[SharonA]

Hi Seabreeze,
So, I know you’re hating on the weather in your area just now, but, could I ask where in VA you are, and how you like it? I am beginning to begin to plan for the next move (it won’t be for a few years), and am thinking Lexington, VA or Charlottesville, VA areas. The “wish list” includes four seasons with winter being shorter than in New England, to be within 45 minutes of a town with a bookstore or library and good places to get fancy tea/coffee/have a nice lunch, and good vets, farriers, trainers, and nice trails. Might you have any recommendations? And, good luck with the weather. We just got 8 inches of snow and now it’s sleeting heavily, to really sock everything in like wet cement before it drops to 5 degrees tonight.

– Sharon

[seabreeze]

Hi, Sharon,

I’m as far east as you can go in VA. Actually about a mile from the ocean, by way the crow flies. I’m on the Delmarva Peninsula in Accomack County, about 15 minutes from Chincoteague. I love it here, but it is very slow. I actually work in MD because there isn’t a great job market here. Horsewise, to be a part of the hunter/dressage scene requires going to the western shore of MD; eventing to PA area. There are some local shows on the Eastern Shore of MD, so everything is at least an hour away. Weather wise, it’s not terrible. My grass will be growing by March and horses will abandon their hay by the end of March. We’re all cringing because it’s going to be…gasp…in the teens tonight! We call that extreme…lol.

Your thinking about Charlottesville and Lexington are good choices. Much further north than Charlottesville and you’ll get caught in the NOVA traffic and cost of living nightmare (although it’s horsey!). My aunt actually lives in Lexington, and I love that area. Both locations, being inland, get more winter than we do, but fall far short of a New England winter, I’m sure. People will say that all of VA is humid, but not so. Being from a coastal area, I know humidity! When I go to the mountains of VA in the summer, it’s so refreshing! No humidity nor bugs.

I’m about 90 minutes from the Hampton Roads area (Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Newport News)…another traffic nightmare. Not much of a horse scene, either. A bit of a hunter scene, but that’s about it. Some good vets, but farriers and trainers can be hard to come by.

Hope this helps a bit! Let me know if I can answer anything else for you.

Tammy