Lynchburg ranks 15th in best places to live book From staff reports / Lynchburg News & Advance March 31, 2004 Mountain views, historic homes and a low cost of living help make Lynchburg the 15th best place in America to live, according to “Cities Ranked & Rated,” an annual report that hit the bookshelves Tuesday. In it, 331 cities are ranked by major topics like economy, cost of living, crime, transportation, leisure, arts and culture, health care, climate and education. Virginia places more cities in the top 20 than any other state, led by top-ranked Charlottesville. Charlottesville was followed by Roanoke at 11, Lynchburg at 15 and Norfolk at 17. Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C., placed at 26. Further down the list was Richmond at 55 and Danville at 298. Lynchburg is described as a “mid-sized Virginia town with a Southern feel and views of the Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountains,” by authors Bert Sperling and Peter Sander. They list local pros as the historic interest, the cost of living and the low crime rate, and the cons as urban sprawl, air services and recent job losses. While the description may not be strictly accurate - Lynchburg is a city and the Appalachian Mountains are a little too far away to see - residents say the summary captures the spirit of the Hill City and it’s surrounding counties. “It’s a nice quality of life that goes along with the job,” said Myra Dendy, who moved to Lynchburg last year with her husband and two sons. “We have really enjoyed Peaks View Park and the children’s museum,” Dendy said. “And in general, people have been very friendly and helpful.” She also cited the low cost of living as one reason she has been happy with life in Lynchburg. Gasoline prices, for instance, run about a dime below the state average and nearly 20 cents below the national average. Pat Lovern, a Realtor with John Stewart Walker Inc., said she often tells customers about the city’s affordable housing and the relatively low price tag for medical care. “I do make a big thing about it,” she said. “In Lynchburg, you can still find nice homes for under $100,000.” Lovern said it’s not unusual for buyers to get a lot more bang for their buck when they move here. Last year, a family of four from Northern Virginia bought a new, brick, five-bedroom home with four baths for about $375,000 in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. The family had just sold its 1,200-square-foot town home with one and a half bathrooms in Northern Virginia. “It was like they had died and gone to heaven,” Lovern said of the move. “They just could not believe it.” She also said the Hill City is attracting more and more retirees because of its low cost of living. The report noted the area’s ties to history and such attractions as the National D-Day Memorial, Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest and the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. Within each of the main topic areas, the report also looked at more detailed factors - among them restaurant availability, taxes rates, utility costs, air quality, job commuting time, cancer rates - and compared them to a national average. Area residents, for example, pay lower taxes than the national average but have fewer coffee vendors (Starbucks) than the national average. Lynchburg has 14 more rainy days and six more sunny days than the national averages. Another prime factor cited was the low crime rate. “For a city our size, we do really well - right now our crime rate is at a 25-year low,” said Crime Analyst Tommy Doss of the Lynchburg Police Department. Doss attributes that in part to a national reduction in crime over the past few years, but also to anti-gang measure and the community policing philosophy, in which officers work closely with residents. Police department major Mike Spencer said, “The community at large, all of the citizens here, have been very helpful to us in reporting crime and talking steps to prevent crime. “This rating - it’s really a community report card,” he said. Home sweet home • ‘Cities Ranked & Rated’ say Charlottesville is the best place to live in America. Other state rankings include:
No. 11 - Roanoke
» News & Advance staff writers Rachel C. Stanley and Victor
Reklaitis and Jay Warren of WSLS NewsChannel 10 contributed to this
rep |