SperlingViews - Winchester, Virginia

Winchester used to be a great little town with perhaps an unhealthy emphasis on its self-perceived historic importance, but it is now being dragged into the 21st century unwillingly and the results are decidedly mixed. The population in this area continues to grow at an alarming rate. I've been a frequent visitor to see lifelong friends who live here, one of whom is an environmental engineer, who predicts dire times ahead for the area as far as fresh water supply. Unchecked development in the county has stressed the local water table to its max and yet development continues. The county supervisors ignore the problem as long as property tax rolls grow. Disaster looms on the horizon. That said, this area has the finest regional library system (www.handleyregional.org) I have ever seen. Schools are adequate but offer little encouragement for personal growth. Too much emphasis is placed on minimum competency rather than maximum potential achievement. Your son or daughter will HAVE to get out of here after high school to actually see and experience the real world. Bottom line: not bad but you could do significantly better. [read more...]

Do not move here! Rudest people I have seen in a long time![read more...]

Bad winter this year with lots of snow. Summers are variable, but there have been some nice ones lately. Spring & fall are usually the best.[read more...]

Winchester is like living in Mayberry. Very safe place. Like anywhere else, there is crime here, but you can sleep easy and not worry about your kids.[read more...]

quiet and clean little city about 1 1/2 hours from dc. diverse economy provides jobs for most people with skills.[read more...]

Born and Raised in Winchester, I've seen it all! From the small quaint little town where kids played on the streets until dark, no fear of crime or violence. The simple living indeed, but no nightlife unless you were a child. I've seen the town run by "old money, and old families" no room for new and brighter..Apple Blossom was huge as a child, now it's only a pain...no decent floats, no decent bands...same old politics, same old faces...please how many times do Winchester folk need to see Lenny M????? Who cares! Winchester needs new blood and new life, stop building the homes, stop building malls and shopping..traffic is so bad, for such a small town.. There isn't any room left! Beautiful stone homes, orchards, farms torn down to make room for more houses, more traffic and more malls and shopping..With the unnecessary growth, came more costs to the citizens. Did anyone care to ask the people who have lived here all their life what they wanted?? Nope... It's a shame, for I used to love living here..If I wanted noices, traffic, high costs of taxes, etc..I'd move to the city! I want my small quaint little town back...[read more...]

Winchester is an old town whose colonial roots are visible along the pedestrian mall downtown. Away from the charming downtown, the major streets are dominated by characterless yet convenient franchise businesses. That Olive Garden is the busiest restaurant in town tells you a lot about the dining scene here. The only authentic ethnic eats are to be found at deliciously Indian Sona's and cheap yet tasty Salvadoran Sweet Sunset. There is a growing Hispanic population, but hardly any Asians. Most Christian religious groups are represented, and there are two Korean-language worship services housed in local churches. A tiny unmarked building in the south end of town functions as a mosque. Buddhists or practitioners of Buddhist meditation will have to commute elsewhere. Winchester is a family town, and there isn't much of a nightlife. Most downtown businesses close up by 6, and the streets feel deserted. As long as you are content to live in ordinary middle America, you'll be quite happy here. Most folks are friendly and unpretentious. You'll like your neighbors, and your kids will like the schools.[read more...]

Winchester is not a bad town. It is growing like crazy. Our house value has doubled in the almost-five years that we've lived here. Apple orchards are being felled right and left to make room for cookie cutter subdivisions and retails chains are moving in. So the shopping is better than it was. I still have to go to Leesburg an hour away to do to what I would consider any "real" shopping. However, my children ride their bikes to friends' houses without fear and crime is extremely low. As my children get older though, I do wonder what they will do for entertainment. There isn't a lot going on here if you're a kid over 12. It's 75 miles to DC to see the museums over there. That can be as quick as an hour and half or as long as 2 1/2 hours depending on traffic. And even though we abut a lot of mountains around here, there are precious few trailheads within an hour. So depending on your perspective, this isn't a bad town to raise a family in. However, we are looking to move in the next year. I think it would be an awful place for a single adult.[read more...]

Things are, indeed, changing rapidly here in Winchester. Our home price has doubled in 5 years, more restaurants and retail businesses are moving in and cookie cutter, over-priced subdivisions are replacing the apple orchards everywhere you look. More shopping and eating options are nice, but they are all chains. Who needs another Olive Garden?? I have to drive an hour east to Leesburg to find what I would consider "real" shopping. The downtown pedestrian mall is pretty sad and empty, but it's quaint. Schools are good with lots of parent involvement, but there is very little for the kids to do. It can take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours to get to DC to hit the museums depending on the traffic. It's not bad overall,but we are looking to move. [read more...]

Housing prices are through the roof because of the DC rat race moving in, the elected officials are clueless about how the infastructure needs to be upgraded to accomadate for this influx, all in all it's a dirty little sh!thole town that only the rich can afford to live in and are too stupid to realize they could live somewhere better than Winchester.[read more...]

Great small city 70 miles west of dc with some problems relating to changes in the demographics[read more...]