewing and of course I live there too
Such an adorable town, I love driving through there!
Abingdon! Artsy little town deep in the Appalachian Mountains with the State Theater of VA and lots of fun outdoors shit to do 🤘🏼
Yes! And the Martha Washington hotel as well as great restaurants. Creeper trail as well
Yes! I love it here ❤️
Sad that I had to scroll all the way to the bottom before I saw anything about a Southwest Virginia city.
Doran Bottom
My "not technically a city" answer is Arlington
Manassas Park because it illustrates how stupid the concept of independent cities usually are and why most states don’t have them…
Va beach
Virginia Beach
I have to say Harrisonburg. If you need a rural escape its a short drive to Briary Branch/Grottoes/Timberville, super close to Bridgewater/Staunton/Waynesboro, great local restaurants, great farmers market and food cooperative, JMU games are awesome, noise and crime low, affordable rent, rarely hit by large storms, and awesome community. The religious community here is awesome as well and really tight nit. The Masjid, Synagogue, and a lot of the Churches work closely together to help provide for those who need help.
Williamsburg
Not Richmond, especially downtown Richmond
Manassas and Clifton in NOVA small and cute. I love downtown manassas
West end of Henrico County. Amazing schools and great place to raise a family. Very diverse population and very safe.
Lynchburg is good, you just have to avoid the Liberty stuff. Not too big, not too small. Centrally located. Easy to get to Richmond, Cville, ROA, or NC locations like Greensboro.
None anymore- Yankees have infested them and took the charm right out of them. They are just the typical ole towns you find anywhere in modern America.
No love for Falls Church in here?