THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 12, 1995 TAG: 9508100388
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MELANIE BEROTH
SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 130 lines
The last road before the North Carolina border is an 11-mile country stretch that connects George Washington Highway and Battlefield Boulevard.< The expansive brightly colored sky is the perfect mantle for the array of corn fields, tire swings, hammocks and farmsteads that line Ballahack Road in southern Chesapeake.
Horses graze in the fields behind wooden fences, and a sole entrepreneur advertises ``Large Brown Eggs For Sale'' several miles from Parsons Country Store. While modern subdivisions have developed off of Ballahack during the last three years, it has maintained its quiet demeanor on the border of the Dismal Swamp.
According to Marvin Powers, who was born on Ballahack and came back to the area in 1972 to raise his family, ``It's God's country out here. I think it's the center of the universe.''
Powers, the owner of P & L Well Company, has about 15 acres of land. His great-grandfather, W.L. Powers, used to own a majority of the property along the road, and now Powers and his two brothers have split their portion of the family land. Powers current home is a dark blue wood, ranch-style home with white trimming and black shutters.
Lynn Schrage escaped from city life a year and a half ago because she wanted a better school system for her children. She has been happy with Great Bridge schools, and she enjoys living in the country.
``It's freedom,'' she says. ``My kids have an ATV, and I don't worry about them riding around or going back to the Northwest River. No one bothers them. It's a whole new world out here.'' In September 1996 Hickory High School will be completed so teenagers will have about a 10-minute daily commute for their education.
About 215 acres of undeveloped land are for sale along Ballahack. The prices for the lots range from $42,900 for three acres to $140,000 for 94 acres.
According to Chesapeake's Public Works office, if the area continues to grow, the city will eventually expand the road to four lanes and straighten some of the tight curves.
The road is now graded a Class A because of the light traffic.
The original foundation of Marvel Nicholas' white vinyl farmhouse was built in 1680.
Nicholas has watched the slow growth of homes along the road and the fast growth of the developments, but doesn't ever plan to leave the area because ``it's quiet.'' The Nicholas family owns a five-bedroom farmhouse and 250 acres filled with soybeans, corn and wheat.
Their leisure swimming pool is surrounded by several red barns, silos and farm equipment.
John and Cindy Cooper purchase their eight acres of property ten years ago and built their two-story, white colonial home in 1990 to get out of the city. John Cooper planted St. Augustine grass to carpet the yard they meticulously landscaped with magnolias, azaleas, hosta and scattered maple trees.
``It's a good yard for kids and dogs,'' Cooper says.
He adds, ``The bugs aren't as bad here as they are in the city.''
Edward and Peggy McConnell moved to the area four years ago when they relocated to the Naval Security Group Activity Northwest which is situated on 3,700 acres adjacent to Ballahack.
Opened in 1955, the station provides communications for the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard. The McConnell's live in a brick and white vinyl duplex with a fenced-in backyard that faces Ballahack.
According to Peggy McConnell, who's originally from Nebraska, ``We love it in the country. The school system out here is really good, and there is no crime here like at the beach or in Great Bridge. The kids can go play, and I don't have to be scared.'' Her children, ages 7, 4 and 3, enjoy playing at Northwest River Park, which is only about 15 minutes away. McConnell says, ``We like to ride our bikes at the park and take a boat out along the river.''
The family is moving to Hawaii this month, but McConnell says, ``We'd like to come back to this area.''
About 600 people live on the military base in 140 housing units. The residents enjoy an outdoor swimming pool, ball fields, tennis courts, a bowling alley and two gymnasiums.
Kathy Hoyle, who is a real estate agent for William E. Wood, has spent the last 12 years in the Ballahack community. Her current home is located in Riverwood, one of three subdivisions growing off of Ballahack. She says, ``A lot of the trend in moving here is because people feel more secure. There is no crime out here.''
She loves to listen to the bullfrogs, crickets, owls and locust at night.
``We walk out of our front door and see deer grazing under the street light. It's so peaceful. People think it's too far away, but you feel the stress leaving when you drive home from work. If they'd give it a short time, they'd change their mind. It's a whole different lifestyle.'' ILLUSTRATION: TAMARA VONINSKI/Photos
The Schrage family, from left, Jeremy, Jeff, Lynn and Jerry, escaped
from city life a year and a half ago. "It's a whole new world out
here," Lynn Schrage says.
Cornfields, tire swings, hammocks and farmsteads dot the modern
subdivisions that have developed off of Ballahack Road in southern
Chesapeake. "It's God's country out here," one resident says.
TAMARA VONINSKI/Staff
About 215 acres of undeveloped land are for sale along Ballahack.
The lot prices range from $42,900 for three acres to $140,000 for 94
acres.
AT A GLANCE
Staff Map
ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Public schools: Deep Creek Elementary School, Hickory Elementary
School, Great Bridge Middle School and Great Bridge High School.
Shopping: Great Bridge is a 15-minute drive. Parsons Country Store
and a 7-11 are located on Ballahack Road.
Recreation: Northwest River Park is 7 1/2 miles from the corner of
Ballahack and Battlefield Boulevard. Park activities include
camping, fishing, picnicking and a playground. The Outer Banks is a
one-hour drive.
For Sale:
At 1052 Ballahack Road, a five-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath house with three
acres and a two-story barn is listed for $179,900.
At 237 Ballahack Road, a three-bedroom, two-bath house with almost
five acres and a barn is listed for $150,000.
Sold:
At 1036 Ballahack Road, a three-bedroom, two-bath house sold in June
after 140 days on the market.
by CNB