Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I agree, RTC was a bit Stepford-ish for me. Falls Church is just too much traffic for me and the city center is too small to be worth the traffic. I guess there's always a trade-off unfortunately. Sometimes life sucks. I really hate that DC is so expensive and that I may have to move to Charlotte to afford to live here.
I can relate to RestonRunner's loneliness. I really miss my small town in GA and can totally relate to wanting to have an elderly neighbor that I know and can grocery shop for them. I don't know if I would mind the neighborliness of Brambleton, esp. after I have kids. I just find that a lot of those type of neighborhoods are a little conformist for my taste, but this is based on neighborhoods in GA. DC is pretty diverse so that might not be an issue here. But I don't like people in my business, calling me to ask why my blinds aren't open! But I'm sure not every neighborhood is like that one.
I just wish DC had more options. I really want to stay in this area for all that DC has to offer and especially for the weather, but if we have to move that far out to afford a house, I don't know if it's worth it... Thanks to everyone for all your advice!
Just please try to keep an open mind and retain a positive attitude. Thinking so much about the lack of "options" here has made me lose hope on ever raising a family here someday, and I'd hate to see others, too, lose their idealism and optimism the way I now have. When I first moved here I had even posted a thread entitled, I believe "NoVA is AMAZING!" Then the honeymoon phase wore off when I realized I was living paycheck-to-paycheck to battle traffic everyday to commute to a job where I felt useless and live in a place that had no sense of "place", if that makes sense. After a year-and-a-half I'm finally telling myself that if after another year-and-a-half I still feel this way then I'll know for certain it's time to move on. Whether that is someplace as proximate as Winchester or as distant as Pittsburgh, Baltimore, or even Minneapolis is still unknown. The DC area has so much to offer to so many people, and I still regret that I've become burnt-out so quickly by it.
I actually get what you mean about people being "all in my business." I haven't been to church in probably about six months now because I know word has gotten around in the congregation that I had a pretty unpleasant and traumatic experience earlier this year that nearly cost me my life, and I'm afraid of being judged for it, harshly, with the staring and sideways whispering if and when I return to worship because most in my congregation are very affluent and influential people. So now I've just resorted to praying and reading my Bible at home. People in NoVA aren't the types to be blunt because they are too "progressive" or "politically correct" to be as such. As I've noticed on this sub-forum with people making snarky and subversive "generalized" remarks against "someone" (i.e. me) from time to time people like to try to judge one another by outsmarting them, but when their attempts at outsmarting fail and they are caught red-handed with their hands in the cookie jar by someone with an even more discerning eye they don't know how to react (I know, by the way, which one of you is on my Facebook, for what it's worth, since I know you're reading this).
All in all I just really wish you and your better half nothing but the best. I personally just don't know if the "trade-offs" are going to be worth it to me in the long-term when I have early-20s peers who are already married, having children, established in careers after college, and are rehabbing their own quaint lovely homes back in Scranton. I then look at myself, single long-term, barely affording a 1-bedroom apartment in a far-flung suburb, no hope of affording a home comfortably on my own for at least another decade, if not longer, etc., and I just shake my head. It's not that I'm "not able to hack" DC. I just don't see how my quality-of-life and standard-of-living improved by moving here the way others claimed it should have. Where's the "payoff?" I just don't see it.
Sorry you're burned out, DC can do that to people. I guess the trade-off to me so far (living in Alexandria) has been the uniqueness of Alexandria, all the things to do in DC (restaurants, museums, etc), and the weather (i.e. snow!) I don't know if moving far out, if DC will still "win" in that regard. I'll still have the snow, and somewhat the proximity to DC, but certainly not the uniqueness and history of Alexandria. I do see my peers in Atlanta and Charlotte in their lovely homes just enjoying life and I wonder "what is it about DC that has me so hooked?' So far, it's been Alexandria. But I just don't know if that will change when the 'burbs enter the picture. Well, and the snow. Atlanta certainly doesn't have that, and Charlotte gets an inch or two. I was in hog heaven during last year's storms! DC is just so frustrating- it's like a really great boyfriend that doesn't love you back but you can't stop loving him...
