Do you like living in VA?

I have lived in N.C. and V.A. I think it all sort of depends on what kind of place you want to live in. Do you like cities or more rural areas? College towns? Do you have children? Richmond is a big city, with all of the pros and cons of that. If you're living in the suburbs, I think you're going to find that it is pretty family friendly. I have a lot of friends with children that still live there and they have lovely neighborhoods with playgroups, bunco, etc. We lived all around the triangle in N.C. as well. I loved that area. I think that is where I would pick if I had to choose between the two because it feels a bit safer, cleaner, less busy.

Thanks for your response! I do have 3 small kids, 8 month old girl, a 4 year old boy and a 7 year old boy:) So this will be a big move for us. I've never lived anywhere else besides southern california. I really like the Wake Forest, NC area and the Richmond, VA suburbs, chesterfield County for example. Love the look of Charlottesville, but might be out of our price range.

Will be coming for a visit in April, so hope to see as much as possible.

Also, where do you think more nursing opps would be in about 4 years? NC or VA? Guess it's hard to tell...

As you can tell from my screen name, I work in Charlottesville. I moved here in 2000 after living in the DC area for 20 years.

I love living here - a college town provides lots of inexpensive opportunities, fun sports, and a vibrant atmosphere. I do not live in Charlottesville proper -- I live 24 miles away in one of the rural counties between Charlottesville and Richmond. Housing/land prices are a lot less here than living in the city. Feel free to PM for more info.

Hard to say where more jobs would be, but Wake Forest is near a lot of big hospitals-- Wake Med, Duke, Rex. I think you'll find yourself driving a ton if you live in Wake Forest, though. The housing prices are cheaper, but you have to go down Capital Boulevard (lots of traffic, lots of lights) to get anywhere. Take a look at Apex and Holly Springs. You'll still have to drive to get to work, but the traffic isn't as bad as north raleigh/wake forest area. Also maybe consider Hillsborough. It's very close to Chapel Hill, so you get a college town close by (and a hospital), but it's far enough out that housing costs are cheaper.

UNC has a nursing school, too, so that would be super convenient for you.

What nursing schools have you been considering?

Thank you so much for your insights and willingness to share!

I checked out holly springs, looks like a good fit for us. I'll take a look at hillsborough too!

At this point I do want to apply directly to either an accelerated BSN program (duke?) as I've already got a BA or just enter an associates in nursing...

Look at UNC's accelerated program, too. It's a lot cheaper than Duke's if you wait for a year to get in-state tuition. I had a degree already, as well, and opted for the traditional 2 year BSN, which was good as well.

Also look at the State Education Assistance program for nurses. Mine was mostly paid for with a service repayment when I finished.

I will definitely check UNC out too! Would be awesome to get some tuition assistance!

Thank you thank you!

Michelle

Think of Virginia almost as two states, the southern part and northern VA. I live in Northern VA and it's very family friendly. Fairfax county has a lot of parks and kids programs. They have a lot of recreation centers. 10-15 mins to DC to see the Smithsonian museums which are free. I really like it here