Thursday, August 18, 2022

Who Needs an Office? Newcomers Love it Here

 

Look for more people from urban areas to move to Halifax County, where folks are friendly, traffic is light and housing is inexpensive. Guests at Oak Grove Bed & Breakfast who are seeking property say they can work from home and don’t have to commute long distances to work in crowded offices.

 

One couple threw a dart at a map and somehow ended up in Cluster Springs. “We wanted to get out of Miami and live a simpler lifestyle,” says Alejandra Martinez. “So we took a road trip, got a realtor and the rest is history!” She and husband Francisco and son Frankie stayed at the B&B before settling on a house a half mile from us.. “What I love is the freedom we have,” she says.. “We can practically start work at any time and end any time.” Our son is home schooled and he has the same freedom.” Francisco is an engineer who designs solar panels for a company in the West. She works as a virtual administrative assistant under  CEOs from Texas, New Jersey, Arizona and India.  She blended in fast and sang at Constitution Square just before the July 4 fireworks.

 

Ray Weiss and Susan Black moved from northern Virginia to Halifax in 2020 during the pandemic. “We don't have to worry about going back into an office and we are very happy about that,” Weiss says. “We started volunteering at the Prizery this year because we would go to events there and thought it would be fun to help out. We love it here in Halifax and at the Prizery

 

Keith Washo came to Halifax from the Raleigh, mainly because he fell in love with Chelsey Garrett, who manages the Edward Jones office in Halifax. But he could also move because his tech job with Adaptive Sound Technologies allowed him to work remotely. As a musician, he also found “Halifax County a quiet, peaceful setting for writing and composing.” Since arriving, he has offered soccer camps via the YMCA and music shows and a song-writing class at The Prizery.

 

Brittny Valdes calls her move to Halifax County “a match made in heaven.” A native of the Miami area, she worked with her friend Mark Anthony to paint a mural in the Halifax Farmers Market. Soon she landed her current job as box office manager for The Prizery and occasionally freelances for the News & Record. “This community has accepted and supported me since day one,” she says. “I It’s changed my life and made it better.”

 

Two of our other guests who found a home here were Loretta and Bertram Cuffley, who moved from Stamford, Conn.  in 2013. “We were searching for an old house between Southern Virginia and North Carolina for early retirement,” she says. “Aside from the low cost of housing and taxes, people were welcoming, and the Prizery was a bonus. The proximity to major cities was also an attraction. We love it here.”

 

Scotty Felton, realtor at Long & Foster, reports, “Since covid, some people have come here because of the ability to work from home.  The only challenges right now are a shortage of available homes and inability to get Internet in some areas. That could change with new efforts to extend Wi-Fi coverage in rural areas.

 


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