Things You Find Odd About NoVA (Arlington, McLean: buying, pros and cons, maintenance)

[Caladium]

I went to a BBQ in McLean the other day and the homeowner was acting like he was somehow superior to the rest of us because we live out in the suburbs.

Ummmm.... hello there Mr. Superiority! McLean is a suburb. It's not even that close to DC.

Thinking that you couldn't possibly live in a suburb because there are other suburbs much further out is something I find odd about Nova.

[coolio69]

I find it odd that supermarkets here have olive bars. I didn't know there was such variety in olives. The only olives I ever grew up with came in glass jars. The only time I taste olives is when someone orders them on a pizza and I eat that begrudgingly.

[VTHokieFan]

People who brag about how good the economy is up here.

[Alicia Bradley]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Actually Old Town Alexandria is fine for biking if you pick the right streets. You can ride pretty safely from one end to the other, especially North/South. Royal Street is particularly good for that.

Biking down Royal Street is actually one of the main things I miss about living (sort of) near Old Town! One of my favorite little rides was to go to the Torpedo Factory, lock my bike and wander around for a bit, and then return home. *sigh* I'm looking forward to moving back 'in' (towards DC) again.

[brooklynborndad]

I find it odd that people here get afraid the entire region is going to look like the rosslyn ballston corridor.


arlington overall is about 8000 people per sq mile. The Ros ballston corridor must be at least 3 times the density of arlington overall - say 24,000 people per square mile? which would be about 40 people an acre (actually that sounds low, I bet its even higher)

FFx county is 400 sq miles. at 24000 per sq mile, it would hold about 10 million people. Loudoun would hold about half that ASSUMING you kept over half of LC as agricultural reserve. Thats 15 million people so far, and we havent even touched PWC.

There is no way, absent a science fiction scenario, that there will be a time that this region lacks low density residential areas. High density is likely to come to at most 10% of Fairfax County, and a much smaller portion of LC (possibly only the areas with a half mile or so of the silver line stations). yet people get scared that somehow Arlington will metastize everywhere.

[Joke Insurance]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

People who brag about how good the economy is up here.

That is the first time that I heard that.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

There is no way, absent a science fiction scenario, that there will be a time that this region lacks low density residential areas. High density is likely to come to at most 10% of Fairfax County, and a much smaller portion of LC (possibly only the areas with a half mile or so of the silver line stations). yet people get scared that somehow Arlington will metastize everywhere.

Very true, but I think most people who get nervous about "being Ballstonated" don't care if there is low density in some other part of Nova. They're worried about their own neighborhood.

People buy homes in a neighborhood because they like it the way that it is. They get nervous when there's a chance that their little slice of paradise could get torn up to become the next concrete jungle, and they don't want to have to move. It's just human nature, and people have the same fears in any metro area that's growing. That's one reason some people look for homes a little farther out--they search for a neighborhood that won't ever be Ballstonized.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by Caladium

It's just human nature, and people have the same fears in any metro area that's growing. That's one reason some people look for homes a little farther out--they search for a neighborhood that won't ever be Ballstonized.

But I think brooklynborndad is right that that fear is irrational in a lot of cases. The only areas that have a chance of being Ballstonized (love that word, BTW) are those that have similar attributes to Ballston. In other words, they have to be near an existing or planned Metro line and there has to be an existing commercial corridor nearby. Some Silver Line areas do fit that description and will be Ballstonized, but you don't have to go very far from the city to find areas that will never in our lifetimes be Ballstonized. An example would be the area of Fairfax County between 66 and 95- Burke, Fairfax Station, West Springfield. There's just no conceivable way that area becomes high density in the next 50 years- the infrastructure won't be there.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by pcity

But I think brooklynborndad is right that that fear is irrational in a lot of cases. The only areas that have a chance of being Ballstonized (love that word, BTW) are those that have similar attributes to Ballston. In other words, they have to be near an existing or planned Metro line and there has to be an existing commercial corridor nearby. Some Silver Line areas do fit that description and will be Ballstonized, but you don't have to go very far from the city to find areas that will never in our lifetimes be Ballstonized. An example would be the area of Fairfax County between 66 and 95- Burke, Fairfax Station, West Springfield. There's just no conceivable way that area becomes high density in the next 50 years- the infrastructure won't be there.

LOL yup Ballstonized is a great word--and I actually like Ballstonated even better.

Good point, BTW--when viewed from this angle I'd agree. I can understand the dread of people I know in Reston & Herndon--but you're right that the odds of being Ballstonized in Fairfax Station etc. are just about nil. Of course you can also argue that anyone moving into Reston for the past decade knew that a train would eventually be coming, so recent residents don't get quite as much sympathy. Also, for the record, I'm personally happy about the growth coming to Reston/Herndon. Of course, in the interest of full disclosure we also sold our house in Herndon and moved to a community further away from the silver line.

[guilliam]

freeway on-ramps that come BEFORE the off-ramp, so you have traffic speeding up crossing traffic slowing down. An accident waiting to happen.

OK, I know that's not just NOVA, seems to be the case east of the Mississippi. But I can never get over this horrendous engineering mistake that is allowed to continue on all new construction.