I think you could swing Fairfax on $600k. Perhaps not a newer, larger house in the city, but there are some houses that would be in that range, depending upon the size, neighborhood, and amenities you want in the community. There are new houses, for example, off Pickett Road that are into seven digits, as are some in Farrcroft, but then there are numerous quiet neighborhoods that have ramblers, capes, and splits that are going to fall in your preferred range.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Hi all- I currently live in a townhouse in Alexandria. Hubby is an attorney working in DC. We are in our early 30s with no kids but looking to start a family in the next year or so. He is looking at changing jobs and most of the businesses seem to be out towards Reston, Sterling, etc. He wouldn't want to commute from Alexandria and we could never afford a single family home inside the Beltway anyway (at least not one that we'd like- I'd love to live in DelRay). I've looked online at some real estate prices and prices are definitely cheaper out there. My question is, are Reston, Sterling, etc. just big box suburbia? I've been to Reston Town Center but never to Herndon, Sterling, etc. We just don't get out that way that much. Reston Town Center was nice but we are looking for something similar to Alexandria- you have the uniqueness of Old Town and DelRay but also the big box stores of Target, the Kingstowne area, etc. It's the best of both worlds! My hubby and I have always lived in the close-in suburbs of a city (i.e. Alexandria) and never out in true suburbia. Are there any towns out that way with cute little mains streets with boutiques, or is it all McMansions and big box stores?
Also, we like the bungalow-type style of houses like in DelRay or Arlington- are all the houses out that way McMansions?
Last question, living all the way out there, do you feel like you're part of DC? Sometimes "suburbia" seems like it could be Pittsburgh, Augusta GA, anywhere, etc. Do you find living out there still very expensive?
We are under a bit of a time crunch- hubby has a possible offer in Charlotte but also an application out in Sterling. Normally we could spend time and drive out there, but this Charlotte job has come up quickly and they will probably want an answer this week. We work late hours and there's just no way we can get out to the suburbs during this work week. I would rather stay in the DC area, I love how much there is to do and I love the weather (coming from GA, I had never seen snow!). But I am just not familiar with those areas and I don't know if suburbia is "us." We need to know if there's a possibility of us liking the VA 'burbs and what they're like before we turn down Charlotte. Thanks so much for any advice you could give!
Reston is an "Edge-city", meaning that it's a major center of population and commerce. The entire Dulles Corridor has more major business than any portion of Metro D.C. outside of the Ft. Myer/Pentagon sections of Arlington (Alexandria isn't even close). As a matter of fact, we have more of certain types of businesses than even the District, and Fairfax Co. as a whole has over twice the population (Within five to ten miles of me, there are at least 150,000 residents). The suburbia which you are picturing is more out towards South Riding and Ashburn, VA.
I was born in the District, and raised in Reston, VA, and I'm every bit a D.C. native.
Btw, I like it a lot better outside of the Beltway. The traffic, while still horrendous, is somewhat better. Also, you can escape to the (As of yet) less crowded West, and that's something which you can't really do living in Alexandria. You can even hit up the casino in Charles Town, WV with a minimal of effort, or the Shenandoah Valley, Dulles Airport, Harper's Ferry, WV, Winchester, Leesburg, Purcellville, etc., all without succumbing to fatigue. At the same time, it's easy enough to get into D.C. with the Toll Road (Even though traffic is the norm.), and soon enough we'll have the Metro (Which I don't like the idea of anymore, given how much they've obliterated the tree-filled/grassy median that made for a more relaxing drive of sorts).
Oh, and yes, be prepared for the Winter weather. At times, Alexandria, and D.C. can receive nothing but rain, while out here in Western FFX. we'll get half-a-foot of snow or more. Any amount of snow which you typically received in Alexandria, we received A LOT more of it. Our streets also take longer to plow, and we have more tree coverage (Which, again, I love about Reston). Be forewarned though, we also have areas which you don't want to live in (If you want to know specifics, just ask ;-)
I've been here for 25 years, and I've seen it all!
We are under a bit of a time crunch- hubby has a possible offer in Charlotte but also an application out in Sterling. Normally we could spend time and drive out there, but this Charlotte job has come up quickly and they will probably want an answer this week. We work late hours and there's just no way we can get out to the suburbs during this work week.
You need to find a way. You're considering a possible relocation to another part of the country, based upon incomplete information about your housing options in the DC area. Does that make sense?
