Anyone familiar with Farmville, Virginia?

[johnnymk]

A friend of mine wants to move from his house in NJ to escape rising property taxes there.

He stopped in Farmville several months ago and found the area nice with affordable housing and very low propery taxes. However, Virginia has a high income tax which would prevent me from joining him later (which I was considering).

He is going back to Farmville next week to check the area again.

[mechmike0034]

Home to Longwood University. Not a bad place, but hardly a metropolitan area (this may be an advantage). My sister used to write for the Farmville newspaper (http://www.farmvilleherald.com/) - she commuted from the west side of Richmond.

Here's another link that may be of interest: http://www.farmvilleherald.com/guidetofarmville.htm

[johnnymk]

Thanks, mike. Would you say it's filled with "country hicks" or just nice people?

[mechmike0034]

Thanks, mike. Would you say it's filled with "country hicks" or just nice people?

Being a college town, it is probably a little more diverse than average. The locals are locals, however. I lived about 40 miles south of Farmville as a teenager.

Prince Edward County was an integration hotbed back in the day.

http://www.longwood.edu/news/bvb/princeedward.htm

[guiseppewv]

I thought income tax in VA is 4.5%. :confused:

[johnnymk]

I thought income tax in VA is 4.5%. :confused:

It's 5.75% over $17,000. That is outrageous.

[Dem0072]

Don't worry. The Hicks are in West Virginia. Virginians (except the D.C. area) are for the most part very rational, kind, reasonable people. I've been there on a couple occasions.

If you want cheap living with high opportunity the midwest is the place for you, otherwise getting off the beaten path of the east coast, if your not in a big city area, your either surrounded by farmland, college town, or retirement areas/sight seeing areas.

It's a nice scene but for someone looking for good money, not the best, but theres worse.

I would reccomend a rural area out of city limits but no more than 15 miles from a good city, in a under-development upper class neighborhood so the housing is affordable, but when your on your way you make out like a fattie selling your place.

Other benefitts is less city restriction, don't pay city tax, and your able to have more economical energy provisions, you also get a house with a yard, not a dogs "territorial island". You also hear less unnerving trafic & public service disturbances, like a cop car going down the strip at 40mph with lights & siren on. It's more peaceful, air is quite cleaner compaired to industrial areas.

For me thats just the qualities I like in a rural mid-class expanding neighborhood just a few miles outside of a city.

Plus if your the outdoorsy type youll encounter much more wildlife, be more localized with a way into the woods, and perhaps see some decent wildlife such as deer, but be warned use extreme caution if you like foilage in your yard. They have their favorites.

[jstreet]

It's 5.75% over $17,000. That is outrageous.Heh, I was taken aback by this, but I suppose it's all relative.

I am saving thousands of dollars a year thanks to moving to VA.

I lived in DC for nearly 5 years -- the levels this past year were:

For the first $10,000 of taxable income, the rate is 5.0%.
For taxable income over $10,000 but not over $30,000, the rate is $500 plus 7.5% of the excess over $10,000.
For taxable income over $30,000, the rate is $2,000 plus 9.0% of the excess over $30,000.

To me, VA's taxes are so low they're almost criminal. What are they where you are?


Don't worry. The Hicks are in West Virginia. Virginians (except the D.C. area) are for the most part very rational, kind, reasonable people. I've been there on a couple occasions.This evidently irrational, unkind, unreasonable Arlington County Virginian thanks you for your comments. :thumbdown

[johnnymk]

The income tax rate here is a flat 3.07%, which was raised a few years ago from 2.8%.

9% is totally ridiculous!!

[Cubsfan]

Maybe you should look at Alaska, Florida, Nevada, SOuth Dakota, Texas, Washington, or Wyoming?

[jstreet]

The income tax rate here is a flat 3.07%, which was raised a few years ago from 2.8%.

9% is totally ridiculous!!Wow, that is incredible.

9% definitely hurt, I'm not gonna lie. I almost could have justified continuing to pay it if I knew it was going to programs that really helped people, but the DC government is so, so messed up. Unless things have changed, we still spend the most on our schools in the country and they are near or at the bottom.

Much of the blame is in DC (local) politics but much is because of its unique role as a non-state. DC gets a ton of unfunded mandates and its self-governance is frequently overruled. Additionally, commuter taxes present in many other metro areas are banned in DC because of the federal representatives from VA and MD, so commuters (I'm now one of them) strain DC's facilities even more without contributing anything. It's a sad story that won't ever get fixed until DC gets federal representatives and complete self-governance. Anyway, I ramble.

DC taxes were the primary reason I moved. They were bad enough as they were in my paycheck, and if I get into law school I'd soon be taxed 9% on the educational benefits my job provided as if it was "income". It would've just been too much.

[ialsohaveadream]

The income tax rate here is a flat 3.07%, which was raised a few years ago from 2.8%.

9% is totally ridiculous!!
Income tax rate here is 0.0%. That's up from a previous low of 0.0%. You tourist types pay our taxes. :)

[guiseppewv]

Don't worry. The Hicks are in West Virginia. Virginians (except the D.C. area) are for the most part very rational, kind, reasonable people. I've been there on a couple occasions.


Hey pal, I am from WV and anyone who has met me will tell you I am no hick. There are hicks in every state. NJ - "the pines", VA - western side of the state, PA - central PA, MD - western side of the state, DE - everywhere except the beaches, etc... Pretty much every state has them. No need to generalize b/c VA has more than their fair share of them.

[guiseppewv]

The income tax rate here is a flat 3.07%, which was raised a few years ago from 2.8%.

9% is totally ridiculous!!

But remember that different municiplaties and cities have their own income tax rate.

MD's income tax is only 4.75% but each county (B-more is its own county) has its own local income tax.

[Markel]

For taxable income over $30,000, the rate is $2,000 plus 9.0% of the excess over $30,000.

To me, VA's taxes are so low they're almost criminal.
I think you've identified the wrong place as being criminal. Those D.C. taxes are outright government robbery!

[ialsohaveadream]

Hey pal, I am from WV and anyone who has met me will tell you I am no hick. There are hicks in every state. NJ - "the pines", VA - western side of the state, PA - central PA, MD - western side of the state, DE - everywhere except the beaches, etc... Pretty much every state has them. No need to generalize b/c VA has more than their fair share of them.
I was waiting for you to catch that comment. :)

And we have more than our fair share of hicks down south, too.

[guiseppewv]

I think you've identified the wrong place as being criminal. Those D.C. taxes are outright government robbery!

DC needs to "pass the buck" or some of it onto visitors and business commuters. The tax burden on the locals is ridiculous. I thought about moving into the city but did not b/c of the property and income tax rates there.


I was waiting for you to catch that comment. :)

And we have more than our fair share of hicks down south, too.

As soon as I started typing I was thinking that everyone on this board has to know that I am going to respond to that post. :P