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Uh no it isn't and just because their website and some random magazine proclaim it to be doesn't mean it actually is. Do you even live up here? I challenge you to ask anyone who lives inside the Beltway if they think Reston would be a perfect fit for someone who wants an urban style environment...they will laugh in your face.
Reston is a suburban planned community that started in the late 1960s. As the Dulles Tech Corridor began to expand in the late 80s and early 90s the Town Center became zoned for high density development to attract somewhat of a younger demographic.The fact that it has a few high rises with street level restaurants and stores doesn't mean it is in anyway some type of urban level community that is on par with the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor of Arlington, downtown Bethesda, or DC. In 2015 or so when the Metro system makes it out there and they zone the area for even higher densities we might be able to call it as such...until then it is an outer suburb with a few tall buildings. I personally like Reston but it isn't as urban as some claim.
Uh no it isn't and just because their website and some random magazine proclaim it to be doesn't mean it actually is. Do you even live up here? I challenge you to ask anyone who lives inside the Beltway if they think Reston would be a perfect fit for someone who wants an urban style environment...they will laugh in your face.
A place CAN appeal to a certain mindset without being, quote, "a perfect fit" for that mindset. Heck, there are plenty of US cities with an urban experience that might appeal to someone who likes the urban experience but which may not be the city with "a perfect fit" for someone looking for the urban experience. If you're arguing what is "perfect" for the urban experience and what isn't, then we are talking about totally different things.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NOVAmtneer82
The fact that it has a few high rises with street level restaurants and stores doesn't mean it is in anyway some type of urban level community that is on par with the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor of Arlington, downtown Bethesda, or DC.
Not only did I not draw a comparison between Reston and "perfect," I also did not draw a comparison between Reston and other areas of the DC metro. I simply made a statement of fact about who Reston's target market is and what kind of mindset is attracted to the urban experience that Reston offers- the kind which likes the pedestrian-friendly mixed-use type of environment. If you're arguing about how Reston compares to this place or that place or to "perfect" then we are talking about totally different things.
The Reston Town Center is a very small portion of the overrall Reston community which is a planned suburban development. The Town Center's overrall target market is a younger demographic which is what I stated in my last post, however the vast majority of the community is made up of single family homes and office complexes that are far from intertwined. You would have to live in this area to understand but I can assure you that it is not considered anything more than an outer suburb with a few high rise buildings in the Town Center. We will just have to agree to disagree on this one.
Last edited by NOVAmtneer82; 07-22-2009 at 12:47 PM..
Pittsburgh is great place! I grew up there, and love it. Just like here, it has it's "good areas" and "bad areas", so you have to be careful about where you buy. Did you say you were originally from Pittsburgh? If so, you already know what a friendly place it is. The people who live there are truly proud of their communities and towns, unlike in dc where there is a considerable lack of similar cohesion because people come and go from everywhere so quickly.
I still think one of the primary differences between Pittsburgh and DC is that downtown pittsburgh proper cannot compare to downtown dc proper in terms of nightlife/ transportation accessibility etc.
I mean, if you go to downtown pgh. you have to pay $20 to park in a garage, because we have no metro system (please don't even mention the "subway", because it only goes to a QUARTER of the southern parts of pgh.) Once you get downtown, there is nothing to do anyway, and it's not really all that safe. (i understand parts of downtown dc are definetely not safe after dark either, but part certainly are)
This being said, the Southside of Pgh. (still technically downtown if you ask me) has gone through a revitalization that is making it quite the nightlife spot. There is also the area around the Universities in Oakland/Squirrel Hill that have some things going on and are accessible by bus (although the times the busses run until is much spottier than our old reliable metro system in dc).
Also, Pittsburgh is one of the most up and coming towns in it's efforts to become "greener". And they just held the G7 conference there because as opposed to many US towns, Pgh. has already been through the worst of its recession in the 70's and come out better for it. A model for the rest of US cities who are just getting a taste of what happens when your town's industry leaves you. The steel mills are long, long gone from Pittsburgh, yet it doesn't do too bad for itself. It's not the booming economy, or employment security that dc offers, but it isn't detroit, either.
Trust me that I understand what you're going through. My husband and I are considering buying right now in DC, but we constantly struggle with how much it costs to buy here vs. in Pittsburgh. We're considering moving back too.
Location: Unlike most on CD, I'm not afraid to give my location: Milwaukee, WI.
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Absolutely, 100%, go with Pittsburgh. Much lower housing and living costs, less traffic and congestion, and better quality of life.
I got out of NOVA as quick as I could a number of years back.
This is a difficult question. Comparing suburbs to an actual city. I 100% go with Pittsburgh over any suburb. But comparing the District to Pittsburgh, I would have to go with DC as far as amenities go.
I personally would rather end up in Pittsburgh as it is cheaper and friendly and in a nice geographic location.
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