I can relate to RestonRunner's loneliness. I really miss my small town in GA and can totally relate to wanting to have an elderly neighbor that I know and can grocery shop for them. I don't know if I would mind the neighborliness of Brambleton, esp. after I have kids. I just find that a lot of those type of neighborhoods are a little conformist for my taste, but this is based on neighborhoods in GA. DC is pretty diverse so that might not be an issue here. But I don't like people in my business, calling me to ask why my blinds aren't open! But I'm sure not every neighborhood is like that one.
I don't think Brambleton is very conformist, and no one I know is that much into anyone else's business. No one has the time! (Although we live on a corner and my toddlers keep pretty good tabs on which dogs are being walked past.)
Some of my neighbors I never see. But we are friendly with enough people that there is a good safety net, and we've made some great friends here. If an emergency came up, I have a couple of options for places to leave my kids. People help each other out. One of my neighbors who we know but don't really hang out with much gave me a jogging stroller and two car booster seats; they were cleaning out their garage and thought we could use them. We have both a community intranet and an unofficial message board; people use these to share information and ask for help. A total stranger lent me a music stand for a weekend; a family coordinates a toy drive for needy families in the community; a neighbor needs a ride to chemo; the shoe store is having a special sale this weekend!; etc.
You can be as involved in the community as you want. No one will hold you at gunpoint and make you go to the Fall Festival.
OP, upper NW or NE may suit your needs, I see SFH's in the Shepherd Park, Takoma, and Brookland areas for <$500k. OTOH, I don't know whether you have an opinion of DCPS or not. My wife's is decidedly negative, and even I'm reluctant to send my kid to a school that is 5-10% white.
You may also want to look at some parts of Silver Spring as well -- typically Northern VA is "younger" than inner Maryland.
Reston Runner, is there a reason you've been ignoring Front Royal?
From reading your posts, it just seems you're pining for a past that never was.
Here are some photo tours of various areas that have been mentioned so you can gauge for yourself. There are some homes in the historic section of Herndon you might like. Hamilton, Round Hill, and Purcellville might appeal. You'd love Waterford, but that's a hard commute.
I don't think Brambleton is very conformist, and no one I know is that much into anyone else's business. No one has the time! (Although we live on a corner and my toddlers keep pretty good tabs on which dogs are being walked past.)
Some of my neighbors I never see. But we are friendly with enough people that there is a good safety net, and we've made some great friends here. If an emergency came up, I have a couple of options for places to leave my kids. People help each other out. One of my neighbors who we know but don't really hang out with much gave me a jogging stroller and two car booster seats; they were cleaning out their garage and thought we could use them. We have both a community intranet and an unofficial message board; people use these to share information and ask for help. A total stranger lent me a music stand for a weekend; a family coordinates a toy drive for needy families in the community; a neighbor needs a ride to chemo; the shoe store is having a special sale this weekend!; etc.
You can be as involved in the community as you want. No one will hold you at gunpoint and make you go to the Fall Festival.
P.S. Where are you from in Georgia? I'm a native.
I think this is an excellent description of not only Brambleton but also many of the communities in the Reston/Herndon/Ashburn/Sterling corridor. It's certainly a description of Cascades.
By the way, if you want my two cents I'd take the job in Charlotte. If you want to stay in Nova that's great, but I encourage anyone who thinks they might be unhappy here to move somewhere else. We have more than enough people moving here who want to be here. Charlotte is a lovely city, and you'll probably be able to find a neighborhood like Alexandria there. Most big cities have them.
Hi all, thanks for your replies. Brookland/Takoma Park, while I like the look of them, are not safe enough for me. I lived in a gentrifying neighborhood back in Atlanta- never again. Charlotte does have some lovely areas like Alexandria (Dillworth neighborhood, etc).- I guess the problem is there are negatives with Charlotte (weather/no snow, it's not a big city) and with living out in the 'burbs as well. I guess I'm a "glass half-empty" kind of girl, unfortunately. I love the DC area just not sure about the 'burbs. Thanks everyone!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
(Although we live on a corner and my toddlers keep pretty good tabs on which dogs are being walked past.)
I think this is an excellent description of not only Brambleton but also many of the communities in the Reston/Herndon/Ashburn/Sterling corridor. It's certainly a description of Cascades.
